Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Rhode Island High School Celebrates Groundbreaking for New Facility

  • By Matt Jones
  • 06/21/22

Officials gathered on Friday, June 17, to celebrate a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Rogers High School in Newport, R.I. The school’s existing facility opened in 1957 and was “in the worst shape” in comparison to more than 300 schools around the state, according to local news. Funding for the new construction is coming from a $98 million bond from the Rhode Island Health and Educational Building Corporation.

Local news reports that the new facility will stand three stories and feature STEM labs, media design labs, a cosmetology center and a culinary center, among other amenities. The school will cover a total of about 166,875 square feet for a cost between $108.2 million and $108.9 million.

Newport voters approved a $106.33-million bond in 2020 to build the new facility, but the project has seen numerous redesigns and budget cuts related to skyrocketing inflation rates. The district partnered with architecture firm SLAM Collaborative Inc. for the building’s design.

“When you hold everything else constant, the condition of a school facility is directly tied to everything from attendance to asthma rates, to reading levels and test scores,” said Rhode Island Treasurer Seth Magaziner at the groundbreaking ceremony. Magaziner led the state’s department of education in a 2017 assessment of all 306 public schools in Rhode Island. “[In our 2017 report], Rogers High School held the dubious distinction of being the worst-rated facility of all 306, so this is a day we have been waiting for for a long time.”

The district is also partnering with Downes Construction Co. for the facility’s construction. The project is scheduled for completion in time for the 2024–25 academic year.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • 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.

  • University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Launches New Emergency Communications System

    The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) recently deployed a new emergency notification and incident management system for its campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with 911Cellular to launch Safe@UTC, a smartphone app allowing university officials to communicate and respond during emergency situations.

  • UT System Approves First Funds for New Campus

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved funds to build the first facility of a new campus in far west Fort Worth, Texas, according to university news. UTA West will serve as a branch of the University of Texas at Arlington and is scheduled to open in fall 2028.

  • Photo credit: Elkus Manfredi Architects

    University of Virginia Selects Design-Build Team for New Residential Complex

    The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., recently announced that it has selected a design-build team for a new upper-class residential development on campus, according to a news release. Capstone Development Partners—in partnership with Elkus Manfredi Architects and the Hoar Construction/Hourigan construction team—will move forward with the three-building, 310,000-square-foot housing facility.