Work is officially underway on the most recent Priority One capital improvement project for the Manchester School District. School, community and district leaders gathered at the Middle School at Parkside Wednesday, and Southside Middle School Thursday for ceremonial ground breakings. Renovations will include a 23,000-square-foot, two-story expansion at Parkside and a 40,000-square-foot, three-story addition at Southside.
“This work will continue to transform public education in our city and as we know healthy, thriving public schools equate to healthy, thriving communities,” says Dr. Jennifer Chmiel, Superintendent of Manchester School District.
The work at Parkside includes a new addition north of the existing school, featuring a single-level internal courtyard and academic commons. The space will give students dedicated areas for social interaction and imaginative play. A larger group instruction space will provide opportunities for collaboration between multiple classes, and will support other events like ensemble performances and gallery exhibits, as well as additional space for the engineering program.
The excitement throughout the school is palpable, as fifth grader Jayelani Paz, Parkside’s nominee for Kid Governor described. “This school renovation means our community will be safer, unique and in great condition. Our students will have new learning environments and will be more prone to show how creative their minds are.”
“This is all about you, the kids in this room and setting you up for success and 21st century learning,” says Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais.
The Southside renovation will support the expansion from 750 to 1,200 students in grades 5 through 8. The school was originally built in 1967 and most recently saw the addition of a science wing in 2005. The design will help reorganize classrooms and science rooms into a team configuration around a shared learning commons. There will also be dedicated special education resource spaces and small group rooms.
“We’re going to create environments for you to learn in [that] you deserve, making an investment that’s important for everyone in the city for the future of our city,” says board of school member and former Manchester mayor Bob Baines.
Both school additions will feature more student-centric classroom layouts designed to evolve and enhance learning experiences for decades to come, including technology integration, natural lighting and air quality improvements. It will also allow for outdoor learning opportunities.
Board of School Vice-Chair Jim O’Connell says these projects have been a long time coming. “On behalf of the people of Manchester, we are expressing loudly a deep confidence and faith in the future of this city. This city has a bright future in front of us, we’ve had great days in the past and even better days coming.”
The $306 million Priority One Project is the largest capital improvement project of its kind in the city’s history. The multi-phase effort is part of a district-wide effort to transform physical space, align curriculum, improve competitive salaries, expand learning programs, and improve outcomes for all students. These simultaneous efforts have already shown results as attendance, graduation and assessment rates are climbing and incidents of discipline and dropout rates are falling.
“It takes a collective pull from a community to get a project like this on its feet and moving,” says Dr. Chmiel.
Harvey Construction is spearheading the construction at Parkside and Hillside, which are expected to be completed in 2028. For more information on Priority One projects in the district, click here