Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Mass. Town Breaks Ground on $60M Elementary

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 07/23/21

Groundbreaking has taken place on a new elementary school in Amesbury, Mass. Construction of the Sgt. Jordan Shay Memorial Lower Elementary School was approved by city residents in 2019. The $60-million facility will sit next to the Cashman Elementary School, creating a two-building campus where students in preK–2 will attend the new school and students in grades 3–5 will attend Cashman.

The school is intended to use green design principles, with a projected savings of 28% in site energy use and 35% in reduced water use.

Project management is being handled by NV5. DiNisco Design is serving as architect for the building. The construction contract was awarded to CTA-Construction Managers. Civil engineering is being done by DGT Associates. And Brown + Sardina was named landscape architect. All are Massachusetts-based companies.

Sgt. Jordan Shay Memorial Lower Elementary School

The facility is being named after Jordan Shay, who grew up in Amesbury and died in Iraq during his second deployment. According to a foundation that was formed under his name, Shay specified in a "just in case letter" that if something were to happen to him, he wanted a scholarship fund to be started for students who "want to make a difference in the world." The foundation is led by Shay's mother, Holly.

Construction is expected to be done in March 2023.

Amesbury has posted all documents related to the project on a city website.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.

  • University of Arizona Approves New Residence Hall

    The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved plans for a new residence hall at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., according to a news release. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2028 and have the capacity for more than 1,200 students, enforcing a new university expectation that all first-year students live on campus.

  • Wisconsin District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The School District of La Crosse in La Crosse, Wis., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff of two existing schools, according to local news. Funding for the school comes from a $53-million referendum approved in 2024.

  • 144-Year-Old High-School Campus Debuts New Academic Facility

    San Diego High School (SDHS) in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new student services and classroom building; the project is part of a larger SDHS Whole Site Modernization project that began in 2022.