Regional School District 13 recently celebrated the groundbreaking for the $76 million renovation and expansion of Memorial School in Middlefield, Connecticut, with STV supporting the milestone as the district’s owner’s project manager (OPM). The event also marked the formal announcement of the school’s new name: Three Oaks Memorial, advancing the district’s elementary facilities program.

The ceremony brought together elected officials, both town first selectmen, board and building committee members, project partners, families and community members to celebrate the occasion. As the district’s OPM, STV is working closely with Regional School District 13, QA+M Architects and O&G Industries to help coordinate design, permitting, construction and required approvals from preconstruction through completion. Students also played a special role in the event, from singing the national anthem to providing refreshments, while the ceremonial groundbreaking featured the district’s oldest student, youngest student and a student representative from the special needs program.

“This is about giving students and teachers the kind of school that matches the learning happening inside it,” said Angela Cahill, AIA, project executive at STV. “When Three Oaks Memorial opens, families will see safer, more flexible spaces that support strong instruction and bring the district’s elementary community together.”

Originally built in 1954, Memorial School will be expanded by about 51,000 square feet, bringing the facility to more than 101,000 square feet when complete. The renovation and expansion will create an updated pre-K-5 campus at Memorial School and consolidate elementary programs now housed at Brewster Elementary School in Durham and John Lyman Elementary School in Middlefield, supporting the district’s long-term goal of modernizing learning environments while strengthening connections across its elementary community.

Plans include new and renovated learning areas, upgrades to major building systems and improvements to safety, accessibility and overall performance. The project is also eligible for support through Connecticut’s school construction grant program.

The updated school is designed to support a range of teaching approaches, with shared spaces for learning, collaboration and student services, along with improvements in circulation that separate bus and parent traffic and increase on-site parking.

“A school is one of a community’s most important promises to its kids,” Cahill said. “Our role is to help translate that promise into a building that supports educators, strengthens daily learning and serves families across the district for decades to come.”

The project team expects work to continue through 2027, positioning students, teachers and families to walk into a modernized school designed to support learning from the very first day it opens.