When Wellen Park High School opens Aug. 10 with more than 1,000 students in grades 9-12, it will be the first new high school in Sarasota County in 25 years.
Between 80 and 90 of those students will be part of the first graduating class for the Soaring Eagles in the spring of 2027.
In contrast, when North Port High School opened in 2001, it was a combined middle school-high school campus, with the first graduating class coming in 2004.
The fact that Sarasota County’s two newest high schools have both opened in the city of North Port is an indicator of the fact that the 104-square-mile city is among the fastest growing in the U.S.
“It is an exciting day for our district and it is the realization of a vision to provide innovative, state-of-the-art experience for our students, our families and the community of Wellen Park,” Sarasota Superintendent of schools Terry Connor told a group gathered in the atrium of the school prior to a July 28 ribbon-cutting ceremony.
New Principal Mark Grossenbacher, most recently principal at Woodland Middle School, talked about building a culture among the students built on core values of integrity, kindness, respect, service, and community.
Those thoughts played out in the choice of school colors: red, white and blue, and the choice of an eagle — named Liberty the Eagle — as mascot.
“Our motto is we’re built to soar; we are the Eagles,” Grossenbacher said. “And what will remain 30 years from now, as we are being built to soar, is we will be creating children who will be the future leaders in these seats, in these jackets, speaking on the microphone that will lead with integrity … act with kindness, they will also understand what honor means and what it means to give back to a community that also partners with us.”
How big is Wellen Park High School?
The 325,000-square-foot facility is built on 81 acres at 10801 Manasota Beach Road at a cost of more than $200 million — making it the most expensive school in Sarasota County history.
Technically, it’s all one three-story building that was assembled through tilt-up construction.
“This isn’t just a school, it’s a modern marvel of design, engineering and construction,” said Nathan Carr, a vice president with Willis Smith Construction.
He explained that 379 individual concrete panels were poured flat on the ground, cured and then hoisted into the air by a 330-ton crawler crane.
“The largest of these panels weighs 300,000 pounds,” Carr said, then added, “that’s about 250 manatees per panel.”
The tolerance for that work is about a quarter of an inch.
“You’ve got a crane, steel cables and a team of people guiding 250 manatees worth of concrete into the sky with surgical precision,” Carr said. “A mistake on panel 10 means panel 50 wouldn’t fit.”
Currently there are more than 2,100 student stations at the new school, though design does anticipate an expansion wing someday too.
The football stadium is built to seat 6,080 people, the gym 3,446 — including a luxury suite for community partners — while the state-of-the-art auditorium can seat about 1,000 people, which is the same as at North Port High.
Outside, there are 951 parking spaces.
“So none of the seniors should be late,” he quipped.
What’s unique about courses at Wellen Park?
The curriculum at Wellen Park High School will follow the district’s future-focused strategic initiative.
“What’s unique to Wellen Park is we’re offering the SOAR STEM research magnet program,” Connor said. “Students will be able to complete an advanced academic core supported by AP and Cambridge courses, as well as conduct supervised research in STEM and Behavioral Sciences.”
School Board Chair Bridget Ziegler noted that Wellen Park is a Junior Achievement 3DE pilot school, which means students have an opportunity for real-world job experiences and connect with mentors in their field of interest.
Miami-based Zyscovich Architects designed the school to be both secure and free-flowing, noted Zyscovich vice president Jose Murguido.
Instead of a traditional cafeteria, tables are arranged along a wide corridor, with food serving stations both on the ground floor and on the second floor, near the media center.
The goal is to give students an opportunity to engage with each other.
Assistant Principal Josh Grant stressed the security factor, while conducting the school tour but also noted that each classroom wing will host specific study areas, such as math, science, English and career technical education, so students with similar interests can interact with each other and receive mentorship from other teachers in that field of study.
What does the new school mean for Wellen Park?
Grossenbacher spent countless hours at the farmers market at Solis Hall in Downtown Wellen, talking with community members from North Port as well as Englewood and Venice, as he worked on shaping a school to appeal to all three communities.
Mattamy Homes, master developer for Wellen Park, made Solis Hall available for high school parent meetings and community meetings.
Rick Severance, president of Mattamy Homes’ Wellen Park Division, told the Herald-Tribune that the new high school “gives us some authenticity and some credibility when it comes to families in particular.”
“It’s almost the foundation of a community,” he added. “Great schools breed great young adults and hopefully they’ll come back and live here one day.”
What else is new for the 2026-27 school year?
Grossenbacher is far from the only new school principal when the school year starts on Aug. 10, as six other schools will have new principals.
Brooke Teal is the new principal of Triad Alternative School, where she previously served as assistant principal.
She has also worked as an assistant principal at Sarasota High School.
Charles Elsey is the new principal of Venice Middle School.
He is moving from his role as assistant principal of Booker Middle School.
Jamal Crook is the new principal of Booker High School. He had been the principal of Buchanan Middle School in Hillsborough County.
Connor had been deputy superintendent and chief academic officer in Hillsborough County prior to being hired to run Sarasota County public schools in 2023.
Sean Donovan is the new principal of Sarasota High School, moving from his principal role at Oak Park School, where he has been since 2024.
He replaced Ryan Chase, who was selected to serve in a district-level leadership role.
Dustin Coleman is the new principal of Oak Park School.
He has served as an assistant principal at Oak Park School since April 2024. Coleman also has experience in Sarasota County Schools leadership, formerly serving as the director of Exceptional Student Education.
Michelle Anderson is the new principal of Riverview High School, coming from her role as the district’s director of Secondary Curriculum.
Erin Haughey, the nine-year principal of Riverview High School, will serve as the district’s director of Secondary Curriculum.
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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Inside Sarasota County’s first new high school in 25 years
Reporting by Earle Kimel and Michaela Galligan, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Earle Kimel and Michaela Galligan, Sarasota Herald-Tribune | USA TODAY Network
