Community Invited to ribbon cutting and rededication ceremony Aug. 24
Nearly four years ago, East Syracuse Minoa community residents overwhelmingly supported the modernization and expansion of Pine Grove Middle School, a 1969-era building needing significant renovations to support the instructional designs of present and future generations.
Now, the promise of a “Greener, Greater Grove” is about to be realized. On Wednesday, Aug. 24, a ribbon cutting and rededication ceremony to celebrate the completion of the project will be held at 6 p.m. at the Pine Grove front entrance. All community members are invited to participate in this special event.
The ceremony will include guest speakers and musical performances by the ESM Spartan Marching Band to commemorate this historical rededication of Pine Grove Middle School.
“The promise of the Greener, Greater Grove has arrived and thanks to the support of our community, along with the creative, collaborative leadership, talent and skills of all who contributed to this project, we celebrate the transformation of Pine Grove Middle School,” said Superintendent Dr. Donna DeSiato.
The project includes renovation of approximately 118,000 square feet of the building, with additional space of roughly 12,000 square feet. The building now supports a middle school educational model with a distinct area for each grade level called a learning commons. Within each grade level, learning zones support a learning community for transdisciplinary teams. Each zone has flexibility to use learning space for collaboration in small groups, as well as learning in larger groups.
A focal point of the project is a new Community Café Performing Arts Center that will provide a venue for students to showcase their talent and accommodate events and activities, as well as serve as a dining facility. Core building infrastructure such as plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems were upgraded, while stairwells and hallways were expanded to improve student flow. And as promised, the building is now much more environmentally conscious and efficient.
Nearly three-quarters of the entire cost of the project was supported by state building aid, thereby lowering costs for our local taxpayers. Dr. DeSiato also noted that the project was delivered on-time and within the community-approved budget.
Pine Grove students and their families will be able to tour the building during their orientation on grade-specific evenings at 6 p.m. Aug. 29 for sixth grade, Aug. 30 for seventh grade and Sept. 1 for eighth grade.
