CANTON ‒ The newest elementary within Canton City Schools is nearing completion and will welcome students this fall.
Timken Elementary School, on the site of the former Mason Elementary School at 316 30th St. NW, will house more than 600 students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
It’s the first of two new elementaries Canton City is set to open. The other is under construction at the former Souers Middle School at 2800 13th St. SW. That building, known as Lincoln Elementary, will open the following school year.
The names of the new schools pay homage to the district’s former high schools.
The projects are funded by a 36-year bond issue approved in 2023 by Canton City Schools voters that will generate $60 million.
With about 95% of the inside work complete at Timken, crews have shifted focus to outside areas such as the parking lots, curbing, landscaping and the district’s first all-inclusive playground.
A community open house is planned for early September, officials said.
The district gave The Repository and others a recent first peek and tour.
Canton City Schools’ new Timken Elementary
Assistant Superintendent Jason Dixon beamed as he showed off the new Timken building.
The school features design choices that mimic what someone would see in a home, including tiles for the restrooms and large circular lighting, he said.
“We tried to make it a comfortable place to be,” he said. “Like you are at home.”
The outside of the building features a red and black metal material that will be sustainable. At 96,815 square feet, it will more than triple the footprint of Mason.
Keeping the building one story helped to save the district about $250,000 because an elevator is not needed, Dixon said.
The project quote came in under budget at just under $30 million, he added.
Fred Olivieri Construction Co. is leading the construction of both new buildings. Officials broke ground in March 2025.
Timken Elementary features
Each wing also has two specialized special education classrooms. Rooms include a small kitchen area to help teach life skills. Each room also has a restroom.
The school features two wings − one for students in kindergarten through third grade and another for fourth through sixth grades. The two wings mimic each other, Dixon said, noting that each includes an office for an assistant principal.
Sensory rooms and home-based rooms − an area where students can regulate themselves by speaking with someone before the school day begins − are located in each wing. The planning rooms have a block of lockers for each teacher and a kitchenette with a refrigerator and sink.
Dixon said he toured many of the newest schools in the county to get ideas for the new space. A lactation room was very important, he added, noting that the staff includes many women who might need such a space.
Separate teacher lounges were planned, but Dixon said they morphed into the planning room. He said teachers pushed for the change.
Classrooms for grades first through sixth grades are around 950 square feet while the kindergarten classrooms are 1,200 square feet.
Each classroom has cubbies or lockers for students, a sink and drinking fountain and two eight-foot white boards and a touch board teachers can use to broadcast from their computers.
The K-3 wing includes a collaboration space where teachers can combine classrooms into one space, and technology on wheels is available for the space, Dixon added.
An open space in the 4-6 wing will be used for a project-based learning lab, he said.
The wings are connected by spaces that will be used by all grades, including the cafetorium, library and music and art room and a full-size gym that can be used by the district and youth leagues, Dixon said.
Off of the gym is an indoor softball area that can be used for batting and throwing practice. Two cages will be installed. A varsity locker room and coaches’ offices also were constructed. The softball field was upgraded with a turf surface as part of the project.
“It was the best money I spent,” Dixon joked.
Dixon said the art and music rooms include state-of-the-art equipment as well as a industrial kiln.
Security cameras have been installed on the exterior and interior, he said.
The school has a full-production kitchen with two serving lines. The district is moving toward full-production kitchens in all of its schools, Dixon said. Cooks will produce, prepare and serve food from the Timken kitchen. Some of the district’s other kitchens are serving pre-packaged food that cafeteria staff heats and serves.
The main office at the district’s primary entrance off 30th Street will house the principal, secretaries, school nurse and counselors.
A community room that can be accessed from the outside was incorporated into each of the new schools. The community rooms can be rented.
“This is a highlight of the building,” Dixon said. “They are able to use and rent the space. They can access the room without accessing the rest of the building.”
Another door is located at the back of the room that enters the school but can only be accessed with a key fob.
The community room has a sink area, conference tables, a TV and restroom.
State Rep. Matt Kishman, R-Minerva, toured the site and was impressed with how hard officials worked to learn from similar projects.
“This is really beautiful,” he added.
Fully inclusive playground highlight of new school
Dixon is most excited for the district’s first fully-inclusive playground. The playground floor will feature mulch and rubberized flooring.
The playground will have adaptive equipment, allowing kids with all abilities to use it.
Buses will enter travel north on Harvard Avenue to access the school. A space was created off Harvard for buses to stage, Dixon said. That will allow traffic to keep flowing.
Students riding the bus will be dropped off near the playground and enter through the cafetorium, where they will eat breakfast before starting their school day.
Parent drop-off and pickup will be off 30th Street NW.
Reach Amy at amy.knapp@indeonline.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: See inside Timken Elementary, Canton City Schools’ new $30M building
Reporting by Amy L. Knapp, Massillon Independent / The Repository
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By Amy L. Knapp, Massillon Independent | USA TODAY Network
