L. Hollingworth charter school has ribbon-cutting ceremony, celebrating its new venue By Federico Martinez, Special to La Prensa More than 200 excited community leaders and supporters turned out on Monday to get a first peek of the new state-of-the-art school building that will house the L. Hollingworth School for the Talented and Gifted. Classes at the new facility, located at 653 Miami St. in East Toledo, begins on Wednesday, August 27, 2014. The charter school, which first opened its doors in 2009, has grown rapidly since its humble beginnings, school founder Terrence C. Franklin told the crowd gathered at Monday’s open house. The school, which was previously located at 824 6th St., has earned accolades for providing students, especially students of color, with a challenging curriculum and a teaching style that helps students succeed. “I remember there were a lot of folks out there who thought we’d never be able to accomplish this,” said Franklin. “But our board and staff have worked hard to create something unique and compelling. “We wanted to create something with sustainability; something that parents also felt that they could be part of.” About 55 percent of the students enrolled at the K-8 school were of Latino descent, according to the school’s 2012-13 annual budget report. Last year’s overall student enrollment was 203—109 of those students were Latino. Those enrollment numbers are expected to grow with the opening of the new and larger school building, officials said. The new school building was once the site of a manufacturing plant that had closed many years ago, officials said. The old, abandoned building had fallen into disrepair. Part of that old building’s infrastructure was used to build the new school, said Andrew Keller, president of The Spieker Company, the company that oversaw the construction project. Monday’s open house featured comments from several dignitaries, including State Senator Edna Brown, who praised the school’s motto, “To instill a culture of expectation and excellence.” City of Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins told school officials that their efforts are helping to create “skilled and educated” workers who will be needed to fill key technological jobs that are vital to Toledo’s future success. “These are the students who will have the education and the ability to step forward and fill those positions,” he said.
Posted on: Tue, 26 Aug 2014 07:03:49 +0000
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