Residents who watched the new school design team make its presentation at the last School Committee meeting had to come away impressed with the the $82 million high school/middle school project. Viewing the drawings of the new building that will house the high school and middle school under one roof, it’s everything that a 21st century school should have for its students to maximize their educational experience.
For our part, we were impressed with how the new school will be set up so that middle and high school students will be in entirely separate areas of the building. At lunch time, the students will dine in separate cafeterias. The middle school students will feel as though they have their own, new Winthrop Middle School, while the high school students will feel like they’re at a new Winthrop High School. In addition, for parents with students in both the middle school and high school, the convenience factor of dropping off their children at the same location — although each school will have separate entrances — will be appreciated.
For students interested in the dramatic arts, it will be a dream come true to have a brand new, state-of-the-art auditorium with the best sound system and lighting imaginable. Middle and high school basketball players will be able to look forward to a beautiful and spacious gymnasium.
And even for residents who do not have children in the school system, a new middle/high school facility will become a resource that will be available for all sorts of uses by members of our community of all ages
Of course, whether these plans become a reality will be determined by the town’s taxpayers. One of the first questions that young couples ask real estate agents when they are looking for a home is: How are your schools? Right now, we have two elementary schools that have certainly been everything that we could have hoped for when they came before the voters at the turn of the last century. They have served as an investment both in Winthrop’s present and future. We’re hoping that soon, realtors will be able to tell prospective homebuyers that yes, we have an incredible middle school/high school project that will be as good as any such school building in the state.
Our School Building Assistance Committee, led by Mary Lou Osborne and David Dockendorf, has worked hard to make sure that this process has been accomplished with the highest possible professionalism and transparency. It’s an exciting time in our town as we consider the possibility of building a new school that will affect generations of students and parents, both today and those to come, in a positive way.