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FARMINGTON – With a few short speeches, a boisterous “let the digging begin” chant by hundreds of W.G. Mallett School’s kindergarten through third-grade students, and shiny-gold shovels ceremoniously plunged into the earth, the start of a new school’s construction was celebrated today.
“It’s a very exciting day,” Assistant Superintendent Susan Pratt told Mallett’s students, staff and many parents attending the ground breaking ceremony. “We’re here to celebrate the beginning of our new school.”
Mt. Blue Regional School District’s voters overwhelmingly supported the $18.9 million building project on the W.G. Mallett School campus last summer. A building committee comprised of school board directors, educators and residents had worked for three years on the design for a new 60,000 square foot elementary school.
The new two-story facility, expected to be completed one year from now, completely replaces the current aging school which suffers from a number of structural problems, energy inefficiencies and other issues. The new school would be 20,000 square feet larger than the current one, and includes space for a new pre-kindergarten program. 99.6 percent of the building project will be borne by the state’s bonding package and a Maine High Performance School grant of $150,000. Mt. Blue RSD 9 will pay the other .4 percent, or $75,000.
“As much as we love our school, it got old and we need a new one,” Mallett School Principal Tracy Williams explained to her students.
Once outside, four students: Farrah Ballou, Iva Willis, Leia Durrell and Joshua Dunham, with architects and contractors, building committee members and school and town officials waited for a countdown and then sunk their golden shovels into the rain-soaked sand and gravel and everyone cheered.
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I just hope, when all is said and done, we still have a “Mallett School”. This is a challenge to those people out there who feel strongly that the name should NOT be changed to contact Paul Mills, Joyce Morton, or Tracy Williams and let them know how you feel. Support keeping the name. It’s been the Mallett School since shortly after it was built in 1932/33, and while we’re having to give up the original school, at least it’s staying in the same general spot. So why change the name?
keep the name
I wanna get in on all the marbles down in those drains next to the wall- so many awesome marbles down there amongst all the gum and trash.
I’m going to miss that big scary school : (