OXFORD — Oxford Hills Middle School students and their families will have an opportunity to see the newly refurbished campus on Madison Avenue during a walk-through Tuesday evening.
Principal Troy Eastman said the school will be open from 5 to 7 p.m. Aug. 20 for viewing. An open house for parents to meet their children’s teachers will be held at a later date.
“It’s amazing how it’s been transformed,” Eastman said. He was at the site Monday morning with Assistant Principal Tara Pelletier to inspect the renovations.
“There were holes in the wall. Like an old warehouse,” he said.
In March, SAD 17 directors approved leasing the building on Madison Avenue to ease overcrowding at Oxford Hills Middle School in Paris.
The Madison Avenue building has been leased from Bob Bahre as temporary classroom space by the district several times over the past 20 years to alleviate overcrowding at some schools.
Most of the renovations are complete as school prepares to open Wednesday, Aug. 28, for seventh-grade students and the following day for eighth-grade students. Although minor work still needs to be done in the nurse’s office and the cafeteria floor has to be painted, many classrooms are ready, Eastman said.
Students who are dropped off in the morning will use the front entrance off Route 26, while bus students and those dropped off during the day will be using the main entrance on Madison Avenue, Eastman said. Both entrances come right to the front-office area.
About 150 students will be rotated in a themed trimester program at the Oxford site, while the remaining 250 students will be in a themed program at the Paris campus. Staff and students will be rotated each semester.
Eastman said the students named the programs after three Maine rivers — the Androscoggin, Kennebec and Penobscot.
Staff worked throughout the summer to align the curriculum with the themes, create scheduling, staffing assignments and professional development.
The recommendation to lease the space was one of six in a feasibility study by Harriman Architects and Engineers of Auburn. Leasing the Oxford building eliminated the need for seven portable buildings at the school on Pine Street in Paris. The units needed work to make them safe, sound and secure, and officials said the investment was not worth it due to their age and condition. Replacing them would have cost about $1 million.
The units were recently removed from the Paris campus.
ldixon@sunjournal.com
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- SAD 17 Middle School Principal Troy Eastman stands in one of the newly renovated classrooms of Oxford Hills Middle School on Madison Avenue in Oxford. The campus provides classroom space in addition to the Paris campus on Pine Street.
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- SAD 17 Facilities Director Dave Marshall walks past a row of newly painted lockers at Oxford Hills Middle School on Madison Avenue in Oxford, as work continues to complete renovations in time for school opening next week. The Oxford campus provides classroom space in addition to the Paris campus on Pine Street.
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- The cafeteria floor of Oxford Hills Middle School on Madison Avenue in Oxford is prepared for painting Monday. The Oxford campus provides classroom space in addition to the Paris campus on Pine Street.
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