Portsmouth students returning to spiffed-up school buildings

We had a very busy summer this year.”

Matt Murphy, school facilities manager

PORTSMOUTH — When Portsmouth students return to classes next Wednesday, they’ll notice some needed improvements to their school buildings and classrooms.

“We had a very busy summer this year,” Matt Murphy, the district’s facilities manager, told the School Committee Tuesday night.

Mr. Murphy outlined some of the major facilities capital plan improvements that were completed under the 2017-2018 budget. They include new roofs for Melville and Hathaway schools; asbestos abatement and re-tile projects for classrooms at the high school and Melville; and masonry improvements at Hathaway and PHS that will be finished before opening day.

Two more capital projects — weatherizing the middle school and updating the high school’s sanitary system — will be completed this fall, he said. The district will also be making safety and security upgrades.

Mr. Murphy also ran down a long list of smaller summer projects, such as a new restroom and playground, both compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), at Melville. (Before the meeting, Melville Principal Elizabeth Viveiros said the finishing touches are expected to be made to the playground by Saturday so that it’s ready for students next week.)

For the first time in about six years, students who were in third grade last year at Melville and Hathaway won’t be moving up to the middle school, but staying put. Adjustments have been made to classroom space in both schools to allow for fourth-graders.

During a School Committee meeting earlier this year, Superintendent Ana C. Riley said it made more sense to keep the third and fourth grades together from a curriculum standpoint.

At the middle school, the auditorium stage has been re-finished and the carpeting has been removed in place of new tile in a science room. In addition, bushes have been removed and trees cut back at the front entrance. The school’s kitchen has been renovated and new whiteboards have been installed.

PHS: More engineering space

High school students enrolled in the PHS engineering program will have a lot more room this year, and so will photography students.

This year the school’s STEAM program is supported by the national nonprofit Project Lead the Way, which is in more than 10,000 schools across the country.

“We’re started the project Lead the Way this year, so we’re expanding all the engineering offerings,” Ms. Riley said. “We’ve got three teachers trained so we can offer more courses. We have 119 students signed up for first-year engineering, so we really wanted to open up those spaces.”

Before Tuesday’s meeting, committee members and several administrators took a tour of two newly expanded engineering rooms and a photography room on the east side of the building.

“The engineering room used to be half of a classroom, with a wall that had been put up, but we took that wall down,” said Ms. Riley. “Now it’s got a full space with a garage door that goes outside, so they can go test there. They built a go-cart last year and some robots, so we wanted to give them place to create all that and have work room around it.

“We also revamped the room next door to that, which was the wood shop with all the old tools. That’s been rehabbed and opened up, because we’ve got so many kids signed up we needed a second room.”

Students will also find a newly striped parking lot at PHS — that job was to have taken place Wednesday of this week — a renovated graphic arts room, and other improvements.

“I’m really glad our buildings are healthier,” said committee member Emily Copeland, who was impressed by before-and-after pictures displayed by Mr. Murphy.

Committee member Allen Shers agreed. “Since Matt’s been on board … we’ve been totally impressed with the work he’s doing and how he stays on top of it. Kudos,” he said.

Ms. Riley said a few minor projects still need to be completed before next Wednesday, but they’ll be done before students arrive.

“We’re on target to have everything ready to go for opening day,” she said.