Miami Valley CTC shows off massive updated school to new students, families

Incoming juniors at the Miami Valley Career Tech Center in Englewood said they’re excited to attend the new,  nearly 600,000 square foot school building, which is opening this year after almost five years of renovations.

“It’s huge,” said Mason Thornburgh, an incoming junior from Twin Valley South High School in Preble County who plans to specialize in diesel engines. “I’ve got to walk across the entire school for my first class. I think it’ll be so good.”

The massive renovation and expansion was estimated to cost $158 million, with $28 million coming from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission and millions from a 2017 bond issue approved by voters. The resulting building feels larger than a normal high school.

Yasmina Oumarou, an incoming junior from Trotwood who plans to study in the veterinary program, said she looks forward to attending the new building.

“It’s big, very spacious,” she said of the renovated building.

The MVCTC serves students from multiple counties, including parts of Miami and Montgomery counties.

Kelly Herzog, a spokeswoman for the MVCTC, said the expanded building will allow more students to be accepted into the programs. As many as 400 students were turned away from the school in past years, she said, but with more space, programs can expand and be added for more students to come to the building.

Now, there’s a second classroom for veterinary tech students and cosmetology students. The MVCTC is also offering a sophomore class this year for career exploration. Usually, career centers only accept juniors and seniors.

Nick Weldy, the MVCTC superintendent, said he’s looking forward to a more normal school year. During the last five years, the MVCTC has built parts of the renovation while students and staff are still in the building.

Weldy said the MVCTC finished the project in-house without an outside construction manager and completed it on time and under budget.

The MVCTC held an open house on Monday to welcome incoming juniors. The event was supposed to start at 3:30 p.m., but people were streaming in an hour ahead of time. More than 1,200 juniors and their families were expected.

“The kids are just so wound up right now, so excited to start,” Weldy said. “It’s just the staff getting settled in for their forever home and basically looking forward, and I truly am ready for that too.”

Weldy noted that he has not yet had anyone complain about the expense of the new building, which is always a concern for superintendents building new schools. Most of the expense was in the size of the building.

“Fifty years from now, (students) aren’t going to remember what kind of floors they walked on,” Weldy said. “But they’ll remember what kind of machine they ran, what tools they used, and what gave them a jumpstart going into the industry.”