After years of planning and construction, United Local Schools unveiled its new state-of-the-art K-12 building Saturday. The ribbon-cutting event gave community members a preview of the school before classes start September 2.
Laura Shepard has taught at United Local for 35 years, and was even a student in the district herself. She said seeing the old building come down was emotional, but she’s excited for the new space.
“It signifies hope and dreams,” she said. “Something to be proud of, something to reach for. Not to limit yourselves.”
The building was designed to promote collaboration and give students access to the latest technology, according to Superintendent Lance Hostetler. It contains several “maker spaces” for working on projects, which feature flexible group seating arrangements. A media center, complete with a 3D printer, stands in place of a traditional library.
The media center is “not only [for] checking out books,” said Hostetler. “They can check out computers, they can really work on projects in the way they would as adults.”
Shepard described the new facilities as “welcoming, open areas that are going to help provide better learning.”
Among all the new designs and technology, United Local also found space to honor tradition. Its new U-shaped logo shows 11 separate lines combining into three, a symbol of how 11 separate schools combined into the current elementary, middle and high schools many decades ago. Additionally, a “legacy wall” near the front entrance contains memorabilia from the district’s past.
“We've got a rich, proud area and history, so we wanted to pay tribute to that,” Hostetler said.
The building is ready for students, but the district still has some work left to do. Parts of the old building next door still need to be demolished, after which a new parking lot will be paved.