When Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America Inc. closed its Erlanger facility in 2014—relocating employees to Georgetown, Michigan and Texas—it was a blow that amounted to the loss of 1,600 jobs and about $1.3 million in revenue for the city. But as one door closes, another one opens: Just five years later, the building has been transformed into a cutting-edge high school like no other in the Commonwealth. Toyota donated the structure and surrounding greenspace to the Boone County school district, a gift valued at $10 million.
“We were looking to do something nice, that would be sustainable and support the community,” said Mike Goss, general manager of social innovation for Toyota.
Goss said the company was involved in many philanthropic ventures, especially education, during its 20 years in northern Kentucky. So it seemed natural to donate the building to be transformed into a school.
On Aug. 14, the Ignite Institute at Roebling Innovation Center, a high school specializing in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, or STEAM, will welcome more than 1,000 students on its opening day.
“Originally, we were hoping to bring in a few hundred students to start, and then grow each year,” said Dr. Randy Poe, superintendent of Boone County Schools. “But there was so much interest, we will be opening almost at capacity.”
A project this big could not happen overnight, so Toyota brought in state and local business leaders for input on the vision for this unique school.
“We wanted to create something that would be transformative for generations to come,” Poe said. “So we looked at the workforce of the future and asked business leaders what they will need in the workforce five years from now.”
What came from those meetings eventually created the three-pronged goal of the Ignite Institute:
To open a world of possibilities for students through science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
To fill the workforce pipeline with creative and educated workers for the future.
To help make the tri-state a magnet for high-value industries, enabling it to compete globally and elevating opportunity for all in the region.
With the model of the school in place, Boone County Schools faced the challenge of transforming the well-appointed office building, located in an industrial park adjacent to I-275 near the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, into a high school. Boone County received a state Work Ready Skills Initiative grant of about $7 million to transform it from Toyota offices to learning space.
The massive building covers 180,000 square feet on 22 acres, making it the second-largest high school in the Boone County system. Inside, the structure boasts large open classrooms, small meeting spaces with modern glass walls, and ceilings that soar 25 to 40 feet above the industrial-looking concrete floors. The colors are bright and attractive, there is an abundance of windows and natural light, and the furniture is modern and modular. Several garage door bays accommodate large projects and pieces of equipment.
Similar to selecting a college major, students will choose a pathway into one of the following fields: biomedical sciences, pre-nursing, engineering, design, education or computer science. Also similar to the college experience, students will have flexible Tuesdays and Thursdays, when they can design their days, using them to catch up, work ahead, meet with teachers or business leaders, or participate in a club.
Co-principal Julie Whitis said one of the school’s most important aspects is that teachers embrace the theory of “Care first, then teach.”
“Each pathway will have teacher teams, and these teams will have the same students all four years,” she said. “So we look for teachers who put students first.”
With the idea of appealing to all types of learners, Ignite will focus on problem solving, teamwork and a hands-on curriculum.
“The school is all about project-based learning,” said co-principal Jerome Gels. “The students will develop a plan and see it all the way through to completion.”
In addition to cutting-edge engineering, robotics, manufacturing and automation labs, the school will offer art production areas such as music, video and animation studios, as well as health and biology labs.
Gels said students will have the opportunity to take dual-credit classes, enabling them to knock out some college classes early and in some cases, attain an associate degree while still in high school.
This free public school is open to any student in northern Kentucky. Students do not need to have a specific grade point average or background to apply, but they must fill out an application and indicate why they want to attend Ignite.
“We found that some are interested in the opportunity for early college,” Gels said. “But many crave something different from their education. They want to focus on something they already have a passion for.”
Educators and business leaders are excited that by combining elements of a trade school and a tech center, they can rethink the aspects of a traditional high school and benefit the student as well as the future workforce.
“Of course, this school is a win-win for the region, but I think it will become a model for across the nation,” Poe said. “It is personalized education for the students, but we will be providing a pipeline of trained professionals ready to enter the workforce as they graduate high school.”
Toyota consolidated its North American headquarters in Plano, Texas, but continues to employ 8,000 people and produce more than 500,000 vehicles at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky in Georgetown. Representatives of the auto manufacturing giant were so appreciative of their time in northern Kentucky that Goss said they looked for ways to leave a legacy and take the sting out of the move.
“We recognize a lot of jobs left the community, so I think we found a pretty good way to replace ourselves,” he said.
The name of the school is significant as well. John A Roebling, an engineer and progressive thinker of the 1800s, designed one of northern Kentucky’s most iconic landmarks, the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge.