XENIA — Students of the Summit Academy — Xenia high school will be greeted by a new 10,524-square-foot school building to start the 2023-2024 school year.

Classes for the 61 students in grades 9-12 begin Friday, Aug. 18.

The new building comes complete with high-polish concrete and vinyl-plank flooring, spacious classrooms, generous windows and green technology. A canopied corridor links the school to Summit Academy — Xenia’s elementary and middle school building, situated catty-corner on the 1694 Pawnee Drive school property, creating a campus feel.

“This is where you want to be,” said Principal Marissa Raux, describing the impression she believes the school will leave on students and staff, present and future.

In all, the school includes eight classrooms, four offices and a reception area, and an expansive multipurpose room for meetings, team collaboration, conferences, staff professional development, and potentially a life skills class for students, according to Raux.

“The entire building feels very much like a school with plenty of room, beautiful freshly painted walls, polished floors and generous windows that allow in natural light and lend a warm feeling to the rooms,” Raux said, adding that she is eager to tour prospective students and their families as well as future teachers and staff through the building.

Completed in just over six months, the project ran smoothly from start to finish, according to Director of Facilities Beverly Locke.

“The working relationship between Sean Olson and Jim Fultz of [contractor] Vancon, and architect Alan Scherr was exceptional. Steady communication, professionalism and the ability to problem-solve kept the project moving forward and running smoothly with minimal setbacks,” Locke said.

The expedited construction can be credited to tremendous dedication and diligence on the part of all involved, according to Locke. She said that as many as 30 tradespeople were in the building at once working simultaneously and Raux and Assistant Principal Travis Brewer worked tirelessly to collaborate on the project with the contractor.

John Guyer, CEO for Summit Academy Management, which operates the school, further credited tremendous cooperation with the City of Xenia’s zoning and building departments to the project’s success.

“From our earliest planning stages to completion, the city served as an exceptional partner,” he said.

Guyer added that the building speaks to Summit Academy’s mission to design, develop and deliver educational opportunities in a therapeutic environment so everyone can learn.

“The project came about to achieve this goal amidst the school’s growing enrollment and is certainly expected to surpass that objective,” he said.

The original school, which formerly served students in grades K-8, began to expand in 2016 to serve high school students, according to Guyer. Until this year, high school classes were held in modular units .

“We were originally thrilled with the modulars but knew we would outgrow them,” Raux said. “We were ready to take the next leap to where we would be able to grow and accommodate students’ needs through their high school experience.”

Locke said that the school serves as a model for future expansion by Summit Academy Schools across the state.

“This is the expectation we have for our schools for students, teachers and administrators to feel comfortable and succeed,” Locke said. “It provides a very positive learning environment.”

Summit Academy Schools are a network of 23 tuition-free, community schools throughout Ohio. Summit Academy Schools, nonprofit 501 (C)(3), educate students in grades K-12 with special education needs such as autism and ADHD.