Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening Ceremony
at Painted Rock Academy, August 9, 2013
[/twocol_one] [twocol_one_last]
[/twocol_one_last]Excitement ran high as the parents, faculty, staff, board members, and business partners of Painted Rock Academy waited for the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to begin. Surely no one anticipated this evening with more pride than the Reid family themselves, in whose honor Reid Traditional Schools is named.
[/twocol_one] [twocol_one_last]
[/twocol_one_last]Giant ceremonial scissors adorned the speakers’ platform. A Valley Academy student was enlisted to open the evening’s program with the Pledge of Allegiance.
[/fourcol_one] [fourcol_one]
[/fourcol_one] [twocol_one_last]
[/twocol_one_last]The logistics of the evening, including chairs, invitations, a video program, and refreshments, were all graciously supplied by D.L. Withers Construction. The center photo shows Dan Withers of D.L. Withers Construction, our General Contractor, with Russ Sanders of Orcutt|Winslow, the architectural firm responsible for the school’s creative and efficient design. Painted Rock Academy’s Board President, Mark Mettes, welcomed the attendees.
[/twocol_one] [twocol_one_last]
[/twocol_one_last]Mrs. Leslie Szostak and Miss Britainy McMillan, the school’s Principal and Assistant Principal, respectively, made their first formal comments to Painted Rock families as they welcomed parents, guardians, and students to Meet Your Teacher Night.
[/twocol_one] [twocol_one_last]
[/twocol_one_last]
[/twocol_one] [twocol_one_last]
[/twocol_one_last]Reid Traditional Schools and Painted Rock Academy personnel were all moved and encouraged by a surprise donation organized by D.L. Withers Constuction. Seeing the empty room that was labeled “Library” on the blueprints, the company arranged to have all the bookshelves and bookcases you see in the pictures above donated to the school. In addition, they contacted all the subcontractors who had worked on the building and organized a collection to purchase books and supplies for the library.
Over $19,000 was donated, made all the more special in that it represented such wide support from businesses in our community. Heidi Mitchell, C.E.O. of Reid Traditional Schools, gladly accepted an additional donation of $1000 from our next door neighbor, Kingdom in the Valley Christian Church, presented by Minister Thedius Burden. Thank you to all those who donated.
…BEFORE
…AND AFTER
From left: D.L. Withers Construction (John Barrett, Jan Hopkins, Dan Withers, Brad Walker); Orcutt|Winslow (Russ Sanders, Megan Hawkins); Heidi Mitchell, Reid Traditional Schools C.E.O.; Mark Mettes, Reid Traditional and Painted Rock Academy Board President; Cuyler Reid, Reid Traditional Schools and Painted Rock Academy Board Secretary and Valley Academy founder; Leslie Szostak, Painted Rock Academy Principal, and Reid Traditional Schools and Painted Rock Academy Board members Katie Whitchurch, Letha Warner, and Angela Fischer.
[/twocol_one] [twocol_one_last]
[/twocol_one_last]A final thank you to D.L. Withers Construction for donating items when they saw a need, as shown in the photos above. D.L. Withers provided a bicycle rack at the school’s front entrance, along with the flagpole and our amazing “painted rock” table outside the front doors. To the right of the main entrance, they memorialized the building’s dedication with a handsome bronze plaque.
The completion of construction makes it a building; the faculty and staff make it a school; but it is the students and parents who complete the community. We at Reid Traditional Schools look forward to educating generations of children at Painted Rock Academy. Let’s have a great first year!