Fostoria City SD New 7-12 MS/HS - OFCC

Fostoria City Schools welcomed students into the halls of its fresh, new 7-12 building in 2020. The Fostoria Junior/Senior High School designed by Garmann Miller features two gymnasiums, a cafeteria and auditorium, a state-of-the-art media center and four sections of modern classrooms that can be opened up for more collaborative learning spaces.

“This new facility speaks for itself,” Superintendent Andrew Sprang said. “This school will help our children and students with the tools they need to be successful.”

With a focus on enhancing the environment for learning and minimizing building operating costs, the project included sustainable features such as: a high efficiency HVAC system, ample daylight, outdoor learning labs, durable material selections, water-efficient equipment and fixtures.

Energy efficiency was of the highest priority, which was demonstrated by the project being awarded 14 of the 16 points for the Optimize Energy Performance credit. This was made possible, in part, by the implementation of a passive optical network (PON). With a PON, passive splitters are used in the fiber distribution network, enabling one single feeding fiber from the provider’s central office to serve multiple areas; meaning only one technology room is needed for the entire building. This yields energy savings with the loss of need for multiple dedicated A/C units; as well as downsized generator requirements. These savings reduced building capital costs and opened up additional square footage for students.

Fostoria City Schools was the first Ohio school district to adopt PON technology and along with Garmann Miller, earned AEP Ohio's 2019 Most Innovative Project. Fostoria Junior/Senior High School is also the first LEED for Schools v4 Silver Certified K-12 building in the state of Ohio.