New school earns high marks; Pine Hills Elementary hailed as state-of-the-art facility for learning.(Capital Region)

Byline: PAUL GRONDAHL - Staff Writer

ALBANY - It still had that new school smell.

The scent of pine from fresh polyurethane on the gym's hardwood floor, hints of vanilla from the carpeting, musk from the purple rubberized stair treads.

To the kids on their first day at the brand-spanking-new Pine Hills Elementary School Wednesday, these were the sweetest smells in the world.

"Breathtaking," declared fifth-grader Meghan Campbell. She's a member of the Class of 2007, the first that will graduate from the new facility on North Allen Street just off Western Avenue.

"My daughter was so excited about her new school, it's all she talked …