LOWELL — Students’ first day of school at Lowell High was to a radically transformed and collegiate-looking space.
During the summer break, Suffolk Construction finished Phase 2 of the four-phased, almost $400 million rebuilding/renovation project that broke ground in 2020 with the demolition of the old dentists’ office at Arcand Drive. That site became the Phase 1 construction of the new Riddick Athletic Center, which opened in 2022.
It was, said City Manager Tom Golden, “a first-class high school.” He made his comments during one of the many presentations Suffolk Construction Senior Project Manager Pannha San-Chung and Skanska Project Manager Jim Dowd made to various city bodies in anticipation of the transition to Phase 3 construction. The council received an update on the project during its Aug. 13 meeting.
The 21st-century campus — what City Councilor Erik Gitschier called “a technology-driven school” — uses the latest in sustainable, climate-friendly and energy- and cost-efficient materials in the construction/renovation of the 600,000-square-foot campus.
On Tuesday, students thronged what San-Chung described as the “heart of the school,” off the main entrance on Father Morissette Boulevard. She provided an update to the School Building Committee on Aug. 22.
Just past a teak-lined security desk, the space opened up into a two-story, bright and airy vestibule that led to three distinct areas of the school.
Turning left immediately upon entering led to the cafeteria. Going forward led to stadium seating and terrazzo stairs to the second-floor Riddick Athletic Center, classrooms and the South Bridge connector to the east campus. To the right was the vestibule gateway to a courtyard that featured a common area with bright green, synthetic turf surrounded by lush landscaping, cobblestone paths and flat-topped wooden benches. The new five-story Freshman Academy overlooks the bucolic space.
Perkins Eastman Project Manager Robin Greenberg, with the architectural firm on the project, told the School Building Committee that once construction is finished, the company will apply for LEED certification.
LEED-certified green buildings are recognized for reducing the carbon footprint of a building, which can result in lower energy costs.
“We continue to gather the paperwork,” she said.
School Building Committee member Jay Mason said replacing worn wood flooring in the 1922 building with linoleum was an example of a “sustainable product.”
The new construction received its temporary certificate of occupancy on Aug. 23, right before teachers returned to set up classrooms on Monday and students returned on Tuesday.
After school let out in June, Suffolk immediately launched Phase 3, which is the renovation of the existing 1922 and 1980s buildings and removed the North Bridge. Across the Merrimack Canal, construction workers were already gutting the 1922 building. That phase is expected to be complete by next summer. The entire project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2026.
The high school was one of many school openings across the district, said spokesperson Jennifer Myers.
She noted that the district added what was once the rectory building at the former Ste Jeanne d’Arc School in Pawtucketville to its portfolio. The building moved students in grades 8 and older from the Dr. Janice Adie Day School in Chelmsford, a school specifically geared to educate students with autism.
“The building offers large classrooms and tons of storage space, as well as a kitchen and laundry room where students can learn life skills,” Myers said by email on Tuesday. “Additionally, the staff is creating a mock apartment in the school where students can learn other skills like making a bed and putting clothes away in a bureau.”
The STEM Academy on Highland Street welcomed back students to its regular building, as well as to modular classrooms, which were temporarily constructed to address overcrowding at the school. The units are attached to the main building as classrooms for kindergarten and first grade students and come with air conditioning.
Myers said new staff, new students and new spaces throughout Lowell rounded out a busy first day of school. Pre-K and kindergarten students return Sept. 4.
“The first day of school is always a celebration in Lowell and this year was certainly no exception,” she said. “It was a great opening day, and we are looking forward to a great school year.”