Here Comes the New FHS

It’s official! While it may not be quite time to start saying goodbye to the halls of FHS, the process of actually constructing the new high school is now underway. The Franklin High School groundbreaking ceremony occurred on Saturday, October 13 – a milestone for both our school community and the entire town.

The event featured several dignitaries, and town officials and committee members who have worked hard to make this project a reality. The Lyricals, a group part of the chorus program at FHS composed of juniors Nicole Shine, Gabby Kane, Carly Burgess, Morgan Beausoleil, Elise Rivera, Sam Sabanosh, Heidi Gleichauf and Emily Dufour, performed the Star Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful at the start of the event. Several speakers followed, including Jack McCarthy, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts School Building Authority and State Senator Karen Spilka.

As tradition with groundbreaking ceremonies, photos were taken with a symbolic pile of dirt to represent the start of construction. 6 groups of people who were very involved and important in this journey posed with a hard hat and shovel, including the Building Committee, Town Council, School Committee, Citizens for A New FHS group, and our own FHS Team members. Mr. Light, Mr. Peacock, Mr. Lima, Mr. McCarthy, Lou, junior Rachita Chaudhury, and more were all present.

The event concluded with the Pep Band performing the FHS Fight Song. “It was really cool to be at such an important thing.” Andrew Samson, a sophomore and pep band member, said. “So many people have been working really hard to make this happen.”

The Pep Band performing at the groundbreaking ceremony behind the dirt, hard hats, and shovels.

So what exactly will this highly anticipated building look like?

The future Franklin High School will be located between the tennis courts and football field.
There will be an 830-seat auditorium/theater with state-of-the-art acoustic and lighting capabilities, stadium-style seating, LED stage lights and a dedicated control room.
A 17,700-square-foot gym and 6,000-square-foot indoor walking track will take the place of the famous field house.
Modern science labs will be 1,440 square feet each and designed for maximum flexibility and safety.
These are just some of the many amenities the building will have to offer.

Pantherbook will be sure to update you with any future updates on the new FHS. For more information, go to the New FHS Official Website and New FHS Facebook Page.