Back-to-School Building Project Update

As the start of a new school year approaches, Nauset Regional High School gets ready to welcome students in the midst of a 3-year, $169 million renovation project.

What will life at Nauset Regional High School look like this year?

15 August 2024 — EASTHAM, MA — With two weeks until the first day of classes, Nauset Regional High School is preparing to welcome students back — and for a number of other changes as they enter the second year of renovation. 

About halfway through a three-year, $169 million overhaul, the school is shifting many of its spaces to prepare for Phase Two of the renovation. During Phase One, the eastern side of campus was completely rebuilt, including a new arts wing, auditorium, cafeteria, gymnasium and science labs. These spaces will be open to students come September.

“I think (the community) will not really know until they’re walking through how monumental this project is and how spectacular it will be,” said Kathleen Tringale, NRHS science department head and an educational liaison for the school’s building committee.

Where do high school rennovations stand?

The eastern side of campus, home to English, Math, Social Studies and World Language classrooms, will be renovated this year, and these departments will live in a modular building. NRHS staff spent this summer transitioning spaces all around campus. 

This school year, NRHS Principal Patrick Clark said, students will have to move around campus a bit differently, as the construction will be in between the modular building and the open buildings. Especially for new students, he said, this may bring a learning curve.

“They might need a little extra TLC to start off, but we’re not anticipating any struggles,” he said.

What are priorities in the Nauset school building project?

Tringale and Tom Faris, arts department head and the other educational liaison, are responsible for advocating for students, teachers and administrators throughout this multi-year process. Tringale has been involved since 2015, when the idea of renovating first arose.

For teachers and students, she said, the main priority was improving accessibility, maintaining NRHS’ campus format and honoring its location on the national seashore.

“We need to be willing to shift and adjust as needed and yet still maintain our goals for the school in general,” Tringale said.

The renovation also brought an opportunity to expand the school’s reach, Faris said. The building committee decided to put extra seats in the auditorium and make many of the arts spaces convenient for adult classes and community events.

What are the long-term impacts of this renovation?

Faris said going from drawing up plans to standing in completed spaces was “really special” and hopes the community will appreciate the work and thought that has gone into the renovation.

“Everybody that we take on tours of the project says two things: that it looks like a small college campus; and that they’ve never seen a school that’s as beautiful as this is gonna be.”

With funding from the Massachusetts School Building Authority and increasingly higher budgets approved by voters, Clark said, the committee makes each financial choice thoughtfully, down to tile materials. NRHS is 50 years old, and he said their intention is to create a “top-notch school” for the next 50 years.

Clark added the renovation could also impact the school-choice process, which allows students outside of the district to attend Nauset Regional Schools. Because of anticipated demand, he said, the school may have to implement a lottery system. He encouraged families to start thinking about school choice “sooner rather than later,” as students can start that process as early as middle school.

Students head back to NRHS on September 3, and Phase 2 is on track to finish in August 2025. The project’s final phase, which mostly includes landscaping and finishing touches, is scheduled for Fall 2025.