On Thursday, January 13, 2005, Governor Bob Taft and several state officials joined Cincinnati Public Schools for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate the new Rockdale Academy. The governor praised Dawn Crook and her team for more than doubling their 4th grade proficiency reading and math scores over the last three years. He went on to say, "There's no question that this new building will advance academic achievement. With this modern building, the sky is the limit for students at Rockdale."
The ceremony began with a student leading the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Governor Bob Taft, Board President Florence Newell, Deputy Superintendent Rosa Blackwell and Principal Dawn Crook cut the ribbon with giant scissors. After the ribbon-cutting, the Rockdale Choir gave a special rendition of "I Believe I Can Fly."
Principal Dawn Crook told the guests, "It is a delight to have a building where the architecture mirrors our vision and the educational work that will go on here." She also talked about the Media Center, which was dedicated to Frank Perry, a former Rockdale principal. Mr. Perry and his wife were in attendance at the ribbon-cutting.
Deputy Superintendent Rosa Blackwell spoke about the importance of the new Rockdale building to the community.
The new Rockdale Academy will be open beyond traditional school hours for the community. The Community Learning Center was designed with input from Avondale parents and community partners. The new school includes a clinic that serves students and their siblings, and a meeting room designated for use by parents and the community. It will offer many after-school academic and extracurricular activities for students. Blackwell emphasized, "We want parents and the community to feel welcome and connected to the children who are educated here."
The vision of schools reconnecting to families and communities is being applied to the entire district. All of the 60 new or renovated schools in the Facilities Master Plan are being created as Community Learning Centers.
Rockdale Academy is CPS' first newly constructed school to open under the $985-million Facilities Master Plan. The school offers an excellent learning environment to accommodate 650 students from preschool through 8th-grade. The 86,160-square-foot, state-of-the-art community learning center contains innovative classrooms that represent the latest in educational philosophy, air-conditioning and a modern heating system, a science laboratory, music and art rooms, computer technology and media center, parent center, and full-service community-based health clinic.
The building was opened for a public open house that evening.