Cleveland school district's MC2STEM High School renovation wins Green Building Award

Friday, November 20, 2009

Project at GE’s Nela Park campus funded by capital campaign
led by Greater Cleveland Partnership

Cleveland, Ohio—The Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s (CMSD) regional MC2 STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) High School building on the GE Nela Park campus has been selected to receive a "Green Building of America Award" by a leading construction industry publication--the Real Estate & Construction Review. A Greater Cleveland Partnership-led capital campaign played a vital role in raising the funds needed to renovate the building into classrooms, which opened in February.

The GCP worked with several of its Investor-level companies and other community funders to raise almost $3 million for the initial phase of the project. Contributors included Forest City Enterprises Charitable Enterprises, Eaton Charitable Fund, Key Foundation, Parker Hannifin Foundation, the Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation and the Sherwick Fund.

The STEM High School project, to be featured in a special edition of the Review’s “Midwest Green Success Stories,” will be discussed in a case study that explores how the team of the project owner/developer, consultants, architects and contractors worked together to design and build one of the region’s most innovative sustainable facilities. During construction, the GCP functioned as the project owner with Marous Brothers Construction serving as the prime contractor.

“The STEM program provides an innovative approach to education, so it’s very fitting that its students attend classes in a setting that’s an award-winning example of innovation in construction,” said GCP President and CEO Joe Roman. “This recognition sends the message that the collaborative efforts of the public and private sectors to promote STEM education for Cleveland students are on the right track.”

Working in partnership with the CMSD, GE Consumer & Industrial agreed to host the STEM school's first freshmen class and subsequently become the permanent host of its second-year students. As the home of many of the lighting industry's most innovative research and development efforts, the Nela Park campus in East Cleveland was a good fit for the innovative approach of STEM education.

Renovation is currently under way at the Great Lakes Science Center to build additional STEM classrooms for the 2009-2010 freshman students. This renovation project also was made possible through funding provided by the GCP’s capital campaign supporters.

 

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