School Project Reaches Major Milestone

The final steel beam went into place in the North Reading High School/Middle School project Wednesday morning.

The traditional “topping off” ceremony that included School Committee members, school administrators, project managers, residents and iron workers comes about 16 months since the town initially approved the project.

The final beam was signed by hundreds of students and residents and topped with a North Reading Hornets banner and a traditional evergreen tree was put into position on the high school gym.

School Committee Chairman Mel Webster said the major steel work was completed in eight months since the first steel arrived in November. Wall board is nearly completed in the high school classroom wing, he said.

The new high school is scheduled to open in September 2014 and the new middle school is expected to open in September 2015.