HEBRON – The design of the Hebron Station School has been recognized as a winner in a national contest.

“We’re really very pleased,” Superintendent Mark Eastman said.

The honor will be acknowledged at Tuesday’s SAD 17 Board of Directors meeting. Eastman said he will present a plaque and information about the design from the contest sponsors, American School and University Magazine.

The award for Outstanding Buildings: Elementary Schools is included in the magazine’s architectural portfolio for November 2004. The 150-student Hebron Station School, designed by Lewis & Malm Architects of Bucksport, was completed in September 2002, and is one of about 50 elementary schools nationwide selected.

The text accompanying photos of the Hebron school says school officials recognized the importance of keeping kindergarten-through-grade-6 education centered in the sending community.

“Removing the elementary school from a rural community is like tearing the heart out of that community,” the magazine quotes Eastman as saying.

The school’s design was cited for the following qualities: an inviting central lobby (“solar system” lighting) and curved, colored corridor walls; gym, cafeteria, library and classrooms that are secured separately from the lobby; the placement of the community library in the school; the fact that the building was made large enough to be visible from a distance; its large classroom spaces; a greenhouse space; and a layout that allows for expansion.

“The Hebron Station School is a testament to the dedication of the citizens of a small Maine town to the power of the village’ in raising their children,” the magazine states.