This month the Lewis C. Cassidy Academics Plus School hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at 6523 Lansdowne Ave. Guest speakers included Superintendent Watlington, Chief Operating Officer Reggie McNeil, State Rep. Morgan B. Cephas, Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr, and Principal Tangela McClam. Honored guests included Board Member Cecilia Thomas, Malcolm Yates, the City Year Team, the Cassidy Advisory Committee, and ten students that will be part of the first graduation class of the new school building.

The new Lewis C. Cassidy School, which will replace the existing demolished school, is scheduled to be completed in the Fall of 2023. The new school will serve 570 students pre-K-8. It will have 20 standard classrooms, including two music classrooms, an art room, three small group breakout rooms, and three special education rooms. It will also incorporate 21st-century learning environments, including collaborative hub areas, flex labs, and an instructional media center for library stacks and technology spaces. The school will have a full kitchen, cafeteria, a gymnatorium, and outdoor play and learning areas.

PIDC (Philadelphia’s public-private economic development corporation) has partnered with the School District of Philadelphia through its governmental authority, Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development. They have brought significant experience in large-scale construction programs to support the District’s development of three district schools. PIDC has been instrumental in getting the Cassidy project through a robust process to this milestone.