Sandusky Intermediate ready for students

SANDUSKY — Two new Sandusky Schools buildings will be ready for students this year. On Tuesday, district administrators, board members, construction officials and stakeholders celebrated the end of Sandusky Intermediate's construction with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the school, to be used by students in grades 3-6. The other new school, Sandusky Primary for first and second graders, will host a similar event 6 p.m. Tuesday. Venice Heights Elementary, the most recent district school to be constructed, was built in 1970. Right now, it's unknown when Sandusky students will occupy both new schools. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Sandusky Schools opted to have virtual learning for nine weeks, beginning Sept. 8 and lasting until late October. The number of cases, among other health factors, will determine when students can attend in-person classes. Sandusky Intermediate and Sandusky Primary are part of Issue 12, the $72 million "Building Better Dreams" project voters approved in November 2016. Officials speak up Sandusky Schools superintendent Eugene Sanders, who spearheaded the facilities project, was among the many people who commemorated the historic event and gave shout-outs to important contributors. He, along with many others, thanked construction and design crews and the community for their hard work and support. Sanders also applauded owners representative John Feick, who served as the liaison between construction crews and school officials, and buildings and maintenance supervisor Kevin Toms for their efforts. "Without their contributions, we wouldn't be here," Sanders said. Others who spoke Tuesday included: Board president Brigitte Green-Churchwell: To see this dream come to fruition is a wonderful sight. To the community, we appreciate all of you for your support of this project and your continued support of Sandusky Schools. Board member Tom Patterson: Tonight is a historical moment. Our community came together to build better dreams for the district. Board member Ebony Sizemore: I remember when the bond issue votes came in (four years ago). I'm excited for the district and excited to send my daughter here. Jim Hart, co-chair of Citizens for Sandusky Public Schools: This beautiful new home of learning is a magnificent addition to the school system. It could not have come at a better time in the history of the city. Lesko Architecture president Robert Blatchford: We helped develop the master plan for the project. We enjoy seeing kids settle into their new buildings and seeing them be used to their full capacity. Sandusky Intermediate's features The $27 million school, which sits north of Sandusky High School near Hayes Ave., will hold roughly 1,000 students within more than 141,000 square feet of space. The new facility sits on top of the former Memorial Hospital site. Donna Taylor, a longtime district administrator, was named Sandusky Intermediate's principal. She previously led Venice Heights Elementary. The intermediate school has more than 50 classrooms, including two STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) labs, multipurpose classrooms for each grade, outdoor play areas for younger students and a fenced-in outdoor courtyard where students can pursue projects and complete schoolwork. Also housed inside is an 18,000-square-foot gym with two full-size high school basketball courts. To accommodate more students, curtains can be used to create four courts. By grouping multiple grades together, intermediate school students will be able to get the help they need. Additionally, having grades 3-6 under one roof will allow teachers to learn from one another and could encourage students to stay later for after-school programming as well. Located at the back of the building, the Global Education Center will have modern technology to go with Sandusky Schools' STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) initiatives. The Sandusky Rotary, for its 100th anniversary in 2018, donated $100,000 to Sandusky Schools for the center and the district's Global Internship program for high school students to gain on-the-job internship experiences. The final school building to be constructed, Sandusky Academy Early Learning Center, for preschool and kindergarten students, should open by 2022 at Hancock Elementary's current site. Demolition of the Hancock Elementary building started Tuesday and is expected to take at least a few weeks to complete. Reach reporter Caitlin Nearhood at nearhood@sanduskyregister.com and follow her on Twitter @CaitlinNearhood