Renovations Unveiled At Julian Curtiss School In Greenwich

GREENWICH, CT — Under bright blue skies and late summer sunshine on Monday, the community gathered outside of Julian Curtiss School to celebrate the completion of the majority of renovations made to the 80-year-old building.

Following a phased construction approach that began in early 2025, Julian Curtiss School now has a more modern feel, but it has also retained its character and charm.

The school now has a more accessible main entrance with ramps, additional accessible parking spaces, improved security with a redesigned entryway and main office, a new elevator and a new cafeteria and kitchen.

"What a transformation it has been," Julian Curtiss School Principal Eduardo Calderón said during Monday's ribbon-cutting ceremony, which also featured a guided tour from several JC students.

"These improvements have modernized our school while making it ADA-compliant and preserving the history and character that make Julian Curtiss so special," Calderón added.

"Today we honor everyone who helped us get here, but also look forward to the many years of teaching, learning, laughing, friendship and memories that will take place within these walls."

Monday’s milestone has been years in the making. Educational specifications for the school upgrades were developed in 2019, and the Julian Curtiss Building Committee was formed in 2022.

In 2024, Bill Kelly, a longtime Greenwich resident and the first chair of the JC Building Committee, died at the age of 72. David Levine took over as chair and spoke during Monday's ceremony.

Rather than install a plaque recognizing the building committee members' work, as is routine for such projects, the committee decided to place a plaque near the front entrance in honor of Kelly's life and volunteer work in town, Levine explained.

The plaque has the phrase, "Pay it forward," along with Kelly's life dates.

"We pray his memory and legacy that we're passing on with this work will inspire future generations of Julian Curtiss students to also pay it forward with their future work," Levine said.

Levine thanked the members of the building committee, past and present, for their contributions.

Board of Education member and JC Building Committee member Veronica Chiavaroli said Phase 4, the final phase, will feature updates to classroom and learning spaces to ensure they meet ADA laws, an accessible nurse's suite, and an updated and relocated assistant principal's office. The final phase is expected to be completed in 2027.

In May, as part of the town budget, the Representative Town Meeting approved $3.3 million for the ongoing renovation work.

"Ultimately, a school building is only meaningful because of the people who fill it every day," Chiavaroli said, thanking the administrators, staff and students at JC for their patience and support while construction on Phases 1-3 was taking place.

Chiavaroli's involvement with the project and the building committee began nearly four years ago as a representative from the ADA & Advocacy Advisory Committee for People With Disabilities. She called it an "incredible privilege" to be a part of the process.

"I cannot wait to see what happens within these walls," she added.

Superintendent of Greenwich Public Schools Dr. Toni Jones noted that this is the most school-wide construction the town has seen since the 1960s.

"It is taking a huge volunteer effort to have wonderful building committees like this one," she said.

First Selectman Fred Camillo reflected on the process to get to Monday's ribbon-cutting, and he said while there have been disagreements and intense debate on school projects, "Greenwich gets it right in the end."

"All of our ribbon cuttings that we've done for projects that have taken a long while or have been debated extensively, everyone walks into the buildings, and they love it. I think we have to remember that," he said.

Camillo congratulated the JC community on the building's 80th birthday in 2026.

"This is our fourth oldest public elementary school in Greenwich," Camillo said. "But it just got a whole lot younger."