With a clear focus on “Building Our Future” as well as honoring and learning more from the past, Upper Arlington Schools celebrated the start of construction on the new Upper Arlington High School with a community groundbreaking ceremony on April 7.
Hundreds of students, families and community members gathered for the ceremony signaling the community’s first momentous step toward implementing the first phase of the facilities master plan.
“We are here today to celebrate a historic day in the life of our school district, in the life of our community and in the life of Upper Arlington High School,” Superintendent Paul Imhoff, Ed.D., said. “As we celebrate the future, one of the things we know here in Upper Arlington is we have an amazing past, and I want you to know as we open the new Upper Arlington High School it is going to be a lot about the future but in that building we are also going to honor our past.”
The ceremony was a true Golden Bear celebration — with performances by the Upper Arlington High School Marching Band, Choir and Symphony Strings, and plenty of opportunities after the ceremony for community members to have their own “groundbreaking” photo op.
Student ambassadors representing all nine Upper Arlington schools — from Burbank Early Childhood School through the high school — kicked off the ceremonial groundbreakings by plunging the first shovels into the dirt on the stage of the auditorium, where the ceremony was moved due to inclement weather. Following the students, the Upper Arlington Board of Education and many other community stakeholders and volunteers stepped forward to break ground.
“The way our community has come together to support the current and future young people is without precedent,” Imhoff said. “We are going to prepare facilities that are going to be the place where generations of young people grow and where they experience that vision of uniquely accomplished students who are indeed prepared to serve, lead and succeed.”
High School Principal Andrew Theado added: “This is an amazing, amazing time to be a Golden Bear. I’m so inspired to work in a community that values education the way ours does.”
Elementary Groundbreaking Ceremonies
The ceremony for the new high school is the first of the groundbreaking ceremonies this spring signaling the start of construction on the first phase of the community-developed master plan. Community groundbreaking ceremonies will be held on Sunday, May 19 for the first four elementary school projects:
- Greensview, at 12:30 p.m.;
- Wickliffe, at 1:45 p.m.;
- Tremont, at 3 p.m.;
- and Barrington, at 4:15 p.m.
Windermere’s groundbreaking ceremony will follow in the spring of 2020.
Ahead of the elementary groundbreaking ceremonies, construction fencing and equipment will begin appearing on the sites of Barrington, Greensview, Tremont and Wickliffe. Modular classrooms have also arrived at Tremont in preparation for the 2019-2020 school year, when they will be used as transitional space during the renovation of existing learning spaces.
High School Construction Update
During the month of March, Ruscilli Construction Co. began the initial site prep and demolition work needed to clear the way for the start of construction on the new high school building and the stadium.
During the month of April, work is beginning to dig out the footprint for the building. Footers and the foundation will follow, along with deep foundation work for spaces such as the natatorium.
The new stadium will be the first piece of the project that will open, in the fall of 2019. The new high school will open to students and the community in the fall of 2021, with the remainder of the site scheduled for completion in 2022.
For information about the master plan construction phase, please visit www.uaschools.org/facilities.