The renovation of the Parmenter School on Irving Street was part of the AHS Building Project in order to provide Menotomy Preschool (which is housed at AHS) a temporary home while the new high school is being built.
Renovation of the Parmenter School occurred from March – August 2020. In September, Menotomy Preschool moved from AHS and the Hardy Elementary School to their new temporary home at the Parmenter School. This building provides the necessary areas to deliver inclusion classroom and related services to approximately ninety 3 and 4 year old students, with and without special needs, who live in Arlington. After years of being apart, the Menotomy Preschool staff is thankful to be in one building and in close proximity in order to collaborate more effectively with one another.
The Parmenter School provides the preschool with 7 classrooms (with sinks!), 5 offices, workspaces for 5 related service providers (OT, PT & Speech & Language), and a private meeting area for family meetings. The newly installed elevator and lift allows students with mobility related needs to access the building. The staff and students use the outdoor areas for snack and recess each day. Finally, working windows in each classroom, therapy and office spaces are instrumental in providing necessary air circulation during these Covid-19 times.
This new space will enable the preschool to continue to grow and evolve for the next 4 years while at the Parmenter School. Then, a move back to the new AHS, where the preschool will be able to continue their important partnership with the AHS Family and Consumer Sciences Department.
Below are photos of the newly renovated interior of the school.