Salem City School administrators, staff members, alumni, parents and students came together with both city and Perry Township officials for a ceremony at the former Whinnery Farm, which is set to be the home of the new school. The ceremony featured remarks from Superintendent Sean Kirkland, Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey, Board of Education President Brittany Maniscalco, and Medical Director and Salem School Levy Committee Chair Dr. Austin Frederickson, who all described the project as emblematic of Salem residents’ commitment to the future of its students.

“As someone who grew up here, graduated from Salem, and has dedicated my career to serving this district this moment is deeply meaningful. I know firsthand the pride this community has in its schools, I also know the impact that a great impact can have on our children’s lives,” said Kirkland. “This new building will be more than classrooms, hallways and offices, it will be a place where friendships begin, where curiosity is sparked, and where dreams take root. It represents our community’s promise to always invest in education and to always invest in bright futures for our students.”

Kirkland said that “years from now when [the school] is filled with laughter, energy, and learning people will look back on today as the day the Salem community came together to say our kids matter, their future matters, and Salem is committed to them.” Kirkland also thanked a long list of individuals and groups whose support he said made the project possible including the board of education, the district’s staff students and parents, Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey and the utilities department, Frederickson and all the members of the Salem School Levy Committee, the Perry Township Trustees, and the project’s core team. He also thanked former Superintendent Dr. Joseph Shivers, who he said he’d been discussing the possibility of building a new school with for 15 years and made him believe it was actually possible. However, above all he thanked the Salem Community Foundation and its President John Tonti for their support of the district including donating the property to the district and contributing $10 million to the project to reduce the cost to taxpayers.

“I don’t know who from that group in 1990 had the vision and foresight to buy this property for the Salem community and board of education, to have that kind of vision just blows me away…To think of the work that we had to with the levy committee after we went through the first levy and it failed, I’m absolutely certain that the community foundation’s generosity of coming forward with a donation of $10 million really put this thing over the top,” said Kirkland. “It helped ensure that the project would move forward without placing an overwhelming burden on local taxpayers and in my personal opinion, this gift was one of the main reasons for our levy being passed and it stands as a powerful example of what can happen when a community invests in their future.”

The Salem High School Marching Band kicked off Wednesday’s ceremony performing the National Anthem and Alma Mater. (Photo by Morgan Ahart) 

Dickey thanked every voter “who came together and voted for the levy that made this day possible and the days to come,” noting that she knew doing so was a sacrifice as everyone’s budgets are tight amid ongoing inflation and fiscal uncertainty and that “to say yes to the levy really cut deep.” She said making that sacrifice for the future “shows [her] as the mayor of this city is what a great group of people we have in Salem,” which was something to be built upon and preserved and that one of the ways that is done “is through strong schools.”

“Schools are more than just pretty buildings. They are the basis for our future. If we don’t have good schools, it tells the world we don’t value education, and I know we do, and your votes show that. I am so grateful to be the mayor at this time when we are pulling together to do these wonderful things for our children,” said Dickey.

Maniscalco described the day as “a full-circle moment” and said that she hoped everyone in attendance would remember the moment with their families and children like she will, and that she was honored to welcome them to the “historic moment for [the] community.”

“This land has waited patiently for its purpose and today it becomes the foundation for a bright future. One built on learning growth and opportunity for generations of Salem students…This groundbreaking represents more than bricks and mortar it represents our collective investment in the success of every child who walks through these doors and together we are shaping the future of Salem,” said Maniscalco

Frederickson said that he had “been part of a lot of cool groups” but that the drive and passion of the members of the Salem School Levy Committee “far exceed any other group [he’d] ever been a part of” and that the Salem community would remember their efforts forever. He said that group came together a worked so hard because they believed in the district and its educators, and the work that they do to positively impact students.

District administrators and supporters came together to turn the first shovel of dirt and officially kick off the next phase of the project. Shown from left are Reilly Elementary Principal Cindy Viscounte, Southeast Elementary Principal Jenny Pancake, High School Associate Principal Melanie Carfolo, Buckeye Elementary Principal David Guy, Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey, Junior High Principal Matt Ziegler, Medical Director and Salem School Levy Committee Chair Dr. Austin Frederickson, High School Principal Todd McLaughlin, Curriculum Director Jamie Kematz, Treasurer Mike Douglas, Superintendent Sean Kirkland, Quaker Sam, Board of Education President Brittany Maniscalco and her one and a half year old daughter Frankie, and Board Member Dianna Barley. (Photo by Morgan Ahart) 

“The work that you do in these halls is what makes it sacred. Each brick is a symbol of the gratitude, respect, and love that we have for you. You’ve been called to teach. You’ve been called to serve our children, and you answer that call every day with honor. When we called on Salem to build this school, Salem answered. I can’t wait to see the work that you do here,” said Frederickson.

Frederickson also said that if the building is given a name, that he feels it should be named after Kirkland.

“I said to the levy committee on election night that I don’t know if this building is going to have a name someday, but each of us and the school would not be here today without the guy who flows praise in everybody’s direction but his own,” said Frederickson. “He has dedicated his career and lifetime to boosting our district and it’s his vision and strength that we all rely on. The ‘K’ in this K-8 building in my heart and in yours stands for Kirkland.”

After the initial ceremonial groundbreaking all children of staff member present were invited to try their own hands at a groundbreaking and given custom plastic vials with the district’s logo, and the date take home some soil from the groundbreaking as a keepsake. (Photo by Morgan Ahart) 

After the initial ceremonial groundbreaking all children of staff member present were invited to try their own hands at a groundbreaking and given custom plastic vials with the district’s logo, and the date take home some soil from the groundbreaking as a keepsake. (Photo by Morgan Ahart) 

After the initial ceremonial groundbreaking all children of staff member present were invited to try their own hands at a groundbreaking and given custom plastic vials with the district’s logo, and the date take home some soil from the groundbreaking as a keepsake. (Photo by Morgan Ahart) 

Board President Brittany Maniscalco helps her one and a half year old daughter Frankie fill a keepsake vial with soil from the groundbreaking ceremony. (Photo by Morgan Ahart) 

After the ceremony’s conclusion, everyone in attendance came together for a drone photo where the new K-8 school building will stand once completed. (Photo by Morgan Ahart)