NHS Expansion To Be Open For Students Monday

By Eliza Hallabeck

Newtown High School Principal Charles Dumais welcomed the new year with the announcement on January 1 that school officials plan to have students using the high school expansion by this coming Monday, January 10.

By the end of this week, Mr Dumais said the plan is to hand out maps of the expansion to students to prepare them for the change, and the move into the space will begin the night of Friday, January 7, with most of the work occurring Saturday and Sunday.

Board of Education Chair William Hart said during the last walk-through owner’s meeting of the expansion that there seemed to be a good amount of work left to be completed, with workers waiting on deliveries for items, including computer parts.

“There are some things that can be done after we are occupying the building,” said Mr Dumais, adding details like caulking or other corrections can be completed after students have use of the expansion. “But they are working on correcting the rest.”

Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson also said some “nuances” remain to be corrected, but said nothing major is left to be completed before the weekend.

“We’re just so excited to get this going,” said Dr Robinson.

In the past, both Mr Dumais and Mr Hart have said transitioning into the expansion should occur before or after midterm testing takes place at the school for a minimal effect on student performance. Midterms are set to start on January 18.

Mr Dumais also said the intent is to change the high school’s schedule to reflect having two cafeterias with the start of the second marking period, on January 24. The school schedule will change from having four to three lunch waves. Parking, however, he said, will change on January 10.

To prepare students for the move, Mr Dumais said the school has made new classroom numbers available on student schedules in their PowerSchool accounts online.

Teachers have also been allowed access to the expansion to familiarize themselves with the new space, according to Mr Dumais. A run through lunch, which Chartwells, Newtown’s food service provider, was expected to serve to teachers on Thursday, was cancelled due to the space not being ready in time.

The NHS expansion project broke ground in May 2009, and at the time the portion of the project dedicated to the renovation of existing facilities was slated for completion in January 2011. Prior to last August, the expansion was expected to be ready for student use by the first day of the 2010-2011 school year.

With the September date pushed back a number of times, Mr Hart said there are still three things that need to be kept in focus: student safety, educational needs, and being financially responsible.

“I’m optimistic we will get everything done,” Mr Hart said. “I’m just continually disappointed with how the contractor keeps pushing it back.”

While Mr Hart said he is hoping for use of the expansion by Monday, he also said, “If we don’t [get use of the space], I think we are in a whole new regime of contractual obligations.”

If the expansion is not ready for students by Monday, Mr Hart said the town will find it is in the position of no longer having the luxury of “being nice guys.”

Once students have use of the expansion, the renovation of existing facilities will begin. As of Thursday, January 6, no date had become official for the completion of the renovations, but roughly three to five months is estimated for the project.