On May 19, Countryside Elementary School held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new school building. Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, Superintendent Anna Nolin, Countryside Principal Beth Herlihy, and Mary Pichetti, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), spoke at the ceremony.
The new Countryside School project was proposed on April 10, 2020 and carefully reviewed by the School Committee. Rather than renovate the current building, the Committee voted to rebuild the school at an adjacent location at the corner of Dedham and Walnut Streets. The $75.98 million project is funded by a debt-exclusion override that was approved by voters in 2023 and a grant for up to $20 million awarded by the MSBA the same year. The new school building is scheduled to be ready for the 2027-28 school year.
With the construction of a new building, Countryside will be able to expand its enrollment to 465 students and provide them with air conditioning and heating using geothermal energy.
The ceremony began with Mayor Fuller thanking each group involved in the planning and construction. “It’s a fabulous opportunity for the students who will be going to this new building for generations to come. We should mark the occasion and say our thanks,” she said.
Dr. Nolin then explained the importance of the project and how the new building will reflect sustainability goals and motivate students to take on those challenges in the future. “This building is inspired by the tree mural that is in the current building, which will be recreated in the new location. As we thought about our dreams for our children and the next generation of schooling in Newton, the idea of trees, roots, strong trunks, and sky’s the limit has come up over and over again,” she says.
Through collaboration with Principal Herlihy, Newton’s Public Buildings Department, and all other parties, this vision will become a reality. The first floor will be painted in earth tones, reflecting the foundation of gardens with fertile soil and strong tree roots. The second floor will be colored with blues and greens to bring about the theme of a never-ending sky to inspire students’ success and ambitions.
Principal Herlihy said, “I began my career here in 1993 as an aide and then taught here for 10 years. When the opportunity to come back as a principal in 2014 opened up, it was a chance for me to come home. That is what Countryside is to me, and it’s what it is for our students and families. So I’m excited to have a new building that will be state-of-the art and will take us to the next level of education.”
The event concluded with Mary Pichetti of the MSBA speaking about the collaboration between her team and Newton; and how she looks forward to seeing the continued progress of the project. “At a site like this, professionals have taken into account the topography to make sure that the building will be resilient in the future,” she said.