Princeton Regional School District readies open houses

Tours Nov. 15 to show off results of construction and renovation projects

By: Rachel Silverman
   After a lengthy period of construction, five of the six schools in the Princeton Regional school district — John Witherspoon Middle School, Community Park Elementary School, Littlebrook Elementary School, Riverside Elementary School and Johnson Park Elementary School — are ready for public exhibition.
   From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 15, these facilities will simultaneously host open house tours.
   "For K through 8, it’s a great feeling," Superintendent Judy Wilson said. "To have the major push behind us is a great thing. To have the students learning in those facilities is even better."
   Though the schools were technically completed last spring, Ms. Wilson said a busy school-year schedule delayed their official debut.
   "There were still contractors finishing odds and ends," she said.
   The upcoming facility tours will also allow community members without children, or those whose children have already graduated, to have a look at the work that has been done inside the schools.
   "We didn’t want them to miss the opportunity to see what their tax dollars have supported," Ms. Wilson said.
   The facility tours, which do not require reservations, are free and open to the public. Led by school staff and Parent Teacher Organization volunteers, the tours will whisk visitors through new building science labs, gym space, classrooms and the middle school pool.
   The district’s $81.3 million, six-school renovation and expansion project began in March 2003 for the elementary and middle schools, and in October of that year for the high school. The high school is the only outstanding portion of the project.