Koreatown school shares environmentally-friendly additions and green initiatives

KOREATOWN, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- If there are cool schools in Los Angeles Unified, this certainly is one of them.

Dr. Sammy Lee Medical and Health Science Magnet Elementary may be one of the coolest, with special features that keep the playground and campus from getting overheated during hot Southern California days.

So cool, that educators went barefoot as they showed off the playground.

"A cool playground means that the playground doesn't get overheated and we can keep the students playing during their scheduled times and events," said assistant principal Jee Sun Chung. "The paint that they used is a special paint so it absorbs the heat and keeps the ground from overheating."

The campus has multiple layers to keep the school cool and green-friendly.

"I enjoy being here," Chung added. "It is not only for the students but the adults need green. Especially in this area that we live; I am from Los Angeles. I really see the need of green around here."

The school has state-of-the-art filtration in the building, plus trees and plants throughout the campus. On top of the roofs there are solar panels that help save energy. And the building has sensors to know when to turn the lights on and off.

"I feel like I am helping the environment that this is so great to the students, too," Chung said. "We have new students coming and we will explain what the school facility looks like and what kind of environment we have for them."

The district plans to continue working on other green campuses and will expand resources to other schools.

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