FLINT, MI – Flint Community Schools held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the opening of its first new building in more than half a century.
The $40 million, 5,000-square foot facility, known as The Cube, will serve students at Brownell STEM Academy and neighboring Holmes STEM Middle School Academy.
District leaders, families, and community members joined in the celebration, as well as Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer who marked the occasion as a milestone for the district and the city.
“When I took office, I made a commitment to the people of Flint to ensure that this city is known to the world for what you do and who you are, instead of what happened,” she said.
The Cube is designed as a modern learning environment that emphasizes science, technology, engineering, and math.
The new space will offer students advanced classrooms, collaborative areas, and technology-driven resources.
In partnership with the Flint Center for Educational Excellence, The Cube will offer community education and afterschool initiatives.
More than $26 million in federal ESSER dollars were used to help with the renovation. Another $14 million came from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
The early childhood center will serve children as young as six weeks old up to five years old.
The center offers the Great Start to Readiness Program, Early Head Start, Early Childhood Special Education and Head Start.
The early childhood education wing features a gross motor room and is directly adjacent to The Cube, providing children and families with access to the shared space and helping to build important associations with the Brownell-Holmes STEM Academy Campus from a child’s earliest days.
“This is not just a renovation, it’s a reimagining,” said Superintendent Kevelin Jones. “The Cube is more than just a building, it’s a hub.
“A hub for in-school and after-school enrichment and also a gathering place for our community for adult meetings and a place to keep the campus alive.”
Athletic upgrades were also made including a new track, new pickleball and basketball courts as well as an upgraded football and soccer field.
The project represents a major investment in the future of Flint schools, which haven’t seen a new facility constructed in more than 50 years.
Flint Board of Education President Dr. Joyce Ellis-McNeal was scheduled to speak, but she brought the entire board to the podium with her to show unity for bringing The Cube to fruition.
“Our board changed how we do business, how we do relationships with our partners and a lot of things were challenging,” she said. “This is a team and without this team, there would be no Cube.”