January 20, 2023 Robert Lane
INDIANTOWN—A crowd of more than 200 community, civic and business leaders, including the Business Development Board of Martin County, celebrated with Indian River State College—including students, faculty and leadership of the new Indiantown High School—on Friday, January 20, at a “topping off” ceremony at the future site of Martin County’s newest charter high school. The Indiantown Chamber of Commerce and Public School Development Solutions served as event hosts.
Placing the final steel beam is a significant milestone in the evolution of a building project. Reminiscent of an old-fashioned barn-raising celebration—the occasion is commemorated by having the construction team, other guests and dignitaries sign the beam for posterity and installing it at the highest point of the roof. The centuries-old custom celebrates the construction process and is considered the first introduction of the building to the public. The event also uniquely honors the accomplishments of the construction crew.
“A charter school ‘powered by IRSC’ in partnership with Martin County School District—it’s a phenomenal educational collaboration that offers three important things to this community: traditional high school curriculum, high-demand workforce training as well as post-secondary college level courses, making this a very special and innovative strategy for Indiantown,” shared Bruce Webber of Public School Development Solutions, emcee for the day’s events.
Kevin Powers, Associate, Principal with Indiantown Realty Corporation and Indiantown native, also spoke at the event. “The community is grateful to everyone working on this project. The little things are big things in a small town. This high school creates opportunities that were unthinkable to generations to come, and it means the world to this community. Know in your heart how much your work has meant to this community.”
“We are very fortunate to have leaders who gave a philanthropic leadership gift, then matched by the IRSC Foundation, combined with support from the Martin County School District and the Governor’s office,” shared Dr. Timothy Moore, IRSC President. “With multipliers, you are looking at about $100 million dollars impact on this community.”
Dr. Moore closed comments for the day sharing, “This was a whole of community lift. Everybody said yes, and today we are halfway through this wonderful process. From handshake to completion of this project in 17 months. That is an astounding track record for any institution of higher learning.”
Anticipated to open in Fall 2023, the new Indiantown High School building on SW Citrus Boulevard in Indiantown demonstrates IRSC’s mission to provide the highest quality education at the lowest cost and with the greatest number of attributes to its students who come from all walks of life.
About Indiantown High School
Indiantown High School is a new public charter high school in Martin County, Florida, focusing on career and workforce education. Operated by Indian River State College in partnership with the Martin County School District, IHS integrates traditional high school curriculum with workforce and college courses, producing graduates that can directly pursue career opportunities or higher education upon graduation.
The school opened in August 2022 for incoming Grade 9 students, meeting temporarily at the Boys and Girls Club of Indiantown. A state-of-the-art 60,000-square-foot building is under construction at Southwest Citrus Boulevard.
Applications are being accepted for the 2023-2024 school year. The primary application window ends February 28, 2023. For information about applying to Indiantown High School, visit https://indiantownhs.irsc.edu/.
