The Pentucket Regional School District cut the ribbon on the new Pentucket Regional Junior-Senior High School on Wednesday, marking a major milestone in an eight-year effort to build a state-of the art building.

More than 200 people, including District, state, and local officials, community members, parents, and future students, celebrated during a ceremony in the courtyard of the new school. About 970 students and 160 staff members began classes in the new building on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Superintendent Justin Bartholomew, a 1994 Pentucket graduate, explained that District leaders had proposed building a new school more than 20 years ago, but could not muster enough community support.

The idea was revived in 2014 under then-Superintendent Jeffrey Mulqueen. A School Building Committee was launched in 2016. The We Are Pentucket Municipal Ballot Question Committee formed in 2018 to generate support in the sending communities of Groveland, Merrimac, and West Newbury.

In 2019, voters in all three communities overwhelmingly approved a $146.3 million building for grades 7-12. The Massachusetts School Building Authority is providing up to $52.7 million in support of the project.

“This is the work of all the people who raised me, who raised all these students through the years,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “They taught us not to give up. When you see adversity, how do you get around it? When you see an obstacle, how do you break through? And, ensure you’re speaking the truth.”

High School Principal Jonathan Seymour, who chaired the School Building Committee, and School Committee Chair Christopher Markuns thanked the more than two dozen people who served on the Building Committee. “When we embarked on this project, we knew it was a commitment and a statement of our values,” Chair Markuns said. “You feel the weight of that commitment, and you feel urgency to meet it. That means putting the people, staff, resources and programming inside it to meet its full potential.”

MSBA Executive Director Jack McCarthy praised the Building Committee for the selection of the construction team, which has delivered the building on time and within its budget.

McCarthy quoted Salt Lake City Tribune columnist Dan Valentine, who wrote, “A school is four walls, with tomorrow inside.” McCarthy added: “We are proud to be part of Pentucket’s tomorrow.”

State Sen. Bruce Tarr, state Rep. Lenny Mirra, and Calee Merenda, representing state Sen. Diana DiZoglio, presented proclamations congratulating the District.

Rep. Mirra praised Superintendent Bartholomew for opening the former Junior High and Senior High for community tours. The former Junior High School was opened in 1967, while the former High School opened in 1958. “When we walked through and saw the infrastructure, it became apparent we couldn’t just slap another coat of paint on it,” Rep. Mirra said.

Sen. Tarr said the new building embodied the passion, persistence, and collaboration that are the hallmarks of the District.

“The doors of opportunity are about to open wide and through those doors you will find something that isn’t new to the Pentucket communities: Passionate and committed educators, who have always given it their best regardless of what the building looked like,” Sen. Tarr said. “They will get the building they deserve. The students will get the building they deserve.”

Senior Dominic Karatzas led the Pledge of Allegiance. Kyla Dolan, Paige Nottingham, Keira Milliken, Madelyn Shikes, and Leslianis Weinburg, members of the award-winning Pentucket Regional High School Choir, performed the Star-Spangled Banner. Paul and Denise Pouliot, representatives of the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People, opened the program with a traditional blessing. The Pentucket region is the ancestral home of the Abenaki and Wabanaki.

Members of the We Are Pentucket committee — Julie Torrisi, Julie Wisniewski, Chris Manning, Dena Trotter, and Lindsay Goff — led the ribbon-cutting. Student ambassadors conducted tours of the building.

About Pentucket Junior-Senior High School

A two-story wing houses students in Grades 7 and 8. A separate three-story wing houses students in Grades 9-12. The two wings are joined by a large foyer and dining commons.

Key features of the school include:

• A state-of-the-art HVAC system and solar roof panels. It is estimated these measures will save $2 million in energy costs during the next 20 years, by reducing the building’s energy footprint and lessening carbon emissions. The new school is on path to receive the coveted LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold designation.
• A 610-seat Performing Arts Center. The Center supports the District’s award-winning arts and music programs, and will serve as a gathering place for community programs and activities. The building also includes a drama studio to allow for smaller group work and performances.
• Flexible spaces. Chair and table designs vary, so teachers have limitless design options to allow them to maximize educational options.
• Teacher planning spaces. Each floor has dedicated space for that grade’s teachers, allowing teachers to collaborate across disciplines.
• Dedicated student entrance. Students are dropped off at the rear of the building, via a bus-only access road. From there, students walk through the arts wing to their class area.
• Day lockers. Each floor has a small number of lockers that students may use for the day, and program in their own passcode. This removes lockers from the main hallways, improving access and student flow.
• Breakout areas. Each grade area has an open area to facilitate small-group work by students, either independently or with teacher support.

Dore and Whittier designed the new school. Vertex served as owner’s project manager, and W.T. Rich served as construction manager.

The old High School has been demolished, while the old Middle School is in the process of removal. Construction of a front courtyard and permanent parking area continue. Playing fields will be added on the site of the current temporary parking lot. A stadium will be built on the site of the former Junior High School.

Superintendent Justin Bartholomew and the Pentucket Regional School District are pleased update the community on the pending opening of the Pentucket Regional Middle-High School.

The new $146.3 million building will open to students on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

The 211,700-square-foot facility will house about 970 students on opening day. Building capacity is about 1,250 students.

A two-story wing will house students in Grades 7 and 8. A separate three-story wing will house students in Grades 9-12. The two wings will be joined by a large foyer and dining commons.

Key features of the school include:

• A state-of-the-art HVAC system and solar roof panels. It is estimated these measures will save $2 million in energy costs during the next 20 years, by reducing the building’s energy footprint and lessening carbon emissions. The new school is on path to received the coveted LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold designation.
• A 610-seat Performing Arts Center. The Center will support the District’s award-winning arts and music programs, and serve as a gathering place for community programs and activities. The building also will include a drama studio to allow for smaller group work and performances.
• Flexible spaces. Chair and table designs vary, so teachers have limitless design options to allow them to maximize educational options.
• Teacher planning spaces. Each floor has dedicated space for that grade’s teachers, allowing teachers to plan across disciplines.
• Dedicated student entrance. Students will be dropped off at the rear of the building, via a bus-only access road. From there, students will walk through the arts wing to their class area.
• Day lockers. Each floor has a small number of lockers that students may use for the day, and program in their own passcode. This removes lockers from the main hallways, improving access and student flow.
• Breakout areas. Each grade area has an open area that will facilitate small-group work by students, either independently or with teacher support.

The new combined building replaces the current middle school, which opened in 1967, and the high school, which opened in 1958. Construction was approved with overwhelming support in the sending communities of Groveland, Merrimac, and West Newbury.

“We now have a building that will provide the best possible education for future generations of Pentucket students,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “This would not have been possible without the years of work by the School Building Committee, or the incredible support of our school community. I hope they are proud of the final result.”

The new school was designed by Dore and Whittier. Vertex served as owner’s project manager, and W.T. Rich served as construction manager.

The old High School has been demolished, while the old Middle School is in the process of removal. Turf field construction is ongoing.

The District plans a formal dedication ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 14, from 4-6 p.m. More information on the ceremony will be shared when available.

Superintendent Justin Bartholomew and the Pentucket Regional School District are pleased to share the following update on construction of the new middle/high school building.

Construction is currently about 70% complete, meeting the schedule to open the building for the start of the 2022-2023 school year.

The new school, a 211,700-square-foot facility, will house about 970 students when it opens.

The new combined building replaces the current middle school, which opened in 1967, and the high school, which opened in 1958. The two current building have outlived their useful existence and restrict the District’s ability to educate students to their full potential.

A two-story wing will house students in Grades 7 and 8, while a separate three-story wing will house students in Grades 9 through 12. The two wings will be joined by a large foyer and dining commons.

A centerpiece of the new school will be the 600-seat Performing Arts Center, which will support the District’s signature arts and music programs and serve as a gathering place for community programs and activities.

“This will be such a beautiful facility,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “There is nothing like this in the area.”

The building also will include a drama studio to allow for smaller group work and performances.

Individual classrooms are designed to be flexible and maximize interdisciplinary learning opportunities. For example, some class spaces are split by dividers, which can be removed to allow classes to work together.

“In our buildings now you may have 25 of the same desks,” said High School Principal Jonathan Seymour. “Every classroom now will have a variety of furniture.”

Pentucket Regional High School’s curriculum places a large emphasis on movement science and athletics, so several class areas are devoted to that discipline. For example, a kinesiology lab will be used for education during the day, and double as a weight room and training area for student-athletes later in the day.

The new school is tracking toward LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold designation. A state-of-the-art HVAC system and solar roof panels will reduce the building’s energy footprint and lower carbon emissions. It is estimated these measures will save $2 million in energy costs during the next 20 years.

Hallways contain expanded learning areas, allowing students to work on group projects or for teachers to lead small group or tutoring sessions.

Both existing buildings will be demolished. Those areas will be used to create athletic fields and parking.

The new school was designed by Dore and Whittier, with Vertex serving as owner’s project manager, and W.T. Rich serving as construction manager.

“It is exciting to see this vision take shape. The entire design and construction team took a personal interest in this project’s success, and it shows,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “I also want to thank the School Building Committee for its dedication and hard work, and our school community and our three sending towns for their incredible support. I can’t wait for everyone to see this school when it opens.”