While many families are still shopping for school clothes and supplies, two Portage County academies are getting ready to open.
Students at one will return to the classroom Aug. 6. The other, a new charter school, will open Aug. 18 in Ravenna.
Bio-Med Science Academy, an independent STEM school based in Rootstown, will open all three of its campuses Aug. 6.
Portage Leadership Academy, a new, public, charter school for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, will open Aug. 18 at 1071 Jones Ave. in Ravenna.
Both academies are tuition-free.
Bio-Med has campuses in Rootstown, Ravenna, Shalersville
While Bio-Med now has three campuses, two of them will merge in 2027 into a single school at Kent State University.
The Rootstown campus, located at Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown, opened in 2012 and houses students in grades seven through 12.
Students in fifth and sixth grades attend the Ravenna Campus, while those in kindergarten through fourth grade are educated at Bio-Med’s Shalersville Campus.
In Fall 2027, the Ravenna and Shalersville students will be merged into one school at the Schwartz Center at 800 E. Summit St. on the campus of Kent State University. The combined school will have around 600 students and 50 staff members.
“We are excited for this year and our enrollment is about the same in years past,” said Stephanie Lammlein, chief administrative officer and superintendent of Bio-Med Science Academy. “We have a strong interest in the program once we move into the new location.”
New leadership for the coming school year includes Tabatha England, academy director for K-6; and Amie Hale, academy director for 7-12.
Bio-Med Science Academy is one of seven public, independent STEM schools in Ohio and the first to offer comprehensive K-12 education, achieving that designation in 2012. The Shalersville campus opened in 2017, and Ravenna opened in 2019, Lammlein said.
Bio-Med Science Academy has more than 900 students enrolled from more than 45 school districts across eight Ohio counties. It is known for STEM-focused academics and problem-based learning with 89% of graduates pursuing higher education and 72% choosing STEM majors and careers.
Portage Leadership Academy to open
Portage Leadership Academy will open to students Aug. 18. The school will operate in the former West Park Elementary School.
An open house is planned from 5 to 7 p.m. Aug. 13 at the school. The event will include inflatable games and activities, school tours, a supply giveaway and a teacher meet-and-greet.
Superintendent Darryl Lindsay said the school will add one grade level per year, until it has students from kindergarten through eighth grade.
So far, 107 students are officially registered, with several applications pending.
“Our goal was 100 for the first year,” he said. “It’s looking like we’ll have about 150, which is excellent.” Because the school has open enrollment, there is no registration deadline.
Doors open at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast, and classes start at 8 a.m. Dismissal begins at 3:30 p.m.
Principal Zachary Penrod will oversee a staff of teachers, and the school is now fully staffed. The teachers, Lindsay said, are busy setting up their classrooms for the year ahead.
Students who live in Ravenna School District can apply for bus transportation. Busing from other districts might be available in the future.
Portage Leadership Academy is part of ACCEL Schools, a charter school management organization that has more than 100 schools across the United States. The majority of them are in Ohio, including Akron, Canton, Cleveland and Columbus. The only Portage County school is in Ravenna.
Information for students, including supply lists, are on the school’s website.
However, Lindsay said if parents don’t have everything on the list, it’s not a problem.
“We’ll make sure they have everything that they need,” he said.
Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at dsmith@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Bio-Med, new Portage Leadership Academy set to open
Reporting by Diane Smith, Ravenna Record-Courier / Record-Courier
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By Diane Smith, Ravenna Record-Courier | USA TODAY Network
