The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
PREMIER YEAR
Officials reflect on how the first year went with new building
Lorain School Board President Tim Williams says the biggest indicator of a community response to a new Lorain High School was the first day of student orientation.
“We had 5,000 people in the building,” Williams said. “It was people who aren’t even from Lorain. People who once lived here took ownership of it. If you look at basketball games, or volleyball games, people attended who have never been to a game before, just to see the facility.”
In August the district opened the school at 2600 Ashland Avenue in Lorain, featuring a threestory academic building flanked with an athletic building with a triple gymnasium and cafeteria, and a career technology building.
“The number of people who
“I think they appreciate being in a place that is special. Our seniors are proud of being the first to graduate.”
— Lorain High School Principal Robin Hopkins
want to use the facility, those requests increased exponentially, whether it’s for a funeral or a concert,” Williams said.
The more than $70 million investment represents one of the largest most recent capital investments in the city, next to Mercy Health building projects, Williams said.
It’s a culminating piece of a building project and truly is a crown jewel, Williams said, that increased student, teacher and community pride and oneness.
“This is owned by everybody,” Williams said. “The presence of this building in terms of people all being called, ‘Titans,’ this building provided a focal point for everyone.”
Lorain High School Principal Robin Hopkins said the students responded well to the campus.
“They love being in the building,” Hopkins said. “They like the fact that it’s new, it’s huge, and they comment on how big it is. I think they appreciate being in a place that is special.
Our seniors are proud of being the first to graduate.”
As of June 5, a total of 428 students were set to graduate in the class of 2017, she said, with a few still working on final details.
Valedictorian Jeremiah Jackson is scheduled to speak at the 7 p.m. June 6 commencement at George Daniel Stadium on Oberlin Avenue, she said.
Opening the new facility required adjustments, she said.
“I think with any new building you have challenges,” Hopkins said. “There are things that still need to be completed. There are kinks and making sure everything works.
“It’s a beautiful facility,” Hopkins said. “One of our goals this summer will be to personalize it a little more, putting up things in the hallway, promoting positive behavior and attitudes.”
Williams said a challenge emerged as figuring out how to create community access.
“There is always a request for a tour,” Williams said. “We need to continue to improve. When we came into this facility, the facility wasn’t quite ready. Some things we couldn’t even utilize, because you can’t go back and work on it while the school year is under way. It’s the technology piece. It’s like when you get a new cell phone, and you don’t really know how to use it fully at first. Maybe a week or two later you figure something out, then a few more things. Some teachers have technology and right now they can use about 10 percent of it.
“We need to become more efficient in managing traffic patterns,” Williams said, “and adding signs. What kinds of signs do we need to create to help a person, who has never been here, know where they need to go?”
Jamie Montague, safety
director of Lorain City Schools, characterized the last nine months as a season of adjustments.
“It’s like when you build a new house from the ground up,” Montague said. “You have to go through the four seasons. I have my schedule set up now for training, things we need to clear up; things we did well on. The kids are great.”
Investigations showed district wide most of the vandalism to school property or playground equipment were perpetrated by outsiders, he said.
“We haven’t had those issues lately,” Montague said. “Most of the time when that happens it’s not our students. It’s graduates, or kids hanging out to use it as a party place.”
The new building boosted the school image, he said.
“Just from a personal standpoint and the students are trying to figure it out as well,” Montague said. “For the most part they love the building. When you speak of climate, the climate is awesome actually. If you want to know how things are going, just take a walk through the lunchroom one day. They get along well, and it’s a big diversity.”
Even though the last day for students is June 7, work for safety staff — 25 officers and 10 crossing guards — continues, he said.
“I’m excited about the safe routes to school,” Montague said. “It’s something we’re working on in June. We’re going to go out and do the audits. You survey the walk routes for riding bicycles, any form of transportation, skateboards, roller blades.”
Students also provided insider perspective to the last nine months in the new school.
“It went by really fast,” said senior Mayra Kodman, who intends to enter an aviation studies program
at Bowling Green State University. “It was a lot of fun because our football team went to playoffs for the first time in a long time. I went to Disney with our marching band. We marched on Main Street and that was amazing. Our basketball team has done amazing. And it feels like this is the last year ‘til we start our lives. But it’s been a lot of fun, it really has.
“The new building is really nice, and I think it’s given the graduating class a chance to know the younger classes,” Kodman said. “It’s brought us closer together, because before when the freshmen were separated, you didn’t really know them. I’m actually friends with freshmen, and we’re able to have more activities here because of the bigger building. And more people came to those events, to games and things, because they wanted to see the new school and the kids in it. The new high school raised our reputation with other communities and schools, too.”
After awhile senior Sly Worthy, who attends in the fall The Ohio State University through a Young Scholars program, also appreciated firsts in the new Lorain High building.
“It started off kind of rough,” Worthy said. “I play football. We started off 0-2, and there were a bunch of things going on in the building. But it ended up amazing. I think we had fun from homecoming and prom. Our basketball team doing as good as it did, and our track team doing as good as it did.”
Williams said the building is the best around.
“This is the premier new educational facility in the county,” Williams said. “For Lorain and Lorain kids, they don’t walk into another high school and say, ‘Wow. I wish we had this.’”