The last day of school is just five short weeks away, and for North Royalton’s youngest students, it’s the last time they will ever be in their respective buildings before the new elementary school opens Aug. 30 for the start of the 2021-22 academic year.
“It’s been a great run for all of us at each of our three buildings,” said Royal View Elementary School Principal Kirk Pavelich. “The buildings are in good shape considering the age of each of them, but they are limited in what they can do. They have served their purpose and it is time to move on to a state-of-the-art facility that will truly take our instructional program to the next level.”
Pavelich is in his ninth year as principal of Royal View Elementary, a school building that opened in 1965. The other local elementary schools – Valley Vista and Albion – aren’t too far behind in age. Jeff Hill is principal of Valley Vista and Vince Ketterer presides over Albion Elementary School. Mike McGinnis is Preschool Coordinator for Lil’ Bears Preschool, which is housed within Royal View Elementary School.
At the new elementary school, Pavelich will serve as lead principal, a position that will have him overseeing and heading all building operations. Hill, Ketterer and McGinnis will be divided by grade levels and tend to all duties attached to their individual grades. Most grade-level teachers will move over to the new building, apart from a few retirees. North Royalton Elementary School is being constructed at 16400 State Road and will average between ten and 12 teachers per grade level, said Assistant Superintendent Jim Presot.
The task of moving to a new school building is an arduous one, but a meaty checklist has kept things moving smoothly. Components are divided by category (Parent/Community Engagement, Culture and Climate, Staffing/Personnel, Curriculum, Pupil Services, Technology, Professional Learning Opportunities, Building and Grounds, and Operations) with several tasks listed within each category. Staff has been working off the checklist for a couple of years and it has been the driving force of their moving process, Pavelich said.
When this academic year wraps up, maintenance personnel will immediately begin moving items out of the buildings. Teachers have been packing things up throughout the school year. After a specific teaching unit was covered and mastered by students, materials were immediately boxed away in preparation for the move, Pavelich noted. The new elementary school will be grouped by grade levels and designed with collaboration and flexibility in mind.
Valley Vista and Albion will be demolished, according to Presot. Bids will be received in June with a demolition set to begin in August/September. Royal View, on the other hand, will stay and likely be used for additional school board offices and curriculum personnel, Pavelich said.
“We’ve talked about this being a facility that could house central office personnel and professional development opportunities,” Pavelich said. “Royal View has a basement and it’s looked at as one of the buildings that wouldn’t be demolished based on the building features it has.”
The community may have the chance to attend a dedication/open house tour in the months to come. An occupancy permit is needed first before anything can be pursued.
“We have had conversations of what can we do in September or right at the beginning of the year,” Pavelich said. “We definitely do want to provide something to the community.”
By SARA MACHO HILL
Contributing Writer