SALINEVILLE — An open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony are planned to unveil the Utica Shale Academy’s Williams Collaboration Center on Aug. 23 as the site begins its new junior high programs.
Superintendent Bill Watson said state leaders were invited to attend and tour the campus from noon to 2 p.m., beginning with the ceremony at the center at 10 E. Main St. in Salineville. The tour will also include the Energy Training Center, Hutson Building and outdoor welding lab which are also located on East Main Street. Those facilities include courses for grades 9-12 with megatronics, hydraulics, pneumatics, AC/DC electric, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC’s), diesel mechanics and horticulture to train both students and adults. Additionally, the campus includes the Utica Shale Academy Community Center on Church Street that features a gym and community services.
“We have invited [directors] Lydia Mihalik with the Ohio Department of Development and John Carey with the Governor’s Office on Appalachia here to cut the ribbon,” Watson said. “It closes up a $30 million project when we acquired the building.”
The building was acquired late last year from Williams Energy, which relocated its district office to Canton and donated the four-story space for classrooms, administrative offices and more programming in partnership with Youngstown State University to expose junior high school students to career-tech opportunities. The collaboration center will house medical services for students, a classroom, career-tech classroom and intervention area plus certified health workers and licensed therapeutic behavior support counselors from organizations COMPASS 247, Avis Drug-Free World and Alta. The junior high program could accommodate up to 65-70 students who would utilize online and hands-on programs with courses through the Virtual Learning Academy, which is provided by the Jefferson County Educational Service Center.
The ceremony and open house also come on the heels of a $2.5 million allocation through the State Senate’s Strategic Community Investment Appropriation Fund to update the center and also expand USA’s welding program. Watson said plans are to update the HVAC and windows, rewire the building, restore concrete and convert the basement into a cafeteria at the center while an indoor welding lab will be constructed next to the existing outdoor facility down the street.
“We plan to start work on the windows during Thanksgiving break and hope to be done before winter, plus we hope to have the HVAC upgraded during the Thanksgiving and Christmas break,” he commented, saying the indoor welding lab project could be ready by the 2025-26 school year. “Both facilities are part of the grant and we’ve added the heavy equipment garage [at the Energy Training Center]. We purchased the Williams building with money from a grant and a donation from the Williams and want to open the school, which starts Sept. 3.”
The public got a preview of the facilities when the Williams building held an open house in May. Leaders said the school was dedicated to re-engaging at-risk students through a tailored educational approach that addresses their individual needs, capitalizes on their strengths and prepares them for future careers. They also touted the comprehensive support systems with personalized support team and a safe and supportive atmosphere; career preparation and certification with industry-recognized credentials and career readiness; targeted educational programs with customized learning and an integrated curriculum; and community and continuous improvement with community engagement and ongoing assessment. Those students will complete typical core classes through VLA and career-tech studies earn NC3 (National Coalition of Certification Centers) certifications with introduction and safety courses. Students will explore career options and build a portfolio, while they will delve into the programs at the high school level.
For now, an estimated 145 students were enrolled from grades 7-12 and officials only anticipate the numbers to grow in the future.
“I’m happy to see we are growing and have more opportunities for our students,” Watson said. “Nowadays, if you can get a job without incurring a lot of school debt, that’s a good thing.”
USA, which has operated for the past decade, is a dropout recovery-and-retention school focusing on career-tech education for at-risk students who have obtained more than 1,100 certifications since 2021. For more information, contact 330-932-9997 or go online to www.uticashaleschool.com.
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Publish date : 2024-08-16 13:00:00
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