Rogers School, soon to be the Innovation Center at Rogers School
Jamestown Public Schools will be reopening Rogers Elementary School as the Innovation Center at R.R. Rogers School this coming school year.
Beginning in September, the building will temporarily host three classrooms of Fletcher Elementary School students for the duration of the 2023-24 school year, due to capital project work that will impact Fletcher instructional space.
Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker said nothing in a student’s day-to-day routine will change during this temporary relocation.
Phase Two of the center’s opening will include career and technical education programming that is slated to begin during the 2024-25 school year.
Whitaker said the Innovation Center will partner with local manufacturers as well as Jamestown Community College and BOCES to offer students experience on possible careers they could enter post-high school, “Whether it’s biomedical or manufacturing, welding, construction, or coding, robotics, aviation, whether that part is drones or aviation tech, or a pilot, or an ANP which is a mechanic for air frame and power plant. And let me tell you, the folks at the Airport are overjoyed if we can get that program going. They’re dying for people who have those interests and certifications.”
Whitaker said all grade levels from late elementary school forward would have an opportunity to go through the Innovation Center.
He said the program is currently conceptual and would be funded through grants and use of state aid, “The more I talk about this, the more people are interested in donations in-kind. So, equipment and volunteering of time, personnel, that sort of thing. So, for example, to learn about certain techniques we don’t need the latest and greatest machines or materials. There are companies that are moving on from those materials because they’re not up to the very latest standards. That works fine for us for kids to explore. So, if we can get materials, and equipment, and machines in that way, it doesn’t cost us any money.”
Rogers Elementary School first opened in 1976 before being closed as a full-time elementary school in 2012. Since then, it has housed several programs including the Success Academy program in 2019 and the T.E.A.M. program until the 2022-23 school year.
At Jamestown School Board’s meeting Tuesday night, returning School Board member Paul Abbott was sworn in for a new term as well as being named the board’s president again. New board member John Panebianco was sworn in on July 3rd and not present at Tuesday’s meeting.
The two ex-officio student members also were sworn onto the board. Abrielle Monaghan serves as the Senior Class Historian, the President of Key Club, and the Captain of the high school’s Varsity Tennis team.
Karlee Rock is involved with varsity softball, varsity tennis, concert band, National Honor Society, and Key Club. Both students also were members of the District’s Code of Conduct Committee in the 2022-23 school year.
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