WASHINGTON - The Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) has announced that April 19-23, 2004, will be School Building Week, dedicated to focusing on the importance of high performing, healthy, and sustainable school facilities for a quality learning environment.

According to the association, School Building Week is designed to educate the public, as well as policy makers and legislators, regarding the significance of school facilities and the need to improve them. In collaboration with CEFPI, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and over forty associations, agencies, and private firms are partnering in this program.

Washington, the site of this year's national event, will build on the past two year's collaborative design competition for middle school students in the District of Columbia Public Schools. Mentor teams have been working with students to introduce them to the elements of planning and design in creating schools that are high performing and healthy. Mentors and teachers then facilitate project construction as the students create their "ideal learning environments." The student projects will be juried and displayed at an April 23 event, where an awards ceremony will take place.