Summit Academy – Lorain officially started a new chapter on Saturday, May 10, as it welcomed the public to celebrate its newly renovated building at 346 Illinois Ave.
The event began with remarks by Summit Academy Management CEO John Guyer and ribbon cutting by Principal Jasmine Rengh.
“It’s a real honor to welcome you to the grand opening of our newly remodeled Lorain campus. Today marks not just the completion of a $4 million capital project, but the beginning of a new chapter for our students, our staff and the broader
Lorain community,” Guyer said to guests.
Well more than 100 attendees from the community and school gathered for the event where they enjoyed building tours, visits with the bobcat mascot, therapeutic martial arts demonstrations by the school’s K-8 students, photo booth poses and food truck fare. As children played on swings, slides and other equipment in the school’s new playground, former students and staff reunited for the celebration.
In attendance, alumnus Daniel Martinez, a 2020 graduate of the school, says he earned his black belt at age 17 thanks to his Summit Academy teachers and mentors. “I couldn’t have done it without them,” he says.
Among the dozens of parents from the community at the event was Sarah Thorne with her daughter, Anna, 5. Thorne says she is planning to enroll her daughter in
kindergarten at Summit Academy for the 2025-2026 school year. “They are amazing,” said Thorne about the school staff. Her son is a Summit Academy graduate and daughter is in seventh grade at the school.
As Rengh and her team graciously greeted friends old and new, a spirit of camaraderie and pride marked the event.
Guyer commended the school staff, thanking them for their input and commitment to the school’s mission throughout the renovation process, which began in September 2023.
“A building doesn’t make a school — you do,” Guyer said during his remarks. He said he looks forward to seeing how the students and families will bring their new space to life.
The project was managed by Summit Academy Management Director of Facilities Beverly Locke, David Pelligra of David Pelligra & Architects Inc. of Cuyahoga Falls, design team lead Nate Elett, and John Hemminger and David Harbarger of Hemminger Construction of Akron.
Summit Academy – Lorain, which specializes in special education, serves students in grades K-8. Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, school officials
plan to reintroduce secondary grades, starting with grade 9.