Bryden & Hilltop Celebrate Groundbreaking of New Facilities

Beachwood students, staff, and community members gathered May 7 for two groundbreaking ceremonies to celebrate the launch of the construction phase of the new Bryden and Hilltop Schools. The festivities featured student performances, speeches from public officials, and a ceremonial turning of the soil.

“We have been truly fortunate to work with a design team that listens to us and listens to our community members,” said Superintendent Dr. Robert Hardis. “They are super talented at designing and constructing schools, and they are dedicated to delivering a wonderful new building for all of us.” 

Set against a backdrop of construction equipment and renderings of the new schools, the groundbreaking program included remarks by Megan Walsh, president of the Board of Education; Justin Berns, Mayor of Beachwood; Ryan Schmit, project architect at ThenDesign Architecture; William Schurman, owner of Hammond Construction; Dr. Octavia Reid, principal of Hilltop; and Arianna DeGeorge, principal of Bryden and Fairmount Early Childhood Center.

Also in attendance were city council members Alec Isaacson, president; Danielle Shoykhet, vice president; Joshua Mintz; Ali Stern; and Jillian DeLong. 

Each ceremony opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, led by students, and featured musical performances directed by Shelley McKenzie, Bryden music teacher, and Darlene Haight, Hilltop choir teacher. Bryden and Fairmount students in preschool through second grade sang "Love Grows" by Carol Johnson, while Hilltop students in grades three to five performed "Music Changes the World" by Jim Papoulis.

Addressing students, Dr. Hardis discussed the community's significant contribution to the design of the new schools. “Your principal, your teachers, and all of your staff members, many, many times over the past two years, have been providing us with ideas and insight and feedback into how this building should be built and designed,” he said. “I want you to know they have done an amazing job of helping us get to a building that is going to be incredible for all of us.” 

Ms. Walsh addressed the emotional aspect of transitioning to a new building for young students at Fairmount and Bryden. Drawing from personal experience, she recalled her son, Nolan, expressing apprehensions about the idea of replacing Bryden. “If any of you are feeling like Nolan was feeling all those years ago, I’ll tell you what I told him,” Ms. Walsh said. “What you love about Bryden is how you feel when you’re here, when you’re surrounded by your classmates and teachers. Bryden feels like a welcoming and happy place. It feels like you belong here because you do! I promise that same feeling will follow you to the new building, and I am 100 percent confident that you will love your new school.”

Mayor Berns, who attended Hilltop Elementary as a child, reflected on the promising future the new buildings represent. “A new school signifies a fresh start, a renewed commitment to education, a place to discover new and exciting ways to learn; and a place where you will build friendships that last a lifetime,” he said.

Slideshow: Elementary Facilities Groundbreaking