Families, Officials Celebrate New Consentino School in Haverhill

(Additional photographs below.)

School and city officials, students, families and friends gathered Monday to celebrate the formal opening of the new $151 million Dr. Albert B. Consentino School on Washington Street.

Principal Eileen Doherty welcomed everyone and reminded them their new school is more than an education institution.

“We are not just opening a new building. We are launching a hub for education, collaboration, civic engagement and growth,” Doherty said.

Haverhill voters agreed to a debt exclusion override in 2023 to replace the original middle school built on the same Washington Street campus in 1969. The state is paying $101 million of the $151 million total, $10 million less than originally budgeted. The school will accommodate 1,000 fifth through eighth graders.

Haverhill Mayor Melinda E. Barrett had a long list of people to thank from Joanna Dix and Nathan Hartwell, the pair which ran the “Yes to Consentino” debt exclusion election campaign, to the city’s inspectional department who oversaw final safety certifications.

“Projects of this scale just don’t happen. They’re a marathon. They require advocacy, resources, labor and a lot of people dedicated to crossing the finish line together.” Barrett noted.

Bringing greetings from the Massachusetts School Building Authority was Executive Director Mary Pichetti. Two Consentino eighth graders, Hendryk Castillo and Victor Martinez, spoke about the importance of the new school. Martinez delivered his speech in Spanish. The school’s band played two selections.

Following the ribbon cutting, Consentino students led tours of the building.

As previously reported by WHAV, the new school features administrative offices on each floor, fewer student lockers, spacious teacher preparation rooms, many glass walls and more impromptu learning spaces. The architect is Dore + Whittier of Newburyport.

The 183,000 square foot school is designed with a two-story public area that includes the gymnasium, cafeteria and library, recording studio and a four-story academic wing. Each floor in the academic wing is home to one grade, each with three “pods” of four classrooms. Each floor is accented with its own color scheme. The fifth grade will be on the top floor to give the school’s youngest pupils some privacy, a chance to build community and to provide some security since the top floor is the furthest from the front door. The eighth grade will be on the first floor.

The large mural on the side of the old Consentino building has been removed and reinstalled outside the new school’s gymnasium.

Other officials who attended the ceremony included former Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini; School Committee members Amanda Basiliere, Penelope Guerrero, Josiah E. Morrow and Jill Story; city councilors included Ralph T. Basiliere, Daniel R. Diodati, Colin F. LePage, Shaun P. Toohey, Catherine P. Rogers and Thomas J. Sullivan. State legislators included state Sens. Barry R. Finegold and Pavel M. Payano and state Rep. Andy X. Vargas, all of whom spoke briefly, and a representative of state Rep. Ryan Hamilton’s office.