A Look Inside the New School Before it Officially Opens Its Doors. From Leaky Ceilings to Three-Pointers: It’s a New Era at Conners-Emerson.

Carrie Jones

just now

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Thrive Juice Bar & Kitchen.

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BAR HARBOR—People still had to take off their shoes when they entered the new Conners-Emerson school last week.

Or they could put disposable slippers over their shoes.

Either way, they are still protecting the floor, doing the final touches, making sure that the town’s investment in its future—and its children’s futures—was in tip top shape.

Principal Dr. Heather Weir Webster seemed almost apologetic about it as she stood in the lights of the foyer, but she wants everything to be perfect for the kids, the staff, the move, and the workers from Wright Ryan who are still putting the finishing touches on the new building.

The school is almost ready. Teachers and staff are counting down to moving day. Local nonprofits have stepped up to offer students places to go during the two-week moving period when the school will be closed. Friday, October 23, will be the last day the students are in their old buildings.

The project had a groundbreaking ceremony that included the students in November 2024.

In June 2023, Bar Harbor voters overwhelmingly passed (1,005 to 502) a $58 million bond to rebuild the ailing schools and support the town’s K-8 population. Broken boilers, rain inundation, a wall pulling away from the foundation, poor air exchanges, limited classroom space, and a lack of insulation are just some of the two current buildings’ problems.

“It’s so hard being in that (older) building because it’s like if we fix it or leave it,” Dr. Webster said.

Now, they don’t have to keep making those decisions and the schools, which consistently perform in the top echelon for Maine, won’t have to make do either.

Sometimes teachers and staff step into the new school and cry. It’s hard not to when you compare the old schools to the new space. The spaces and rooms are bright and airy. There is room to walk down the corridors. Nothing is dripping from the ceilings. Biologics aren’t growing in the walls.

There is a nurse’s suite, handicap accessible shower.

“It’s nice. It’s really nice,” Dr. Webster said during a tour last week.

There’s a pride that happens in the building, too. Unprompted, workers for both the company and the school begin explaining its features.

“The gray tiles and darker tiles those are designed for lockdowns,” said the woman working on the floor. “Those color tiles keep kids out of view.”

The school will have new protocols for safety and programs, working with school resource officer Elias Burne and others to implement them and familiarize staff, children, and emergency personnel.

Each floor has a theme.

“Oceans is first floor. Trails is second floor and mountains is the third floor,” Dr. Webster said.

The school also has a dedicated conference room instead of all the conferences happening in Dr. Webster’s current crowded office.

There’s a stage accessible from both sides and an art room, which has a kiln that was purchased by the Conners Emerson PTSA.

There were originally two music rooms, which were cut for cost as was half of the plan for the third floor. Instead there’s an acoustic vestibule and a practice room with acoustic tiles.

The freezer for the kitchen is actually inside now.

Like Mount Desert Elementary School, the school will be able to support a better garden space and greenhouse.

There are cubbies in the wall for reading and conversation. There’s also step seating for classes, too.

“The stage is so fun. I love the stage,” Dr. Webster said.

There’s also an auxiliary lunch space for students who struggle with the louder, larger space. It will also be used to host cooking classes and for concessions during games.

The first middle school dance on November 20 will be in the new building. They’ll be working with capital improvement plans to build the playground.

There are 326 seats now in a gym, which is wider than the current one, wide enough so that it supports true basketball court dimensions.

“The kids are most excited because they can shoot a three-pointer,” Dr. Webster said.

That wasn’t possible before. Now, the gym can be used for Acadia Youth Sports on the weekends. Before the kids had to travel to Trenton to participate. It can host the Great Harbor Shoot-Out if that organization chooses to.

Being a community space is important to Dr. Webster, especially being a community space for kids.

Community has been supportive of the school too, not just with votes, but when the school was having difficulties with the murals in the building, photographer J.P. Putnam stepped up and offered 20 potential photos at the last minutes.

Vice Principal Mike Fournier and Dr. Webster each picked out three of their favorite photos. One of Putnam’s photos is featured on each level.

“I absolutely love the picture,” she said.

You can almost touch the moss and the depth of field makes it seem as if you could travel right into it, entering Acadia National Park.

There will be a Community Open House on Thursday, November 12 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Families and community members are invited to explore the new school.

On Saturday, November 7, the old buildings will open their doors so that the school can sell items won’t be going into the new buildings. Shoppers are encouraged to bring their checkbooks. Electrical and plumbing items will not be included in the sale.

The Halloween parade is October 23 at noon. The parade begins at the Village Green before heading down Main Street, Cottage Street, Eden Street and back to the school.

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LINKS TO LEARN MORE

Conners Emerson School

SFOA

Camp Beech Cliff

Jesup Memorial Library

MDI YMCA

ArtWaves

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