Southlake residents gathered in the lobby of Walnut Grove Elementary School on Thursday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate Carroll ISD's newest elementary school.

The 18-acre campus at 2520 N. White Chapel Blvd. is the school district's first LEED-certified school building.

It features dalylight sensors, LED lighting, geothermal HVAC systems, an ongoing recycling program and water efficient landscaping, and used recycled materials during construction.

Walnut Grove Elementary School opened in August 2011 with a total of 51 classrooms.

Assistant principal Sylvia Barnett said faculty and staff were excited about the event on Thursday.

"It was really, really fun," she said. "We've been planning for it for a number of months, so it was exciting."

There are 72 staff members and more than 560 kindergarten through fourth-grade students at Walnut Grove this year.

Gina Friedman attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony with her 7-year-old daughter, Sarah, who is in first grade at Walnut Grove.

"It is amazing," she said. "The faculty and staff are fantastic and the school is beautiful."

The $17 million campus was built as part of the 2009 school bond program.