After starting small in loaned quarters at Oakwood University, the school is now at its new location in Cummings Research Park with more than 125,000 square feet of academic and residential space.
The school will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new building Sept. 23 at 9:45 a.m. with remarks from Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey. Ivey announced the new school in her 2018 State of the State address, and it was designed to be similar in some ways to two other state magnet schools — the School of Fine Arts in Birmingham and the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science in Mobile.
The school is inviting the public to join in the ribbon cutting and tour the 130,000-square-foot school that already has 255 students from 61 cities and towns across 31 Alabama counties.
“Our foundation has worked tirelessly to ensure that our campus is something that our state can be proud of. And here we are, with one of the most innovative high school campuses in the United States — serving some of Alabama’s most promising students,” ASCTE President Matt Massey said. “Our work here is changing the landscape of higher education and industry by producing graduates prepared both in theory and practice.”
Designed to hold 400 students with a residence hall that can house 150 students from across the state. It also has three multi-bedroom apartments for full-time faculty and their families.
Among the three-story school’s educational features are “science labs, machine shops, a fabrication and engineering lab. There is also a “cyber range” where students can learn to “detect and mitigate cyber attacks in a controlled environment.”
The Huntsville City Council appropriated $1.8 million to buy and donate land in the research park. Redstone Federal Credit Union made a $3 million donation to the school.
“We are humbled by the incredible momentum that continues to propel ASCTE forward as a national leader, preparing high school students with relevant knowledge that will reinforce our position in defense, security and intelligence across all industries,” said Alicia Ryan, president of the ASCTE Foundation Board and vice chair of the Board of Trustees. “The opening of our new campus in Cummings Research Park is a multi-year collaborative effort between commercial, private, governmental, academic, and nonprofit organizations. As our students walk through this state-of-the-art facility, we are optimistic that they will drive the innovation we so desperately need for a prosperous tomorrow.”
Brasfield & Gorrie was the general contractor with Fuqua & Partners Architects as architect of record in collaboration with Perkins & Will, the design architect.
©2022 Advance Local Media LLC. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
