Archbishop Lyke School Elementary Campus Wins Fresh Coat of Paint
May 3, Cleveland, Ohio – Students, faculty members, and staff returned from Easter break to the elementary school campus (St. Henry) of Archbishop Lyke School on April 16 to find a colorful facelift of their hallways, gym, and cafeteria.
Workers from Glidden Paint, along with volunteers, took three days during the school’s Easter break to paint all three floors of the school, making use of 50 gallons of primer and paint in 15 colors. The halls of Archbishop Lyke School had not been painted since its opening in 1993.
Archbishop Lyke School received the free paint job as the winners of the Cleveland area’s Colorful Community Contest. One of three finalists, the school received the most online votes from local community members and from Adrian Dominicans throughout the world. “I received over 100 e-mails from our Sisters all over the U.S., plus Canada, Kenya, and the Dominican Republic, who voted for us and got others to vote,” said Sister Patricia Stellmah, OP, who ministers at Archbishop Lyke School. “They were as excited as we were.”
A special celebration took place on April 23 when students, staff, parents, and friends welcomed and expressed their gratitude to executives from the sponsors of the contest: the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team; the Lake Erie Monsters, of the American Hockey League; Glidden Paint, a brand of AkzoNobel Corporation; and Tegrey, an interior painting company in Ohio.
Cavaliers mascots Sully, Sir C.C., the Cavs Girls, and the Scream Team also made an appearance, adding a sense of fun of the event. The students finished the morning celebration by working on colorful crafts in their classrooms with the help of their special guests.
The school is named for Archbishop James P. Lyke, OFM, the first African-American Bishop in Cleveland from 1979-1990. Later named Archbishop of Atlanta; he died of cancer in 1992. St. Henry School, opened by the Adrian Dominicans in 1952, was renamed in 1993 when it merged with St. Timothy School.