STEUBENVILLE — Steubenville City Schools’ retired faculty and staff had the opportunity to walk the hallowed halls once again during a recent stop at the Pugliese STEM Academy.

The district hosted the Steubenville City Schools Retirees on March 13.

Participants were treated to a luncheon, listened to a presentation and took a tour of the new facility.

Approximately 30 former educators, current school board members and officials gathered in the main conference room for a catered lunch.

Superintendent Melinda Young and Steubenville High School Principal Ted Gorman welcomed those in attendance.

The group heard presentations from Gorman, senior Benjamin Burgey and STEM Director Shana Wydra.

Young introduced school board President Ruth Ann Bruzzese and member Tom Timmons, thanking the panel for their dedication and forward thinking when it came to serving students. She recognized the special guests for their commitment to molding students into future leaders.

“Thank you for dedicating your lives to the students of Steubenville City Schools,” Young said. “Your years of service, commitment and passion, have left an impact on the lives of so many of our students. Steubenville City Schools has long been known for its tradition of excellence, and that legacy is a direct result of the foundation you built. On behalf of the board of education, students, families and staff of Steubenville City Schools, thank you for your years of service, your support and the inspiration you continue to provide.”

Young addressed recent successes, including the creation of the STEM building, new programs, the district’s five-star designation for the past four years, Harding Middle School being named a National Blue Ribbon School and the 68 soon-to-be high school alumni who will receive an associate’s degree through College Credit Plus in addition to their diploma.

Twenty-five graduates will earn an associate of arts and associate of science degree, while one senior will gain both degrees and a medical coding certificate allowing her to earn $40 per hour on the job, while in college.

Gorman gave an overview of the programs that are offered at the high school.

From the three-semester schedule with Maymester taking place from May 5-29, to the Big Red P.R.I.D.E., Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports and Big Red Cares Day, the programs add to students’ lives, Gorman said.

He mentioned senior capstone projects, the Freshman Success Academy and the Principal’s Advisory Council.

“Our purpose is to create an environment where students want to come to school every day, and teachers want to come to work every day,” Gorman told the retirees. “We talk to our teachers about being a champion for a kid. The students want to come to school … and for six-and-a-half hours, they are ours.”

Gorman explained the school is continuing to grow through open enrollment, saying there were three schools in one building — Wells Academy, the high school and the Steubenville STARS program, which is for students who have developmental disabilities.

The student population in the building is more than 1,000 students, Gorman commented, adding half of the school’s 75 staff members were former SHS students.

He touched on the district having more than 2,900 students, with 853 of them being from the option of open enrollment.

Gorman noted SHS yielded a 95-percent attendance rate and a 97.6-percent graduation rate.

Wydra touched upon the STEM building’s 17 programs, including aerospace engineering and aviation, health informatics, carpentry, multimedia, agricultural sciences, biomedical sciences, global logistics and supply chain management, Red Zone school store, information technology, innovative sciences, education, computer science, Computer-Aided Design and Drafting, clean energy and Ohio’s Workforce Development programs, Transition To Work and career-based instruction.

“We have 455 students enrolled in at least one of these, and it doesn’t include those enrolled in CCP,” Wydra said.

She cited four career-tech organizations offered, including the Business Professionals of America, Educators Rising, FFA and HOSA-Future Health Professionals.

Retirees toured the facility, excited about the experience.

“It was unbelievable,” stated Linda Holub, Steubenville retirees co-founder. “It’s stimulating. And seeing the kids working, it really got me. It’s breathtaking.”

“It’s way beyond what we expected to see,” stated member Becky Bryan. “It was great to see the hands-on education and the students were all focused on their tasks.”