Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for New Wilmington High School

It's been a trying time for the Wilmington community, with thousands of residents packing Town Common on Saturday to grieve the loss of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier.

While Collier's memory was still fresh in the minds of state and town officials on Thursday, there was a lighter feeling in the air during a different kind of gathering on Town Common.

"From loss and from tragedy and from grief comes optimism and hope," said Massachusetts State Treasurer Steve Grossman during the groundbreaking ceremony for the new high school. "And nothing gives us more hope than to know that to my left a new school will go up and we will celebrate every single day the values of the people of Wilmington."

Though appeals have delayed construction significantly, Board of Selectmen chairman Mike Newhouse said the project will be finished in a timely fashion, and added that he hopes to see many of the faces of the residents in attendance again in two years.

"We maintained a single minded determination and sense of purpose, and that's what is going to enable us to be successful," said Newhouse. "We look forward to seeing you again at the ribbon cutting of the 2015 academic year."