When students at Forest Hill Elementary School went back to class on Aug. 20, they may have noticed that the lunch line was moving faster. And they no doubt noted that it was being served in a new multi-use building.

Forest Hill faculty, staff and parents got to check out the new net-zero energy building at a ribbon cutting on Friday, Aug. 22. It’s the fifth “grid neutral” building that has been built in the Campbell Union School District since 2013. Others are at Blackford,  Castlemont and Lynhaven Elementary and Sherman Oaks Charter schools. Construction was funded by the district’s 2010 Measure G school bond.

All the buildings are designed to use less energy than they produce, helping the district move toward its goal of reducing its overall energy consumption by 60 percent.

Designed for both school and community events, Forest Hill’s new building can accommodate more than 500 people and features a stage with a large rear-projection system, stage lighting, a built-in sound system with public address, and auxiliary rooms. The larger space and an improved food service area is meant to allow students to move through lunch lines faster, leaving them more time for eating and free play before returning to class.

Two 5-foot-by-7-foot art panels by local artist Sonya Paz frame the stage, one titled “Playful Music & Education” and the other, “The Sky’s the Limit.”

“This is the fifth school I have created art for,” Paz said in a release. “I designed images that would resonate with the youth in our community and make them think about life and the long-lasting value of education, arts and music.”

“I am thrilled that our new multi-use room will include colorful and joyful art pieces that reflect the spirit and personality of our school,” Forest Hill vice principal Chelsea Armann said. “This artwork gives true Forest Hill Falcon character and life to a space that might otherwise seem a little impersonal.”