Henry David Thoreau had Walden Pond, Mr. Rogers had his Neighborhood and Sebastian Mueller had Eden Hall Farm.

Now Pine-Richland has Eden Hall Upper Elementary School.

When the $43 million school opens Wednesday, students will find that technology is an integral part of the learning experience, and their surroundings will reflect their curriculum.

Superintendent James C. Manley calls Eden Hall "a 21st century school." He credits Principal Robert Cooper with dedicating himself to Eden Hall "24/7" to make it a model school.

Just as Thoreau had Walden Pond, the 1,050 students enrolled at Eden Hall will have an environment rich in learning opportunities, he said. Murals and an interior color scheme throughout the school's 189,000 square feet represent the Earth's biomes -- desert, grasslands, aquatic, tundra and forest.

The school's 30-plus acres at 3900 Bakerstown Road in Richland are part of the learning experience too. Landscaping outside classrooms includes trees that are native to Pennsylvania, as well as wildflowers and tall grasses to attract wildlife. Outdoor "classrooms" include an amphitheater, retention pond and walking trails. Trees are also planted inside the school.

Despite its massive size, the school provides an intimate setting for students in grades four, five and six, Dr. Manley said. The district worked closely with Eckles Architecture to design that small school feeling.

Like Mr. Rogers, teachers and administrators will be welcoming boys and girls to a neighborhood.

The academic classrooms are housed in two wings or "communities." Those two-story communities are split into four "neighborhoods," one on each floor of each wing. The neighborhoods are further subdivided into three "houses" of four classrooms each. Each house has a common area in which students and teachers can gather to collaborate.

The library is situated between the two communities. It is built to accommodate up to four classes at a time.

There is an Exploratorium, an auditorium with "explore" incorporated into its purpose. Following the forest biome theme, a wooden sound shell over the stage represents a tree trunk that reaches to the ceiling where dark green sound panels symbolize leaves.

When retractable seating is pulled out from the wall, the room becomes an auditorium with theater-style seating. It can host assemblies, musical performances and virtual field trips using the Internet on large screens. Once the seats are pushed back, the space can be utilized for science fairs, art exhibitions, physical education activities or workshops.

The Exploratorium is named for philanthropist Sebastian Mueller, the owner of Eden Hall Farm who was a senior vice president of H.J. Heinz Co. in the late 1800s. One of the first executives to offer benefits to employees, he was especially concerned for the welfare of the female workers at Heinz. He established vacation retreats for working women at Eden Hall's 400-plus acres in the 1930s.

Near the Exploratorium are music rooms, the gymnasium and the cafeteria, which exits to the playground. Art classrooms are near the school's main entrance.

"We are looking at the total student," Dr. Manley said. "We hope every student will find their niche before they leave here."

The new school will trigger a major shifting of the student population in the district. Hance, Richland and Wexford elementaries will house kindergarten through third grades. Previously, those schools also served fourth- and fifth-graders. Pine-Richland Middle School will accommodate seventh and eighth grades only; the sixth grade is at the upper elementary. The high school still serves grades nine-12, but is nearly at capacity.