MANSFIELD – It’s hard to tell who is more excited about the Richland School of Academic Arts’ building on Park Avenue West: the students, the teachers, or Superintendent Sandra Sutherland.
Sutherland was all smiles Tuesday, welcoming guests to the school’s official ribbon cutting at 1456 Park Ave. West, and for good reason. After officially closing on the building in March, breaking ground in April and starting demolition in May, the school is ready for students on Aug. 31.
“It is a huge honor to be standing here today,” Sutherland said. “We’ve talked about this building for four years, we’ve worked so hard, and here we stand today as it has come to fruition.”
With more than 80,000 square feet, the school includes a theater that seats up to 800 people, a cafeteria that seats up to 200 students, and 16 new classrooms. Renovations to the building (which was previously Swallen’s) were completed by Axis, the special project group of Adena.
The official opening of the new school took on added significance when Sutherland announced the Richland School of Academic Arts was the recipient of a $1.4 million grant from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission. The grant money covers construction costs for the new building, matching the cost of purchasing the property, hiring an architect and other related expenses.
According to Sutherland, the Richland School of Academic Arts is one of eight schools in the state to receive funds after executing the very specific criteria for the grant.
“It’s just so unreal, we were just so thrilled,” she said. “This school is a $3 million project, and it just takes a huge burden off of that debt. We’re very proud and very pleased.”
A number of elected officials were on hand to celebrate the opening of the new school Tuesday. Representative Mark Romanchuk presented Sutherland with a commendation from the Ohio House of Representatives.
“We’re very excited to see the future of the school here,” Romanchuk said. “This is one of the top schools in the state and that’s why I’m here, we like good schools. They make our society and community stronger.”
Representing the city of Mansfield was Third Ward councilman Jon Van Harlingen, who marveled at how the school has grown and expanded since its opening in 2010.
“It’s truly amazing looking back at the history of the school through the past few years,” he said. “It’s truly something we can be proud of in the city of Mansfield.”
Richland Area Chamber of Commerce President Jodie Perry also made note of the school’s positive impact on the city of Mansfield.
“I think it’s going to be really tremendous not just for the school, but also for this end of the city,” she said. “The life it’s going to bring to Park Avenue out on this end, I think everyone is really excited to see how everything goes.”
It’s exactly the vision that Shellie Gorman had when she founded the Richland Academy School of Excellence in 2010. In the six years since, the school has acquired a new name and a plethora of new students, growing from 55 students the first year to more than 200 students this school year.
“The only reason we have the scores we do, besides the wonderful teachers, is our parents believe in us and our students work really hard,” Gorman said. “I am so proud that they are striving for the excellence that I wanted when we started this school.”
Students will officially start classes at the new Richland School of Academic Arts on Aug. 31, while teachers moved into their classrooms starting Aug. 15. The school hosted an open house on Aug. 21 that welcomed more than 400 community members.
Kindergarten teacher and head of the dance and theatre department Deon Taylor said he can’t wait for the first day.
“I’ve been here for a long time and I’ve worked with Shellie since she opened the school, so I’ve seen her vision and seen her goals for the schools,” Taylor said. “For me to be able to be here and witness her dream come alive with this space, I’m super stoked.”
“It’s great to have the community excited about our new school,” added food service director Condrea Webber. “We’ve been hearing a lot of positive things.”
