On Saturday, August 17, Chagrin Falls Board of Education revealed the new Chagrin Falls Intermediate School, which hosts grades four through six.

It all began in 2013 when the Board discussed the master plan of renovating the Intermediate School. 

“The hardest part was the design, making sure we didn’t take down the part that was built in the 1940’s. When we had to tear it down, it was a building in between two buildings. The demolition was probably the most intricate demolition in the Cleveland area that has been done in a long time,” Superintendent Mr. Robert Hunt said. 

The school was in need of a major facelift, and when the grant came to the ballot in November, 66% of voters voted in favor of building a new Intermediate School.

In addition to the much needed renovations within the school itself, the Board incorporated more accessibility for students who are disabled.  

“We now have elevators going to every floor to accommodate all students,” Hunt said. 

The old Intermediate School was not wheelchair accessible. The school would have students go from Gurney straight to the Middle School because the Intermediate School could not accommodate those students.

In addition to students in wheelchairs, the school is now able to better assist special education students. 

“In the past the school has not had what we needed to help these students. We resorted to finding small spaces to control them. We now have excellently equipped rooms, teachers, and programs to help all special education kids that need assistance throughout the day,” Hunt said. 

This was a major step forward in helping these students and illustrates how much the school has improved within these renovations. 

The new Intermediate School layout is unique and conducive to all ages. Each floor is designed to a specific color that correlates to the grade level. In addition, the general music, fine arts, band, strings, and foreign language classes are all hosted on one floor.

— “The walls and ceilings are soundproof. The technology is like no other,” Hunt emphasized. 

With the new learning environment, students will have the opportunity to thrive with many new facets to the school.

The teachers are able to teach the whole grade a certain lesson through new technology and open space on each floor. This allows for more group work, both teachers assisting students, and a new wave of learning. 

“If there is one teacher who is really good at teaching math, they now have the ability to teach the whole grade that lesson. That is something that would have been unheard of in the old school,” Hunt said. 

The teachers are able to teach the whole grade a certain lesson through new technology and open space on each floor. This allows for more group work, both teachers assisting students, and a new wave of learning. 

Senior Cregan Mee has attended Chagrin Falls all twelve years and is very happy for the success of the school.

“One thing I’m excited for is the new classrooms, which looked super cool when I toured.  Since a lot of them had couches and TVs, too, it looked like a really awesome learning environment. Students will thrive in while also learning,” Mee said. 

Individuals throughout the community are very supportive of the new school and the future of learning is something to be proud of. 

Intermediate School principal Mrs. Sarah Read understands how special this is for Chagrin Falls and demonstrated her gratitude towards the new building.

“We are so grateful for the new school. It is a perfect learning environment for students, teachers, and staff and we could not be more excited to see what the future holds,” Read said.