Akron Ohio News - West Akron schools holding goodbye events

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West Akron schools holding goodbye events

5/31/2012 - West Side Leader

By Kathleen Folkerth

Essex Elementary School alumni Marcella Cook, 15, at left, and Emily Michalec, 14, find their artwork on a wall at the school during a farewell event May 10. The Winhurst Drive school will close its doors at the end of this school year.

Photo: Dale Dong

WEST AKRON — Alumni, current students and community members will have the chance to bid farewell to several Akron Public Schools (APS) buildings closing or moving at the end of this school year.

Buchtel High School, at 1040 Copley Road, is nearing the end of its use as students are set to move into the new Buchtel New Tech High School in the fall. Students from Perkins Middle School also will attend school at the new building, which is adjacent to the current building.

Also in the Buchtel cluster, Rankin Elementary School is closing as a result of cost-cutting measures.

In the Firestone cluster, Essex Elementary also is closing its doors due to finances, while Litchfield Middle School’s building will be closed to prepare for construction of the new Litchfield/Firestone Community Learning Center (CLC). Litchfield students will attend school in the former Perkins building starting this fall.

Essex already hosted a farewell event earlier in the month, but Rankin plans to hold its goodbye event June 2, according to Principal Brandi Davis. The school, located at 415 Storer Ave., will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day.

“We’ll have an informal trip down memory lane,” Davis said.

Speakers will share their reflections on the school that was built in 1927, she said. Among those who are planning to attend are state Sen. Tom Sawyer (D-District 28), who attended the school as a child, and an 80-year-old community member known as Mr. Hank, Davis said. She added she also is an alumnus of the school and will share some of her memories.

There will be tours of the school, as well as refreshments and giveaways of Rankin items.

Davis said she’s had a lot of interest in the event so far, even hearing from a Houston resident who is planning a trip with other alumni of the school to see it before it closes.

Next fall, the school’s students will be split between Schumacher and Crouse CLCs, Davis said.

Perkins, located at 630 Mull Ave., will host its “Fair” Well Perkins event at the school on the last day of classes, according to Principal Angela Saffold. The school’s students, who are in sixth through eighth grades, will enjoy outdoor summer activities throughout the school day, she said.

The school also will host Buchtel Principal Sonya Gordon, who will be available to talk with parents about the transition to the new school.

Starting in the fall, the Buchtel New Tech High School will be the school for the cluster’s students in grades seven through 12, according to Leah Nemeth, APS communications manager. Sixth-grade students will attend classes at the cluster’s elementary schools.

Buchtel, using the nationally recognized New Tech model of instruction, will focus on the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines. The ninth and 10th grades will start with the new curriculum this fall. The other grades also will begin to incorporate some of the New Tech aspects, including the use of computers at school.

Buchtel will host its farewell event June 9 starting at 10 a.m. The Buchtel PTA and Alumni Association are sponsors of the daylong event.

Buchtel PTA President Diana Autry said this will be the last chance for alumni and community members to visit the old school, as asbestos abatement is set to begin a week later. The school was built in 1931 and was added on to in 1955, 1971 and 1984, according to the APS website.

The day will begin with a jazz breakfast until noon featuring music by the Keni Clayton Project. A celebration program will take place at noon in the auditorium.

Building tours of the old Buchtel will take place through 7 p.m., and an alumni basketball game is scheduled at 2 p.m. School supporters will also be able to enjoy a preview of the next football season from coach Ricky Powers — also a Buchtel alumnus — at 5 p.m.

Autry added that the event serves as a fundraiser for improvements to Buchtel’s stadium.

“Coach Powers has talked about what he would like to see happen with the stadium,” Autry said. “We want to better support our student athletes. We have a list of improvements, and we’ve got some estimates, and we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Former students have been expressing an interest in coming back with the closing coming up. Autry said recently organizers identified a member of the Class of 1935 in the area whom they believe is the oldest living Buchtel graduate. He’s hoping to attend, she added.

Autry herself is a 1988 Buchtel alumnus and parent of a recent graduate. She said there’s excitement about the changes coming up for the school.

“With change, there’s always a certain feeling that comes with that, and it can be scary,” she said. “But our students deserve everybody’s support, and that’s always been my focus, and that is why I do what I do. I’m a little sad to see my alma mater go … but we are moving forward and supporting our students.”

The event is $20 for all activities and breakfast or $10 for activities without breakfast. Students are admitted for $5 and children younger than 5 can attend for free with a paying adult. All proceeds will benefit the stadium renovation project. For more information, call 330-459-8711 or email buchtelhspta@yahoo.com.

Litchfield also will host an event to mark the end of use for the current building, which was built in 1959 and added on to in 1964. At presstime, details on the event had not been released.

More information on events is available at www.akronschools.com.

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