The Student Advisory Council (SAC) has been working with the administration and the School Building Committee (SBC) to educate and inform students about the proposed addition to and renovation of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS). All four grades have recently attended mandatory informational flex meetings to learn about the evolution of the school building project, ask questions, and share their concerns. Many students feel the proposed renovations are necessary and will have a positive impact.
MVRHS was initially built in 1959, and a large addition was completed in 1995. Since then, the only major upgrade has been a partial replacement of the roof in 2013.
“The negatives about the [current] school would definitely be the mechanics of the building, the windows, and the doors, as well as mold and asbestos,” said MVRHS facility director Jason O’Donnell.
In 2022, Sam Hart, the MVRHS coordinator of career pathways and special projects, was placed in charge as the point person for the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) project, and has been leading the charge through an eight-module process since.
The high school is currently nearing the end of Module 4 out of eight: finalizing the schematic design, where the new building design is finalized and the budget and schedule are estimated. Module 5, the approval, is next, when the 38.74 percent reimbursement from the MSBA is established and the funding for the school is voted on by the public in an Island-wide vote projected to take place in early June.
If approved, construction is estimated to begin in the summer of 2027 in the current Performing Arts Center parking lot, where the new two-story academic wing will be built. Mr. Hart explained that students will not have to learn in modular classrooms. They will remain in the current building until the fall of 2029, when they will move into the new classrooms.
Students questioned whether the new athletic fields will have natural grass, and Mr. Hart confirmed that they will. The school will not be pursuing artificial turf.
Members of the track team are understandably concerned about the plan for Phase 1 that includes demolishing the existing track in the summer of 2027. The decision was made to use this part of campus for the construction lay-down area because the track will have lived beyond its useful life at that point.
Sophomore track athlete George McDow said, “It makes me upset, because during my senior year I won’t have anywhere to practice at the high school. I’m concerned, because the sport means a lot to me and I want to return to nationals.”
Mr. Hart said that while the track will be inoperable for about three years — from July of 2027 to the fall of 2030 — he and his team are actively exploring alternative solutions.
With regards to concerns about gym space, athletic director Mike Joyce said: “Right now we have five or six teams using the gym, and practices run until 8:30 every night. If we have [the proposed] secondary gym, we can get kids home earlier so they don’t have to stay late for practice. It would also give us space for the wrestling team, which currently holds practices in the cafeteria.”
Freshman Stela Duncheva will graduate shortly after demolition starts. “Someone will have to make the sacrifice of having the construction during their high school experience,” she said. “It’s a plus that future generations will not have to learn in a school with mold and asbestos.”
