APPLE CREEK, Ohio — Southeast Local Schools is now Waynedale Local Schools, and along with the name comes a new building.
All grade levels are now housed on the same campus on Dover Road. The new school comes with new features. There's a larger gym for sporting events, and all classrooms have the latest technology.
Funding for the school was made possible thanks to tax revenue from the Rover Pipeline, which runs through Wayne County. All of it is a welcome change from the district's older buildings.
"We had a great deal of respect for our old buildings," Superintendent Jon Ritchie said. "They had a lot of tradition, but they were antiquated. We had buildings that were built in the 1890s."
A big concern was a lack of air conditioning in the old school buildings. Students said it's been the biggest draw of the new school.
"Whenever you walked in," student Payton Stasko said. "It was cold, so that was nice."
The school's staff is celebrating, too. High school counselor Jenn Troyer said the consolidation is her favorite part of the new school. She said it's opening new doors for students from pre-k through high school.
"A lot of times the elementary school kids really look up to high school kids," she said. "But, they only see them on Friday nights when they are in the band or if they're playing football. Now, they're around more often and I think that's just going to create more positive relationships all the way up."
Troyer said having all staff and students on the same campus should allow for mentoring programs in the future. Additionally, high school students could have more chances to shadow staff members while choosing a career path.
Right now, students and staff are exploring their new school and trying to find the best spots to study or eat lunch. They're also taking a moment to admire their new academic home.
"It kinda feels like we are living in a movie sometimes," Katarina Webb, a student, said. "Like 'High School Musical.'"
