On a sunny, bright Friday morning in front of 150 persons along with school, city and county officials, one snip of the scissors cut through the ribbon in front of the new Laurel County Schools Center For Innovation.
The 76,000 square foot, two story building on 4th Street is now officially open.
And the striking, handsome, multi-functional facility is ready for duty.
The ribbon cutting was held under a black banner with gold and white lettering.
Earlier, several guest speakers gave praises of promise for the Center For Innovation — also known as “The CFI.”
The audience couldn’t help to notice on the banner that under a whoosh of white, a large gold star rose to the top of the Center’s new logo.
The school’s Principal, Dr. James Davis, pointed that out.
“Today, we gather to celebrate a truly historic day for Laurel County. The CFI, as we call it, exists as a school of opportunity. … We think it, we build it, and we show it. The gold star has always represented academic excellence. As a result, we aim high.”
Superintendent Dr. Doug Bennett was equally proud of the moment.
“The center will expand the scope, breadth and depth of our services. This investment will ensure our students will excel in college or career opportunities. …This center is another example of our school district doing great things for our children to succeed,” he stated.
“The building is fantastic. But please try to look at the tools inside and the equipment. Our children truly deserve it,” said Charles “Bud” Stuber, Chair of the Laurel County Board of Education.
Added fellow Board Member Ed Jones, “How fortunate we are to have this tremendous facility. It holds a promise for the present, and the future.”
It was Board Member Joe Schenkenfelder who had the least to say — but his four words carried a lot of clout. “The future begins here.”
The Laurel County Schools JROTC Cadets brought out their Color Guard for the ceremony, and when the cadets raised the American flag during the playing of the “Star Spangled Banner,” Old Glory rose high and proud as a brisk breeze unfurled the flag over a blue sky.
It was the very first flag flown over the CFI.
Noted London Mayor Troy Rudder on the podium, “Isn’t this a great day for London and Laurel County? The Laurel County school board is to be commended for their initiative. The real beauty of this school is going to take place inside. Innovation means something new, something interesting.”
“I feel honored to be here with friends and people who have vision. I honor these gentlemen (the Laurel County Board of Education) for ding this job, and to the great things that will come out of this. There’s many times when we need to be first, and Laurel County’s leading the way. A California company’s already found out about this Center For Innovation. Isn’t that awesome?” replied Laurel County Judge-Executive, David Westerfield.
When the ribbon cutting was ready, it was Deanna Herrmann, CEO of the London-Laurel County Chamber of Commerce that brought out the big pair of scissors.
She gave them to Dr. Bennett, as 18 other dignitaries gathered around a yellow ribbon.
Seconds later, the ribbon was cut, and a new era in learning began.
Many took tours of the CFI afterwards, along with time to meet others during a reception held on the upper level.
Lois McWhorter lives close by the Center, and watched it rise from start to finish. It was her second tour of the building this week.
“I’m really impressed with the facility, and with the programs they offer. It’s going to be a wonderful asset to the community. I commend the school system for their vision in going forward,” mentioned McWhorter, Associate Dean of Somerset Community College, who works not far away at SCC’s Laurel Campus.
The past week’s already been a busy one for the Center For Innovation.
Monday it hosted the first of the CFI”s two open houses, as well as the Board of Education’s regular meeting, and the first of five orientation events for students already enrolled in the center. Those orientation events went on from 5-7 p.m. Monday, and continued through this Friday. Another open house was held Thursday from 4-8 p.m.
And before the dedication began at 10 a.m., the school board held a special-called meeting a half-hour earlier.
There, they unanimously approved awarding the bid for structural steel for the renovation and expansion project at Sublimity Elementary School. Two bids were received — a $265,361 bid from Glenn Roark Construction of London, and a $249,950 bid from Structural Steel Services.
The bid from Structural Steel Services was the apparent low bid. Along with approving the bid, the BG-1 (Buildings and Grounds) document’s financial page was revised. The action now awaits approval from the Kentucky Department of Education.
During an interview last week while the finishing touches were being done, Dr. Davis said of the Center For Innovation, “The time has come.”
“We’re at a point now where the program development, the team, teachers, staff, equipment and supplies are in place. We’re now at the implementation stage. We’re ready for students,” he noted.
Dr. Davis added around 260 students will start out at the school, which admits sophomores through seniors in a three-year program.
“We received them in the fall. We admitted them in the spring. There’s been a growing interest of late, and we picked up students in the summer. The 260 students we have are a very good number for a first-time opening,” he said.
The CFI will serve as a premier career and technical education center in Kentucky, providing Laurel County students with specialized and unique training, as well as give them opportunities to compete after graduation in a world-wide economy.
“This is entirely different from the old vocational schools. We have three faculty that collaborate, coordinate and deliver the plan of study. This is what we call ‘TLC’ — Teaching and Learning Committee. Teachers are teaching and learning, students are teaching and learning, and the community is teaching and learning. We’re really about designing, creating and demonstrating. That’s our mantra,” stated Dr. Davis.
One of the new teachers at the Center for Innovation is Misty Allen, a Biomedical Science teacher, who formerly taught at North Laurel High School for seven years.
She said last week the CFI is a “whole different concept” — for students and teachers.
“Everything is hands-on, as much as possible, with the latest technologies. We’re giving the students a real-world live experience. Here, I don’t have any textbooks. Everything’s 100 percent online in my class. We can do more live lab work in action, instead of reading or hearing about it. The students get experience in real situations. They get to live it,” Allen commented.
Dr. Davis said there were very few schools like the CFI in Kentucky, and the entire country.
“Maybe 12 to 15 in the nation. We’re unique. We combined both the instructional academic and technical model and we integrated them together,” he said.
Four programs of study will be offered — Biomedical Sciences, Industrial Maintenance Technology, Engineering and Allied Health Sciences. The programs also allow students to earn college credits, to be used towards their degree.
A total of 15 persons — 10 faculty and five staff members — will lead the way for the new CFI.
“Some were hired from here in the district, and others from outside. They had to speak about wanting to be here, and they have outstanding credentials,” noted Dr. Davis.
Added Allen, “I’m looking forward to teaching here, to give those kids that new kind of experience. It will help them with college and/or career readiness. They will stand out among everyone else. I think my students will be really excited about it. They’ve sent me messages on social media about school starting back.”
When they open for class Thursday, August 6, the Center For Innovation will be high-tech with LCD touch presentation screens, “Smart Board” technology, high speed Internet and access to supplement web-based curriculum, a digital research library and state-of-the-art equipment and technology hardware and software.
The building also has several “smart” and “green” features and technology, such as LED lighting, energy-saving equipment and fixtures, and a solar ray panel that will have enough power to keep lights on the structure the entire day.
The school cannot be complete without the people who work there, as well as the students. Plus, the vision.
Dr. Davis feels they have the vision.
And that time is here.
“What we want to do is to create an environment where students can excel. It’s an updated version of the old ‘Show and Tell.’ We want students who are competent, capable, and to be able to compete in the 21st Century workforce. It’ll be a whole different level of students. They’ll stand out in the crowd. This school will be a game-changer for the region,” he stated.
