In light of the COVID-19 health crisis and the extended school building closure, the Mariemont City School District is finding new ways to honor the Mariemont High School graduating Class of 2020, including a special tribute inside the new Mariemont High School building.

When the new academic wing of MHS opens this fall, it will prominently feature the “Mariemont High School Class of 2020 Community Forum”, a large gathering area just inside the main entrance. The space will be named in honor and recognition of the young men and women of this year’s graduating class – a class that has had perhaps the most unique senior year in the history of Mariemont High School.

“The district wanted to do something to acknowledge and remember this special class which left its mark on Mariemont High School and graduated during a time that is sure to be a key chapter in the history of our district, community and country” said Superintendent Steven Estepp.

In addition to bearing the “Class of 2020” name, the Community Forum will feature a special display that tells the story of the COVID-19 pandemic, its impact on the school district and the sacrifices the Class of 2020 had to make as a result. The display will include the names and portraits of each member of the Class of 2020 as a way to thank them for their strength and dignity in the midst of unprecedented challenges and circumstances.

“I can’t think of a better way to recognize and remember this graduating class,” said Mariemont High School principal Dr. Jim Renner. “The Community Forum will be a special place in our new building and now these outstanding students will be fondly remembered by all who walk through it.”

In addition to “The Mariemont High School Class of 2020 Community Forum,” the new academic wing of Mariemont High School, which is set to open in the fall of 2020, will feature 24 new classrooms, nine science and technology labs, seven small group rooms and five collaboration areas. More information about the official ribbon cutting ceremony for the Mariemont High School facility construction project will be available later this summer.

All members of the Class of 2020 are invited back to Mariemont High School to visit the Community Forum once construction is complete and the building is safe to open to community members.