NEWS INFORMATION FROM |
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THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED |
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HARRISBURG UNIVERSITY SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY HIGH SCHOOL OPENS IN DOWNTOWN; FIRST STAGE OF NEW UNIVERSITY NOW COMPLETED; NEW ERA IN PUBLIC EDUCATION BEGINSHarrisburg, PA—Mayor Stephen R. Reed was joined today by Lt. Governor Catherine Baker Knoll, U.S. Congressman Tim Holden, and officials from the Harrisburg School District and The Harrisburg University in dedicating the new Harrisburg Science and Technology High School(SciTech High), at 215 Market Street in downtown, allowing for its occupancy by high school classes this coming Monday, August 30. The state-of-the-art high school ushers in a new era in public education in Harrisburg. Reed said SciTech High is a part of the planned Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, and will serve as a math and science magnet high school for both city and suburban school students. Three hundred five students from the ninth through twelfth grades will occupy the 81,000 square feet building, which cost $16.4 million to completely renovate. This doubles the number of students from the one-hundred fifty-five that began studies one year ago in temporary quarters. The Mayor said the site formerly served as the Harrisburg headquarters for the YWCA, and was sold to the University by Wachovia Bank for $400,000, a $600,000 reduction in price of the building’s worth. “Our special acknowledgement is extended to Wachovia Bank for their very generous offering on the property, without which this project may never have proceeded,” said Reed. The project is the first of its kind in the midstate and has already become nationally recognized thanks in part to a substantial contribution from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, who selected it as one of only twelve high schools in the nation, and the only public school of the twelve, to be part of the national High Tech High Learning Network. The Network identifies the high schools across the nation with the most advanced science and math curriculums. The designation includes financial and other important support and academic services and opportunities “This is an historic day for Harrisburg and its public education system,” said Mayor Reed. “The opening of SciTech High means much for our community, our students, and indeed the future economic viability of this region. Students at SciTech High will receive advanced instruction in math and science training, enabling them to quickly and easily move on to more advanced studies at Harrisburg University or another college, or they can move directly into the skilled labor workforce thanks to the extensive training they will receive at SciTech High.” Funding for SciTech High came from a state capital development grant, which covers 50% of costs, and from the city school district, private and foundation monies. Harrisburg University President Melvyn D. Schiavelli, said “the dedication of SciTech High will enable us to showcase the University vision. This magnificent new complex has an impressive high-tech focus, and the learning environment should enable us to create an educational experience unlike anything ever seen in the Greater Harrisburg Region. This is a very exciting day for Harrisburg, the midstate, and most importantly, for the young people who will be educated here.” Reed said the new building, occupying five floors and containing twenty- seven classrooms, libraries and laboratories, will share space with a newly-developed advanced technology business incubator, providing low-cost space for start-up high-tech companies. The headquarter offices of The Harrisburg University of Science and Technology will also be located in the new school. The Mayor said the school features the latest in advanced learning technologies and scientific equipment, and has a curriculum that is specially oriented towards preparing students for careers and higher education degrees in the science, engineering and technology fields. SciTech High students will receive special consideration for admission into the planned Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, which is expected to begin offering formal classes in the next two years. Reed said each student enrolled in SciTech High must pass rigid entrance exams and have displayed a particular affinity or adaptability to the subjects being taught. Every SciTech High student is automatically given a free laptop computer, and each will be given a free bus pass to use public transportation to get to school each morning. Harrisburg School District buses will pick up the students in the afternoon to take them to school district extracurricular activities. Limited parking is available downtown and no students will be permitted to drive their own vehicle to school. Students must also abide by strict academic, extra-curricular and behavioral rules and regulations in order to remain in the program. Extensive parental involvement is also required of the parents of students enrolled at SciTech High, added Reed. Reed said the extensive, sixteen-month long construction effort was overseen by Reynolds Construction Company, with Benedict H. Dubbs of Murray Associates Architects P.C. serving as architect. Subcontractors included the Novinger Group and Morefield Communications. Reed said the new campus is headed by Director Lisa Waller, and Assistant Director Meg Burton. Noted midstate civic leader Nate Gadsden will serve as school guidance counselor. Twenty-six additional teaching and instructional staff will round out the new School’s educational staff, in addition to several dozen clerical, maintenance, security and food service staff. Altogether, more than 50 new jobs are created in the downtown by the new school’s opening. The Mayor said the opening of the permanent home of SciTech High and the first of what will be several technology business incubation centers marks the completion of the first stage of the establishment of The Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. The next stage involves final design of the University campus, hiring of a development director on the University staff, selection of a national fundraising firm, completion of campus site control, securing additional public and private funds for construction work, hiring University faculty and eventually the start-up of classes. He said that due to the time length of construction, it is entirely possible that the University’s first classes may well be in temporary quarters, as the inaugural classes can be conducted initially at any appropriate site. The first stage of work has also included curriculum and program development, securing University designation, facility planning and a myriad of other details. “Starting a new university, especially one geared to a comprehensive, innovative and non-traditional approach to higher education, is a monumental undertaking. It is one on which great progress has thus far occurred, with much more to come,” Reed said. “The University is specifically intended to address workforce development needs, especially in the fields of advanced technology. Its programs offer the reversal of the ‘brain drain’ that has afflicted our state and allows employers to fill the high tech positions for which it has been so difficult to find qualified applicants. A key component is the University technology business incubation component, through which faculty and students and private companies can apply science, technology and creativity to the creation of new products and services and spawn the businesses that will commercially apply these innovations,” the Mayor stated. “The University’s long-term impact will be profound in our ability to attract and retain high-paying jobs and businesses. In its work, the University connects higher education to economic development—something long overdue—and puts Harrisburg and the region into a highly competitive position for future develop- ment, growth and a higher standard of living,” Reed said. Reed also extended the city’s appreciation to the sponsors of SciTech High’s grand opening activities, including Wachovia Bank, Harristown Development Corporation, the Hilton Hotel and Towers, the City of Harrisburg, Reynolds Construction Company, Perfect Order Inc., InterCon Systems, Inc., Knowledge Planet and RSR Realtors, LLC. XXX |
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