Tuesday marked a symbolic milestone in the Tisbury School renovation process: construction of letters “Tisbury School” were completed on the new building’s exterior, according to Anthony Visconti, assistant to the renovation project from the W. T. Rich construction team. The words “Gymnasium” were also recently added.
The new title is a kind beacon to passersby that the school is soon to be open to students. Students had been learning inside makeshift classrooms due to renovations since November 2022.
The four modular building classrooms have since been moved off-Island, with construction next to the school’s existing brick building continuing to move forward.
According to Visconti, plans to re-open school for the fall are still expected.
The $82-million project has stretched across several years, with the project gaining approval as early as 2020, according to Amy Houghton, chair of the Tisbury School committee. Houghton said she’s “thrilled” with the project team, and thankful for their work, especially during the early stages when COVID was prevalent.
“The team has been nimble to pivot to things that can be done when there have been delays,” she said about the project thus far.
As of now, the second and third floors of the school building are completed and cleared, and the first floor, Houghton said, should get there by the middle of next week.
The school committee chair echoed the expectations for the school to reopen in the fall, although she noted that some areas, like the gym and band room that sits behind it, won’t be open right on the first day of return in the fall.
Even still, students will finally be able to re-enter their classrooms come this school year
