Out-of-Door Academy students' first day back to school started with the unveiling of a $4.5 million facility, which houses The Dick Vitale Family Student Center and the Dart Foundation STEM Center.
By
Amanda Sebastiano
| 11:04 a.m. August 19, 2015
East County
Schools
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Students rushed through the halls, backpacks hugging their backs and paper schedules gripped in their hands, as they hurried to their first stop on the first day of school, Aug. 19, at the Out-of-Door Academy in Lakewood Ranch. The students converged at the school's newest additions — The Dick Vitale Family Student Center and the Dart Foundation STEM Center. The Vitale and Dart families cut the ribbons on the facility today, and students are already using the building for classes.The facility, which cost $4.5 million and took just over a year to build, is designed to give students a more college-like and state-of-the-art learning environment, from its open space study areas downstairs and advanced technology, such as 3-D printers, upstairs in science labs.
ODA upper school students ail utilize a range of equipment, such as telescopes and a 3-D printer.
Sierra VanSuch, Sierra Dickerson and Aiden Dowdy test out the new sofa inside the common area of the Student Center.
Students can use a charging port for cell phones, iPads and other devices.
Dick Vitale's daughter, Terri, photographs the plaque which features the name of the building's namesake, Vitale.
The Dick Vitale Family Student Center features a 900-square-foot Tech Center and the Cyber Café.
The DART STEM Center houses math and science classrooms and labs on the second floor of the building.
Computer Science teacher Joanne Barett maneuevers a remote controlled vehicle in her new work space in the DART STEM Center.
The Out-of-Door Academy’s Head of School David Mahler thanks individuals involved with creating the facility.
Ariane Daughter, who has two children who attend ODA's lower school, has been an enthusiast of science, technology, engineering and math studies since she was a child.
The Vitale family — Sherri, Lorraine, Dick, Terri and her husband, Christopher Sforzo — cut the ribbon on the student center.
Students already use the various tables inside the student center to chat with friends and look over their class schedules.
Science classrooms for high school students are now housed on the second floor in the DART STEM Center.
