Frederick Douglass High School, a public charter school, recently hosted a ribbon cutting for the grand opening of its satellite school in Euclid.
The new school located at 22700 Shore Center Drive and officially opened on Nov. 10, hosted a variety of Euclid officials such as Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer-Gail, and city Planning and Development Director Patrick Grogan Meyers.
The idea for the new addition to Frederick Douglass started in 2018 when district officials sought to expand and build upon the curriculum that they had, through collaborative work with Oakmont Education, an educational management organization that operates schools throughout Ohio from Cleveland to South Hamilton.
Through a joint effort with Oakmont Education as well as Euclid city officials, the school is now fully operational and ready to begin enrollment.
“We are excited to come into this space,” Oakmont Education Vice President of Curriculum and Instruction Karen Wachter said. “It just made sense to have a satellite school of Frederick Douglass here in Euclid. We are super excited for this school to offer the opportunities to these kids here in Euclid.”
Scott Caldwell, director and principal for the Euclid Frederick Douglass branch, said the school offers an opportunity to earn high school diplomas and career tech options for those who weren’t successful in traditional high schools, accepting students from the ages of 15 to 21.
“I would like to thank the city of Euclid for welcoming us into the community,” Caldwell said. “Anyone who fits the age requirements is welcome to apply. You will get a tour of our facility and can enroll that same day.”
In addition to high school diplomas, the school offers industry certifications from several in-demand career fields including business, health care, and construction.
Caldwell said the schools offer flexible class scheduling, and their staff is happy to work around a student’s job, childcare, and other commitments. He said that their staff professionally trained in a variety of fields.
The school itself has over 10 classrooms all of which are stocked with brand new state-of-the-art equipment.
“We have a variety of talented staff from different fields and backgrounds that are passionate about teaching the next generation,” Caldwell said. “We are a community school that caters to students that don’t fit the traditional setting. We offer a smaller, quiet, and more intimate space for our students to learn.”
The new school also contains a colorful mural of Frederick Douglass with Euclid Lakefront in the background painted by Cleveland local artists Chad Fedorovich and Nick Wyatt.
Caldwell said that he hopes the mural will help inspire future students to succeed in whatever they set out to achieve.
