Ribbon cut at new St. Martin de Porres High School, Cleveland neighborhood sees new construction

CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - In a part of Cleveland that hasn't seen a whole lot of new development, comes the unveiling of a new, state-of-the art high school at the corner of East 62nd street and St. Clair Avenue.

The first section of the new St. Martin de Porres Catholic High School was just formally opened for education with a ribbon cutting that included Mayor Frank Jackson on Saturday.

The tech-savvy building is designed to give students an idea of what college will be like - and eventually what they will find in the workplace.

The new complex is just across the street from where the old building is located.

The old school was just getting too small, in fact, the marketing manager projects that when the whole project is complete, the school will have added 100 more students.

Ricardo Henry graduated from St. Martin de Porres in 2009. The company he works for ended up getting the bid for the school's new complex. So, Henry ended up working as the construction manager for his alma Mater.

"They gave me a set of prints, and it was St. Martin de Porres, and from that point I was like wow this crazy. I made jokes that I know where all the trap doors are and special corridors," said Henry, "I showed up on site and we did what we do best, now I'm standing here in a finished space."

Right now juniors and seniors are occupying the new space that Henry hopes will inspire them to work hard and be successful - just like he did.

"It gives the kids motivation to step up and be beyond what anyone could have ever imagined," added Henry.

Freshman and Sophomores will remain in the old school while the new school complex is being completed.

According to their website, "St. Martin de Porres High School is a Catholic college-preparatory high school that combines innovative academics with a unique work program preparing students of limited economic means to become men and women of faith, purpose and service."

The total cost of the entire re-building project: $30 million dollars.