Syracuse’s new STEAM school, specializing in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math, will open its doors in September.
Construction is in full swing at the former historic Central Tech High School, and Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said on the first day of school, 250 ninth graders will become the school’s first students.
The first floor, second floor, and part of the basement are scheduled to be finished.
"You set the date,” said Walsh. “You drive as hard as you can towards it. You do everything you can to mitigate and minimize any negative impact of the construction, but the reality is, we're going to be ready to welcome in those freshman students."
Walsh, Syracuse School District Superintendent Anthony Davis, and Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said the school is an example of how the community can work together, and they expect it to be a model across the state and country.
Davis said it will offer a number of new programs--everything from animation and gaming to construction management, semiconducting, and the performing arts.
"It's an outstanding, I'm going to say, collection of careers, not jobs, careers that folks can actually benefit from for a lifetime," Davis said.
Of the incoming students, 202 are from Syracuse, and 48 are from outside of the city. The eventual plan is for 60 percent of the students to live in the Syracuse City School District.
McMahon said he expects interest from suburban and rural districts to spike, as the community learns more about the programs the new school offers.
"You're going to have a unique building,” he said. “You're going to have, really, I've described it as, the center of excellence for kids who know where they want to go and what kind of fields already."
Walsh said he expects the building to be completely finished by the start of school in 2026, and eventually, the school will have 1,000 students.
