The first year of high school really will be a fresh start for Harrison School students who ventured into their $56.1 million secondary facilities for the first time this morning.
The new buildings feature bright red, yellow and orange panels across 18 classrooms and learning spaces which are capable of holding up to 800 students.
Year 7 and 8 students will enter their first classes today and the school will continue to expand over the next few years, eventually hosting students from preschool to year 10 by 2014.
Education Minister Chris Bourke and ACT Education Directorate director-general Jim Watterston were given a tour of the new facilities by principal Dennis Yarrington this morning.
Mr Bourke said he was impressed by the school's five-star sustainability rating, which came from architecturally-designed features such as onsite rainwater tanks for use in toilets and landscaping, energy-efficient lighting, cross ventilation and high efficiency insulation.
"The building has vents in all the side walls and in those panels on the roof which allow cool air to be sucked in during the day and hot air pushed out into the night, which is just fantastic," he said.
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