‘Could not have gone any better’: Peters Township opens new high school
Courtesy of Peters Township School District
Students report to the new Peters Township High School Jan. 19.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
The new Peters Township High School as it nears completion in July 2020.
Despite the weather, early work on the site continues in January 2019.
Early stages of work, January 2019
Foundation for academic wing and elevator shaft in place, February 2019
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Frame in place, March 2019
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Heavy equipment on site, May 2019
Harry Funk/The Almanac
The athletic wing of the high school while under construction in September 2019.
Façade of the academic wing, October 2019
Work continues on the academic wing, October 2019.
Through mid-December, Peters Township High School students had been attending classes in a building that opened before many of their parents were born.
On Tuesday, the students reported to a school for the 21st century.
“It could not have gone any better,” high school principal Lori Pavlik said. “We spoke to a lot of students who were just so excited to see this space and had such wonderful comments to say about it.”
She spoke during Tuesday’s school board meeting, just a few hours after finishing her workday at the new building.
“I was fortunate to be here in the district during the inception of that project and to watch it come to fruition,” she said. “And though we’re not at the finish line just yet, it is absolutely amazing to see everybody’s thoughts and ideas, and all the collaboration, come together.”
Roshelle Fennell of construction management firm SitelogIQ, formerly Reynolds Construction LLC, provided information to the board on facets of the high school project that still are in the works.
She anticipates the 2,300-seat main gymnasium to be ready for district use by Jan. 29, the day the inspection of the elevator serving the area is scheduled. Regarding the auditorium, she said the 1,200 seats are on site and ready to be installed when work is finished on the flooring.
In the meantime, general contractor Nello Construction has been performing underground work on the school’s swimming pool.
“As soon as that is done, I will be reconvening with all the contractors to come up with a game plan to get the natatorium also finished,” Fennell said.
Her work on the project, along with that of on-site construction manager Stephen Reckhart, drew praise from school district officials.
“I was very touched by you spending your entire weekend there, making sure it was safe and presentable for our students,” Superintendent Jeannine French told Fennell.
SitelogIQ also is overseeing the conversion of the now-former high school into a middle school, and Fennell said that project began Monday.
Also at the school board meeting, Pavlik joined Caroline Abele, new Peters Township Federation of Teachers president, and Sue Deegan, PTA Area Council president, in offering words of gratitude during School Board Recognition Month.
“This past year has probably been the most difficult for most of us in our careers, with the uncertainty going on in the world, the face of education having changed due to the pandemic,” Pavlik, representing the district’s Act 93 administrators, said. “One steady that we’ve always had is the support of this school board, and knowing that whatever we needed to be successful, you would provide.”
Deegan told board members in their honor, the PTA has granted each of the district’s academic buildings $100 for library purchases.