This is truly a great time to be a Golden Bear!
This fall, we celebrate an incredible milestone for the Upper Arlington community - the completion of the first phase of the facilities master plan for our schools - on schedule and on budget!
The master plan was a labor of love for so many volunteers from across our community. We came together and took the necessary time to identify facilities needs and develop a financially responsible, student-centered plan for moving ahead. Now, six years after our first facilities meetings, we have five fully renovated or rebuilt elementary schools and a state-of-the-art high school unlike any other in the Midwest.
Instead of letting the costs of maintaining aging buildings continue to grow and having to defer funding from educational operations, our community faced the financial issue head-on and found a solution that will benefit students for generations to come. These new flexible, light-filled learning spaces are designed to support students as they develop the skills necessary to serve, lead and succeed.
There are so many people to recognize for making this vision a reality. Hundreds of people donated their time to one of our financial committees, building teams or the levy committee. Hundreds more took the time to become informed and share feedback by attending our community meetings. Thousands more shared their thoughts through surveys. Nearly 400 more showed their support through donations to the Legacy Campaign. All of Upper Arlington came together to shape the master plan, and now all of Upper Arlington’s children will benefit from the result of that work well into the future.
I must also recognize the staff members who have played such a critical role in making the first phase of the plan a reality. They took part in committees and user group meetings. They spent hours packing and unpacking. They smiled through the stress and kept their focus on what was best for students. Our maintenance and operations teams rose to the herculean task of moving entire schools over and over again. I am so honored to work with such a dedicated team.
Thank you to everyone in our community who took the time to celebrate the grand opening of these amazing new spaces for our students. We look forward to many, many more opportunities for you to come inside these buildings as they serve our community for generations to come!
Thank you, and, as always, GO BEARS!