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.”

WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew is pleased to share that the district held a beam signing this morning for the middle-high school building project.

A small group including Superintendent Bartholomew, Assistant Superintendent Brent Conway, Pentucket Regional High School Principal Jonathan Seymour, Sen. Bruce Tarr, Rep. Lenny Mirra and members of the School Committee, Building Committee, We Are Pentucket and town officials attended the gathering. The event was held in front of the current Pentucket Regional High School building in the circular pick-up area near the front entrance and flag pole. 

Attendees of the signing gathered at 8:30 a.m., while wearing masks and practicing social distancing, for a welcoming statement and introductions from Principal Seymour. Additional remarks at the gathering were shared by Superintendent Bartholomew, School Committee Chair Dena Trotta, previous We Are Pentucket representative Julie Torrisi, Sen. Tarr and Rep. Mirra. 

Then those who attended signed the beam one by one, and members of the community were also invited to drive through the area and sign the beam throughout the day today. 

The beam will be the last to be placed into the new Pentucket Regional Middle-High School building, and is scheduled to be placed in the building on Monday, Feb. 1. 

“This project is going to make a tremendous difference for Pentucket students for generations to come,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “We are always grateful for the continued support of our communities. In addition to being an iconic institution of learning, this building will always be a symbol of the Groveland, West Newbury, and Merrimac communities unifying to prioritize education and making a commitment to the young people of these three amazing towns.”

The Pentucket Regional Middle-High School building project is on schedule, and is anticipated to be completed in spring 2022 and officially opened the following fall. Construction began in spring 2020, and the $146.2 million project was approved by the Towns of Groveland, Merrimac and West Newbury in spring 2019 at Town Meetings and Town elections. The Massachusetts School Building Authority is funding up to $52.7 million of the project. 

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WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew wishes to provide an update to the community about the Pentucket Regional Middle-High School building project.

The project has not been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at this time, and remains on budget and on schedule.

The Towns of Groveland, Merrimac and West Newbury approved the $146.2 million project at Town Meetings and Town elections last spring; up to $52.7 million of the project cost will be funded by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

Temporary construction trailers and site signage are scheduled to arrive for the building project the week of April 27, and construction trailers will be housed at the front of the current high school parking lot. Temporary fencing to mark off the construction area is scheduled to be installed beginning May 11.

“Fortunately, the ongoing pandemic has not impacted this project, and at this time everything remains on track,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “Our district needs this new facility to continue providing high quality educational opportunities to our middle and high school students, and we have been working closely with our partners on this project even in the midst of COVID-19 to keep the ball rolling.”

Pentucket Regional School District will be contacting neighbors to the site by mail to join an email list, at will, and neighbors will also be provided contact information for the owner’s project manager, who will be available to answer any questions they may have.

The new Pentucket Regional Middle-High School building is expected to take approximately two years to construct, and is anticipated to be completed in spring 2022. The district estimates that the current high school and middle school buildings will be demolished in the summer of 2022, and construction for a permanent parking lot will begin in fall 2022.

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WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew is pleased to announce that construction for the Pentucket Regional Middle-High School building is set to begin this spring.

The project remains on schedule and on budget, and the district is working in partnership with the facility’s designer Dore and Whittier, project manager Vertex, construction manager WT Rich and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to finalize construction documents. The district also continues to work with the West Newbury Planning Committee, West Newbury Conservation Committee and Groveland Conservation Committee to obtain necessary permits for the project, as well as local building inspectors and the Groveland and West Newbury water departments. 

“Since the project was approved by residents in the spring, the district has been working tirelessly with our partners to solidify the plans for the building, continuously evaluate the cost and so on,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “We are on budget, and on schedule. Students, faculty and staff are going to start seeing progress on the project this spring and summer, and we look forward to this exciting new chapter for our district.”

The district expects to begin the construction of a temporary parking lot on the lawn by Main Street in front of the current Pentucket High School building late this March or in April, depending on weather conditions. The current parking lot will be used as a construction zone throughout the building process.

Students, faculty and staff will use the temporary parking lot until the new building is complete and a permanent lot is constructed where the current high school building now stands. 

The district will also begin installing temporary perimeter fencing in the area behind the current Pentucket High School building in late March or April, where the new building will be built.

The new Pentucket Regional Middle-High School building is expected to take approximately two years to construct, and is anticipated to be completed in spring 2022. The district estimates that the current high school and middle school buildings will be demolished in the summer of 2022, and construction for a permanent parking lot will begin in fall 2022. 

The temporary parking lot will be removed during the 2022-2023 school year, and athletic fields will be built in its place, likely during the same school year.

Approved by Groveland, Merrimac and West Newbury residents at Town Meetings and through ballot votes in spring 2019, the project will cost $146.3 million. Throughout the construction process, project cost estimates will continue to be performed to ensure the project remains within its budget. 

The district will continue to provide updates about the project as information becomes available. For more information, visit pentucketproject.com.

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It is with great excitement the district announces that the Middle/High School Building Project was approved by voters in all three Pentucket towns yesterday.

This is a great step forward for the Pentucket community. We will build a modern, state-of-the-art facility that will support student learning and growth for decades to come, not to mention a facility that can also be utilized by community groups.

Thank you to all who voted, attended Town Meeting, came to community discussions, asked questions, provided feedback and assisted with this project over the last several years. An overwhelming number of residents in all three towns came out to vote, and the vast majority voted in favor of this project. I believe this is a testament to the open communication and dialogue about this project that the district adopted at the start of this long process, in 2014.

This project has brought our community closer together, and it has been wonderful to see the dedicated, diligent work that has gone into this project as well as the community participation along the way.

Our goal is to begin construction in spring 2020, and to open the new building in fall 2022.

The next few years promise to be an exciting and busy time as Pentucket embarks on this latest chapter of our district’s future. Thank you all once again for your time, effort, and support.

As always,

“All hail the green and white.”

~ Dr. B.

Residents in all three towns voted in favor of the project at three separate town meetings on Monday, April 29 and through a ballot vote in each town’s general election on Monday, May 6.

“Thank you to the Pentucket towns for all of their involvement in the voting process,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “This was a big victory for the future of the Pentucket community, and a historic day for the district. This project really seems to have brought the community together, and these next few years will be an exciting, busy time for us all.”

Superintendent Bartholomew added that the vote in many ways reflects the communities’ approval not just of the project but also the diligent work that went into planning, executing and communicating this project over the past five years.

“Community engagement and communication were two constants since the district began this long process around 2014,” he said. “The voting results and excellent voter turnout in all three towns show that residents not only supported this project, but that our community members were educated voters both at town meeting and at the polls.”

In the coming years, the district will build a three story, modern facility that will house middle school students in one wing of the building and high school students in another. The building will replace the current Pentucket Regional middle and high school buildings, which were respectively built in 1967 and 1956 and are approaching the end of their useful life spans.

In the next six to eight months, the project will be put out to bid to construction companies. The district aims to begin construction in Spring 2020, with the goal of opening the new building for the fall of 2022.

For more information, visit pentucketproject.com. 

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Dear Pentucket Family,

Last evening, the Pentucket towns of Groveland, West Newbury, and Merrimac voted to appropriate funds for the Middle/High School Building Project contingent upon a secondary approval (ballot vote) at the Town Elections next Monday, May 6.  At this point, all three towns must vote in favor of the project on the Monday, May 6 ballot in order for the project to be approved.  If one or more more towns do not pass the project on the ballot, the project has failed.

In all three towns, the vote on the Building Project will be Question #1.  A “Yes” vote is in favor of the project, while a “No” vote is against the project.

You can use the links below to see if your town has posted the sample ballot on their website.

Groveland – https://www.grovelandma.com/

Merrimac – http://www.merrimac01860.info/

West Newbury – https://www.wnewbury.org/

Thank you for your continued support and, as always, “All hail the green and white.”

~ Dr. B.

Groveland, Merrimac, and West Newbury residents will be asked to vote to approve the proposed Pentucket Regional Middle-High School building project at Town Meetings on Monday, April 29 and through a ballot vote on May 6. If approved, construction would be slated to start as early as spring 2020, with students occupying the new building in the fall of 2022.

The handout includes the answers to frequently asked questions about the project, the cost breakdown of the project, and the impacts of “yes” and “no” votes at Town Meeting.