HIGH SCHOOL REDEDICATED

Waite revels in windup of $20M in renovations

The Waite High School marching band prepares to play the alma mater during a rededication ceremony of the school in the Grant Murray Field House.

THE BLADE/ANDY MORRISON
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The Waite High School marching band prepares to play the alma mater during a rededication ceremony of the school in the Grant Murray Field House.

Toledo Public Schools Superintendent Romules Durant called on Waite High School students Friday to continue the legacy of the school’s proud graduates.

“Here you will not only get [academic] education,” Superintendent Durant said.

“Here you will get social education that no other high school can [offer]. ... And that social education is what makes me the individual and the leader that I am today, ... with the level of diversity that Waite High School has, whether it is racial [or] socioeconomic.”

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A 1994 Waite High graduate, Mr. Durant spoke at the school’s rededication ceremony at Grant Murray Field House, 301 Morrison Dr., on Toledo’s east side.

The school district has spent about $20 million on a four-year renovation project, which included roof repairs, new bathrooms and windows, an improved science wing, and an elevator.

“The [ceremony] makes me proud,” said Asiah Christopher, 18, a Waite High senior.

Daveon Lofton, left, laughs with fellow Waite sophomore Dajanay Wells as he offers to feed her cake after the ceremony. Another event is set for today.

“My mom went here, and it makes me proud that I am going to graduate and follow in her footsteps.”

One of hundreds of attending students, Miss Christopher of East Toledo went on to say that the school had “turned [her] around” since her junior year and helped her become a serious student, on her way to becoming a second high school graduate in her family.

Event highlights included remarks from the alumni and dignitaries, a ceremonial cutting of the ribbon, and cake for all attendees at the conclusion of the program.

Today, the school’s alumni association will host its centennial celebration at the SeaGate Convention Centre with Toledo Refining Co. as the honorary corporate sponsor.

More than 1,500 reservations were made for the event and more than $250,000 in donations received by the association’s endowment fund since the beginning of this year’s centennial festivities, according to organizers.

Doors will open at 5 p.m., with social hour set for 5:30 p.m., dinner for 6:30 p.m., and the program for 7:30 p.m.

Also, music, dancing, and socializing are scheduled until midnight.

For ticket information, call 419-671-7000.

Contact Mike Sigov at: sigov@theblade.com, 419-724-6089, or on Twitter @mikesigovblade.