By Ryan Massad, Contributing Reporter
Shrewsbury – On the morning of Jan. 23, nearly 1,000 fifth- and sixth-grade students moved into their new school, the Sherwood Middle School. It was a crisp nine degrees in Shrewsbury, as a parade of bundled-up young students made the historic 50-yard march across the parking lot, from the old school to the new.
Led by a “Thank you Shrewsbury” sign, students entered the state-of-the-art building, complete with nearly 40 classrooms and 30 other rooms for learning.
The best part about the new building for many is that the new school was completed six months ahead of schedule and approximately $6.5 million under budget.
School administrators noted their appreciation for the support the project had generated.
“Our goal was to build a superior physical learning environment,” Dr. Joseph Sawyer, the superintendent of schools, said. “We'se thankful to the community for supporting this project.”
“Thank you for your words of support and messages of congratulations over the last several days,” Jane Lizotte, the school's principal, said in an email sent to the school community later that day. “We are tremendously grateful for the understanding, cooperation, and generosity of our school and local communities.
On Saturday, Feb. 9, a town-wide yard sale will be held at the old school where desks, chairs, and other items will be available for purchase at very low costs, administrators said.
A formal school dedication ceremony will be held Friday, April 5 at 9 a.m. Tentative plans are for community tours to be held Saturday, April 6.