Mahoning career and technical center is recovering from fire, ready for classes

EDITOR:

As the new school year nears, the administration, staff, teachers and students of the Mahoning County Career & Technical Center look forward to returning to our home at our Canfield campus. Our staff and a crew of expert recovery professionals have worked tirelessly over the summer to be sure our building is ready for a year of teaching, learning and extracurricular activities.

The fire that required our move from our Canfield campus last May to complete the school year at the Gordon D. James Career Center in Lordstown created challenges. Still, without missing a beat, our high school teachers prepared for the reopening of our school in a new venue in less than a week. And, most importantly, our seniors graduated right on schedule. Our Adult Education program moved very quickly to alternative sites in the area, with most classes missing only one day. Adult students also completed on time.

We also extend our appreciation to the Canfield Fire Department, the Canfield Police Department, and the Ohio State Fire Marshal's office for their thorough investigation, with which we have been pleased to fully cooperate. We remain proud of the excellent efforts of our teachers, staff and students who evacuated the building during the fire, according to our practiced procedures, and thus ensured there were no serious injuries.

Finally, we also remain deeply grateful to Superintendent William Pfahler and the Lordstown Local Schools for the use of their buildings and to so many schools, agencies, and businesses in our local community who assisted us during our time of need. The collaborative spirit demonstrated in our Valley during our crisis should be a model for all communities.

We now eagerly look forward to the new school year, back at our home on the Canfield campus. The well-being of our students, as well as that of our teachers and staff, is paramount. Thus, every necessary clean-up step has been taken to ensure their safety as we move back into our main building.

The full restoration and re-building of our exceptional facility will continue through this school year and into next summer. We anticipate that this will not create any undue challenges for our high school and adult education students.

Finally, I believe that a school is more than a building. It is students, teachers, parents and staff who care passionately about education.

It is about, for example, MCCTC students winning this past year's prestigious Formula One Technology Challenge, capturing both the state and then national titles, by demonstrating their expertise in engineering, aerodynamics and computer-aided drafting. It is about MCCTC being one of only 19 high schools across America being recognized by the Southern Regional Education Board as a High Schools That Work Gold Improvement School for statistically significant achievement gains in reading, math and science.

It is our intent to continue in our role as one of the major providers of workforce education in our Valley, Northeast Ohio and beyond. MCCTC alumni are in key business, industry and public sector positions throughout the nation, and we are confident this year's class will prove no different in this regard.

ROAN CRAIG, Ph.D, superintendent

Mahoning County Career
& Technical Center

Canfield