Dear ALCS Families,
It’s an exciting time in our schools as we get set to begin the last full month of school next week. The calendar is filled up with concerts, end-of-the-year parties, senior exams, and senior nights for our spring sports teams, among other fun activities.
Congratulations to the Class of 2024. The annual Board of Education Recognition of Excellence ceremony (students with a GPA 3.0 and above) will take place at 1 p.m. this Sunday, April 28 at the Dr. Daniel B. Ross Performing Arts Center at Avon Lake High School. To watch the event live, click here.
This week the annual U.S. News and World Report magazine rankings came out for Best High Schools in the country. The rankings include data on nearly 25,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly 18,000 schools were ranked on six factors based on their performance on state assessments and how well they prepare students for college.
Congratulations to the students, staff and families at Avon Lake High School. The school once again received high marks both nationally and locally. We are the No. 1 high school in Lorain County! To view the rankings, click here.
Wednesday we celebrated Administrative Professionals Day in our District. Our secretaries and administrative assistants are often the first people many encounter when they call or come to our buildings. We are grateful for the wonderful team we have and appreciate all they do.
As we continue to address the repairs needed in our school buildings, we have some important information to share regarding two projects at the high school. Thank you to our Director of Operations Dr. Ned Lauver and his team for their dedication and commitment. Last winter one of the chillers failed (provides air conditioning to the building). After evaluating the situation, the decision was made to replace both chillers at a cost of approximately $1.34 million, as we feared that the second chiller might have been impacted, as well, and could experience failure at any time (a fear that turned out to be well-founded when we ran that chiller alongside a rental last summer).
The replacement chillers were projected to be delivered within a year from when they were ordered a few months ago. Good news is the chillers are scheduled to be shipped in a few days.
Once delivered, the installation will take a few weeks. It is estimated that air conditioning will be available by May 12 via one of the chillers. Hopefully Mother Nature provides cool temperatures for the beginning of the month.
The next project will be LED lighting. Due to the availability of rebate money and projected energy savings of six figures annually, the District is investing in the installation of LED lighting in all areas of the high school that have not already been completed (several large spaces, such as the gym, were completed a few years ago).
To receive the rebate from FirstEnergy, the project must be completed by June 30. Therefore, the installation will begin next week. Crews will be changing out over 3,000 tubes in the building, in classrooms, hallways, the Commons, and a few large spaces such as the weight room.
Reminder, we will provide additional updates regarding our facilities and our plans for the future during the May 8 Community Forum. We look forward to seeing you in attendance, please bring your friends and neighbors.
We thank you for your continued support of our schools.
Sincerely,
Joelle Magyar
