24-05-2025
Memorial dedicated to Harbor High School
ASHTABULA — Around 30 people from across the city gathered at the intersections of Bridge and Joseph streets Friday for the dedication of a memorial to the former Harbor High School.
Attendees included prominent city and county leaders, Ashtabula Area City Schools administration and Harbor High School alumni.
The dedication included speeches from prominent residents and a band playing patriotic music and hymns.
Doug Spencer, past president of the North End Club, led the program.
Spencer said the club's plans for the memorial have been ongoing since 2023, and a lot of work went into it.
Adorned in her Harbor attire, AACS Superintendent Lisa Newsome said her 28-year career included coaching at Harbor High, and the school carried great traditions
'This is truly amazing, and I am honored to be a part of it, and I am honored to be still be in the district after 28 years, to be the superintendent, to bring those traditions back to and into Lakeside High School,' she said.
Newsome was thankful for the people who came to the dedication, she said.
Ashtabula City Manager Jim Timonere said the Harbor and its high school are important parts of Ashtabula's history.
'The Harbor and the high school represent two colors of our past — one educated our youth and the other sustains our families and our entrepreneurs.' he said. 'Together, they helped build the fabric of Ashtabula city.'
Timonere said the school fostered a resilient spirit in its students.
'Let us also look forward to the same spirit of learning, of perseverance and of pride in our roots,' he said. 'Let us have future generations understand and celebrate the legacy we cherish today.'
Paula Plona, who graduated from Harbor High School in 1968, said the dedication meant a lot for her, honoring the people who were involved with the school, living or dead.
'We're just happy that other people remember Harbor,' she said.
Becky Ollikainen, another 1968 graduate, said the memorial shows the high school was not completely lost.
