Melissa Emerson, former principal at Washington Middle School in Jamestown, spent weeks before the school year started getting her building ready, now as principal of the new Innovation Center inside the old Rogers Elementary building that closed in 2012.

"The Innovation Center is exactly what Jamestown needs. So, I'm looking forward to being in the planning stages of making it happen," said Melissa.

The center is designed to introduce all students to trade, manufacturing and technology jobs, and gradually roll out feeder programs, starting with aviation, that will help them decide what they may want to do.

Leaders hope that will increase the number of graduates entering those fields, to replace a retiring workforce. 

"The need has become so great that we need to start feeding that program. It's a wonderful way for us to grow Jamestown and grow Jamestown students," said Melissa.

Jamestown superintendent Kevin Whitaker is glad to see the building open again, and says students in all grades will be exposed to the trades, whether it be a field trip for elementary kids or classes at the middle and high school levels.

The district is also working with BOCES, JCC and other manufacturing educators to help students choose a path after graduation.

"I'm going to be an electrician. I'm going to be in robotics. I'm going to go to college for coding. Immediately help the community by returning our graduates to our community with skilled labor so that they can have productive lives here in Jamestown as opposed to leaving to find work," Whitaker said.

Three classrooms in the building are also being used for students, bused to school, pre-K through fourth from Fletcher Elementary, displaced because of the ongoing construction at their school.

"The benefit of that is they don't get disrupted every single time there's a classroom being worked on across the course of the year, so it's far less disruption to the students. They come in, they learn their classroom, they're here all year," said Kevin.

They're just some of the many students throughout the district that Melissa hopes will visit the center and become inspired.

"Witness what's going on over here, to get them enticed into what they could do when they get older," said Melissa.

Funding for the initial stages of the project came from the American Rescue Plan Act, money to help students refocus on school and increase graduation rates.

Despite a nationwide teacher shortage, district leaders say two new teachers are heading up the aviation program. The district is also hoping to attract additional tech teachers, as well as those tech professionals looking to become a teacher by earning a transitional certificate through the state.