Facility Focus

Approximately 700,000 square feet of academic facilities. 200 acres of land. One goal: Support an "ALite" education for each student in the Avon Lake City School District.

What's going on in our schools from a facilities and support staff standpoint? What projects are we working on in the Operations Department? Our quarterly facilities newsletter is a great way to stay up to date!

The Avon Lake City Schools have officially launched the $89M capital improvement project that will see the construction of a brand-new, grades 5-8 middle school at the current Learwood site, as well as provide for critical renovations to the elementary schools.

Working with ThenDesign Architecture (architects for the project), the District is proud to announce a standalone site where all stakeholders can find information and regular updates.

The new "Building ALegacy" construction project site may be located by clicking this link.

Since August 1st, the following key milestones have taken place on the project:

• Construction Manager selected (GCS - Greenspace Construction Services)
• Land and boundary surveys, wetlands, traffic, and geotechnical studies in progress or on deck
• Educational design and visioning sessions with stakeholder groups
• Scope and sequence of elementary renovations being developed
• Bond rating presentation took place in mid-September; bonds sold on 10/1 within an hour and 15 minutes

The pace of planning and action has definitely picked up, and we are so excited to share this progress with you. We remain on-track for a spring groundbreaking at the new middle school site!

Again, for more information and regular updates, please visit (and bookmark!) the "Building ALegacy" construction project site.

We are proud to feature a success story courtesy of our Food Service Supervisor, Mrs. Andrea Sokolow, and her intrepid staff of foodies! For the second school year in a row, the Food Service Department is experiencing runaway success with a series of cooking classes geared toward elementary-age students, with a focus on "making quick dinners and healthier desserts for students and their families."

The cooking series began in the 2024-25 school year with 5-week classes featuring "Chef Amee." Classes were held at each of the District's elementary schools. There was such a terrific response to the program that Mrs. Sokolow brought the classes back this year, this time starting at Troy Intermediate School. After Troy, Chef Amee and our food service staff will take their talents to Eastview starting November 4th and 5th. The classes are free, with all ingredients and supplies provided by the Avon Lake City School District Food Service department.

The response has again been overwhelming, and all classes are currently full. To keep the classes safe and enjoyable for everyone, the number of classes and slots must be limited, and we regret having to turn people away once the classes are at capacity (12 students per series, 24 total). However, due to the continuing, positive response from families, we will revisit a second round of courses after January 1st, so stay tuned!

Questions or other feedback on the cooking classes may be directed to:

Andrea Sokolow

(440) 930-8215 or Andrea.Sokolow@alcsoh.org

We are so proud of our Food Service department and to be offering such a popular (and useful) program in the District!

With a pricey set of repairs looming for the aging scoreboards in the main gym at Avon Lake High School, the Athletic Department approached Operations with some creative ideas. The result of this collaboration? Digital scoreboards provided to the District through a revenue-sharing agreement that represents a significant upgrade for the fan experience in the competition gym, and for the school as a whole.

With support from the Avon Lake Athletic Boosters, who are covering the enhanced experience provided by the software for the scoreboards, the new boards will be fully programmable for multiple types of events, from athletic contests to school assemblies. The boards themselves are free, with ad revenue shared between the District and the vendor. The District incurred some costs associated with installation, but when faced with similar costs to keep the old boards running, decided to move in a different direction.

Own a piece of Avon Lake history! The old scoreboards are up for public auction on our Public Surplus page - check back frequently for surplus items of interest from around the District.

The new boards are scheduled for installation in late October, in time for the winter sports season.