Fairfield Local breaks ground for health center and learning lab
Attending the groundbreaking ceremony for Fairfield's clinic and learning lab included (from left): Fairfield Board of Education members, Ron Friend, Vice President Casey McIntosh and President Dr. Rindy Matthews; Mandy Warix, Highland Health Providers; Amy Cox, Fairfield Elementary principal; Lydia Mihalik, Ohio Dept. of Development; Kaylee Hurless-Miller, student ; Dr. Katie Streber, Fairfield Director of Teaching and Learning; Dr. Randy Leite, Appalachian Children Coalition; Dr. Kesia McCoy, Fairfield superintendent; Grant Amyx, Fairfield treasurer; and Quintin Baker, Fairfield maintenance coordinator; and Deanne Miller, Fairfield Middle School principal; with Fairfield High School students in background. (Courtesy of Nellda Friend.)
By Nellda Friend
For The Highland County Press
LEESBURG – With a goal of providing access to primary health care along with space for an innovation learning lab, Fairfield Local School conducted a well-attended groundbreaking ceremony Feb. 26 for its new addition. Fairfield collaborated with Highland Health Providers, Nationwide Children’s and the Appalachian Children Collaboration to compete in a grant application for this project.
Fairfield was granted $2.6 million from $500 million that provides planning and development grants for communities located in Ohio’s Appalachian region. These funds are provided by Ohio’s part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars. Fairfield was one of the schools chosen.
Superintendent Kesia McCoy explained that the new construction will provide access for children to receive primary care services right at school. “Health care and education work together,” she said. “A healthy student is ready to learn. The in-school clinic will be easy to access for students and community members.”
Representatives of the agencies involved in this project were joined in their remarks by Fairfield’s own sophomore student, Kaylee Hurless-Miller. Fresh off a successful Junior Achievement project, she told how the limited space had hindered her group’s need for additional indoor work area.
Hurless-Miller praised the prospect of a wider learning lab. She encouraged her fellow middle and high school students to “discover new boundaries and take advantage of all types of opportunities which this new addition will provide.”
Referring to the ARPA funds from the Ohio Department of Development which oversees the Governor’s Office of Appalachia, director Lydia Mihalik, stated, “Fairfield Local is a powerful example of how collaboration and innovation can break down barriers and drive community-focused solutions. This initiative is rooted in the heart of our communities and schools, creating opportunities for both students and residents.”
Fairfield’s health clinic with its space for a more wide-spread learning lab is scheduled to be completed in October 2025.