by Chuck Seaver, South Lake Tablet
On October 18th, Lake Technical College, along with Lake County Schools celebrated the official opening of a new Clermont campus with a ribbon cutting. The Lincoln Park Education Center, located in Clermont at 680 East Highland Avenue, was once occupied by Clermont Elementary School. The site has realized a gradual transition since the elementary school was closed and moved to the new Aurelia Cole Academy on Pitt Street in 2022.
Local native and current resident Sharon Keys has played a vital role in preserving the campus that was originally the home of the Lincoln Park School. The school, which was established in 1937, was once a 1st through 12th grade school during the time of segregation. The all-black student and staff school, once located on Fifth Street near Broome Street in Clermont, became a prominent part of local history when desegregation took place in the 1960’s. Much of the school’s history, such as its team mascot, the “Lincoln Park Rams,” would be lost in time.
Sharon remembers hearing of the planned demolition of the school and its original buildings in 2019 while attending the annual Martin Luther King Day festivities. “Several of us were sitting at a picnic table while enjoying the MLK event. The subject of the school came up and we decided to try and do something to stop the demolition”. Sharon Keys, Paula Hoisington, Pastors Brian Broadway, Darryl Church, Tim Moses, Mayor Tim Murry decided to set up a meeting and see what they could do. “The Lincoln Park Impact Committee was soon born to repurpose the school into a community center. Later many more individuals, including Shannon O’Mara Herrera, Kassier Murry and Cleamstine Caples” were added to the committee”, says Sharon.
The Lincoln Park Impact Committee soon became a 501c-3, non-profit organization, changing its title to the Lincoln Park South Lake Alliance (LPSLA). The organization was formed in 2020 with a mission plan to provide outreach to community needs and projects and preserve the Lincoln Park community history, including the Lincoln Park School grounds.
Although the community center idea has not been lost, agreements and proposals eventually led to the creation of the Lincoln Park Education Center (LPEC). The LPEC is an extension of Lake Technical College. Phase 1 of the LPEC, which houses Lake County Schools’ new flex school program, has officially opened. The school offers a flexible schedule, dual enrollment opportunities, community education programs, and blended learning options for students. General Education Development (GED) preparation and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes will launch in January 2025.
Phase 2, which will bring Lake Technical College to the center, is set to begin renovations before the end of this year. The current gymnasium, which dates to the original Lincoln Park school, will be transformed into a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and electrician programs training area slated for opening in the early part of 2025. “This is set to become a synergistic hub of workforce innovation in the South Lake Community,” says Lake Tech Executive Director DeAnna Thomas.
“Plans continue for the community center. We have not given up on the idea of a community center in the area that will serve all the South Lake community,” says Sharon Keys. Preliminary plans include a possible location at McKinney Park located on Bloxam Avenue. The park is directly across the street from the LPEC and was once home to the Lincoln Park Rams football field.
The Lincoln Park Education Center is a partnership between Lake County Schools, Lake Technical College, and Lake-Sumter State College. Please visit www.LakeTech.org for a full listing of programs offered.
