The Dallas School Districts fights wear and tear and bacteria with new Hiny Hiders bathroom partitions from Scranton Products "Available in an assortment of colors and styles, the Dallas School District chose Hiny Hiders bathroom partitions in a textured finish because they noticed reduced vandalism," said Karl Prinz, AIA, of WRA Architects in Dallas

In May 2008, the citizens of Dallas, Texas approved a $1.35 billion bond program designed to reshape the school district through the completion of 61 separate projects. It has replaced several dated facilities and repurposed numerous others with the latest technologies and sustainable features.

Aimed specifically at overcoming crowding and providing Dallas students with the opportunity to learn in state-of-the art environments, the project entailed the phased launch of 14 new elementary, middle and high schools located in communities across the city. Among the many efforts included in this initiative was the building of the new George Herbert Walker Bush Elementary School, which officially opened in Addison, Texas in August 2011, and the William Hardin Adamson High School replacement project, which is slated for completion the summer of 2012.

Designed as an extension of the existing school system and to accommodate an overflow of students from the surrounding area, the 94,000 sq. ft. Bush Elementary School now serves the learning needs of approximately 825 Pre-K through 5th grade students with 35 classrooms, a media center, computer labs, gymnasium and features such as a Discovery Wall containing a collage of images highlighting various topics. “The planning was extensive for each of the school bond projects and included designs that were not only innovative, but also enduring and aesthetically pleasing,” says Karl Prinz, AIA, LEED AP, of WRA Architects in Dallas, who was the project manager for George H. W. Bush Elementary School. “As a result, all the materials were chosen for their ability to comfortably blend into the facility’s modern design, while withstanding the daily use of elementary school students.

Among the many products selected specifically to meet these needs was the broad-based installation of bathroom partitions from Scranton Products, which according to Prinz were among the products preferred by Dallas ISD’s maintenance department. Available in an assortment of colors and styles, Dallas’ partition of choice was Hiny Hiders® Paisley Color and “EX” texture, which is black bespectacled with white dots and a ridged texture. “A textured finish was desired by the district, because they noticed reduced vandalism,” said Prinz.

In addition to their appealing look and feel, the Scranton Products partitions also met numerous other criteria cited by the city for its new school bathrooms. This included absorbing all the forms of punishment that thousands of students, teachers and parents could deliver every day for the foreseeable future. These benefits include the ability to never rust or delaminate as well as resist dents, scratches, graffiti, corrosion, mildew and moisture. They are also fully power-washable and can be firmly installed in three configurations; floor mounted overhead-braced, ceiling-hung or floor-to-ceiling

Jason Mellard, who served as architect on the $49 million Adamson High School replacement effort, concurs with this assessment. As an inner city school, Adamson will have the capacity to meet the learning needs of 1,300 students grade level 9 – 12 when its doors open for the 2012/2013 school year. In addition, the 223,496 sq. ft. facility was also constructed to provide all the latest amenities including eight science labs, 11 career education classrooms, ball fields, tennis courts and numerous environmentally-friendly features, such as a geothermal heating/air conditioning system, heat-absorbing “cool” roof, and facilities for recycling.

“Durability was certainly an important consideration when we planned this project,” explains Mellard. “It really must be able to stand up to just about anything, while constantly dealing with relentless wear and tear."

According to Mellard, the long-term wear and tear was a key reason that Scranton Products' partitions were chosen by the district for installation throughout the school system. "They are exceptionally tough and with the proper support are virtually impossible to rip from the floors. Plus, they just look nice. Their black finish with textured dots provided an attractive complement to our overall design and color scheme.”

About Scranton Products:

For more than 25 years our premium brands have led the plastic partitions market setting new benchmarks for the industry in quality and delivery. In fact, Scranton Products is the only manufacturer of plastic partitions that ships in as little as five days. Our well-known brands, including Hiny Hiders®, Resistall™ and Tufftec®, feature the most durable, low maintenance and best looking partitions, lockers and industrial sheet products in the industry. They won’t dent, rust or need painting, and because they have color throughout, delamination is not a factor. For more information, visit http://www.scrantonproducts.com

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