YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown Board of Education has adopted a resolution for a capital improvement project to upgrade certain security features and aesthetics at what will be the new Youngstown High School.

The work will entail mainly adding a gatehouse for high-tech security equipment as well as a school resource officer, along with upgrading fencing around the perimeter of the school, which is currently East High School, Robert Kearns, the district’s chief of staff, said after Tuesday’s regular board meeting at Youngstown Rayen Early College High School.

The district has hired Canfield-based DPH Architecture LLC as the project manager for the work. The company was selected from a pool of five or six firms, three of which the board interviewed, he noted.

Kearns was unable to provide a final cost estimate, but said it likely will be between $1.2 million and $1.5 million.

The gatehouse will be near Arch Street off the school’s Bennington Avenue entrance, and it also will contain a Raptor security system to identify people before they enter the building and are given visitor badges. The system, which already is in most district buildings, also will be able to conduct background checks and proper identifications, Kearns added.

In addition, the improvement project will include features to make a large grassy area around the school more welcoming and aesthetically pleasing. One such addition could be a sign or marquee on which may be displayed and spotlighted the names of students who have made special achievements, he said.

It is hoped the work will be wrapped up by the first day of the 2026-27 school year in August, Kearns said.

INSPIRING MINDS

In other business, the board at the standing-room-only session heard a series of presentations regarding the achievements of Inspiring Minds Youngstown, a 10-year-old nonprofit organization that seeks to educate, inspire, empower and expand services to mainly underrepresented and underserved students in grades six to 12.

Tammye Hardin, program coordinator, told the board that the organization, established in 2015, operates under five pillars for its young participants: college and career readiness, education, personal development, health and wellness and exposure to new experiences.

Along those lines, Hardin ticked off a series of milestones the organization has reached over the years. They include having served about 1,000 students, with a 100% graduation rate, taking participants on four international trips, conducting more than 50 college visits and trips to about 90 cities in more than 20 states. Also, about 15 students in the program run their own businesses, she noted.

In addition, attendees watched a video that featured narratives of students who outlined their hopes, ambitions and career goals after having gone through the program.

Hardin, a 25-year educator whose son enrolled in IM in summer 2018, also expounded on the new 10,000-square-foot facility at 2110 South Ave., on the South Side. The much larger building promises to be a permanent centralized location to serve more students and allow for greater community collaboration, she said.

“When the kids walked in, they loved the space,” Hardin said, adding that IM also has a summer enrichment program, along with an after-school program from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday — hours in which many students would otherwise be home alone before their parents return from work.

Superintendent Jeremy Batchelor said he intends to codify a close partnership between the district and the organization.

Also at the session, the board gave special recognitions to three individuals who have contributed to the betterment of the district.

They were Matt Garcher, who created the Defenders logo, which will be implemented in the new high school; Venus Cataldo, an East High science teacher who started a tradition of having students paint a “unity boulder” at East High to celebrate the merger of East and Chaney high schools; and Nilda Velazquez, who helped Hispanic students celebrate their heritage and culture with dances and other events.