By Amanda Cahoon

In the heart of Upper Arlington there is a school known around the country for its ability to help students excel in academics, leadership and college preparatory programs. Mirroring their accomplishments inside the classroom, The Wellington School is opening a new building in continuation of their education quality.

The school, students and faculty are active in the community and are excited to share in the grand opening of the building. “The philosophy of the school is to celebrate the individual,” said Shiloh Todorov, marketing and communications manager of The Wellington School. The school’s classroom coursework is designed to let students independently shine in areas they are particularly fond of. “We would look to share this exciting, new opening with the community,” she said.

A private school that opened in 1982, The Wellington School, is a coeducational college-preparatory day school for students in grade levels pre-Kindergarten through 12. The school had its first graduates in 1989, these original alumnus are now in their forties. The schools college counseling programs leads to 100 percent of its graduating seniors continuing their education at a four-year university.

The alumni continue to be an important part of the school long after graduating. The school’s new library will have a volunteer room; it will be a place for alums, as well as parents, to spend time participating and getting involved in student’s activities.

The Wellington School’s new building includes a grand, new main entrance complete with a front rotunda, two-story library, gym and classrooms. The dedication ceremony will be Monday, Oct. 18. Ribbon cutting and a parade led by Head of School Robert Brisk are a part of the line-up. Following the ceremony will be a reception and open house for all guests.

According to Todorov, a large community photo will be taken at the ceremony. The photo will be hung inside the new entrance.

The official first day in the new building is October 25.  The middle school, which includes grades 5 through 8, and the upper school, grades 9 through 12, will move into the new building. The lower school, pre-Kindergarten through grade 4, will remain in the old building. The completed building will end phase three of their construction efforts; this phase will provide 74,000 additional square ft. to the school.

Before construction, a consultant surveyed the school’s students, teachers, parents and alums to find out what was important to include in the building, according to John Swartz, director of development. “The survey results were used in the building’s planning and development process,” he said.

Many of the new building’s offerings can be attributed to the survey, including a physics room with a high, exposed ceiling, a chemistry lab with work stations for student groups and a gross motor skills room. Important to students who took the survey, were student rooms. Off limits to faculty, these rooms will be available to students who are working on group projects. The new building will have a common room for the upper school. This will provide space for students to hang out and hold morning announcement meetings.

Also important to those at The Wellington School, is being environmentally friendly. “This will be a certified green building,” said Swartz. The building earned the second-highest level of green certification. The building features classroom floors with low-emissions and motion-censored lights, sinks and toilets.

The Wellington School, with their new building, aims to continue to enrich student learning, provide college-preparatory counseling and support the schools mission to, “inspire each person to discover and strive to meet his or her unique potential; and celebrates excellence in character, academics, the arts and athletics.”

The dedication ceremony is October 18, from 2-3 p.m. Please RSVP to

For more information on The Wellington School, visit wellington.org