Chestnut Hill Academy gets $1 million grant

Chestnut Hill Academy has received a $1 million grant to help the $12.5 million Science and Technology Center under construction on campus be certified under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system.

The grant has been provided by a private family foundation that has requested anonymity.

In a letter to Frank Steel, headmaster of the private boys' school, the foundation praised the school's efforts to "provide an exceptional learning experience for your students, while creating an environmentally friendly Science and Technology Center."

School officials said the building would provide hands-on learning opportunities for students and would include storm-water-management systems, solar panels, and a wind turbine on the roof. A high-tech wall in the main lobby will allow visitors to monitor the building's energy use. The school is in Chestnut Hill at 500 W. Willow Grove Ave.

- Martha Woodall