Mamaroneck Ave. School Breaks Ground on Expansion Project

by Kenneth Scheffler

(June 30, 2005) Several Mamaroneck Avenue School students along with their principals and PTA members took the first dig in what will become a new wing of the ninety-six-year old elementary school. It was a day full of firsts for the school and lasts for the outgoing administrators of the district.

MAS kids, administrators and PTA presidents take the first dig on the new MAS wing using a shovel from the original 1908 construction of the main building.

The construction project is expected to take about a year. The two-story expansion will provide more office space and ten new classrooms, allowing pre-kindergarten students to emerge from their current classrooms in the basement. In addition, as a result of the added space, older sections of the school will be reconfigured to make room for two new lunchrooms. The current MAS lunchroom doubles as an auditorium and gymnasium.

As the school held its formal groundbreaking, work had already begun on building a new track and Little League baseball field. Plans are also underway to alter the parking lot and to improve the traffic flow increase safety for student pick-up and drop-off. According to Assistant Superintendant Sarah Tate, who is retiring at the end of the summer, the total cost of the project will be $8.1 million, with $6.9 of the total covered by funds from the construction bond passed in 2001.

Speaking before a crowd of about thirty people on her last day as superintendent of Mamaroneck schools, Dr. Sherry King reflected on how her experiences with MAS have come "full circle" during her ten-year tenure. "In my first day as superintendent I attended a meeting at MAS, at a time when MAS was not feeling as wonderful as it is today," she said. "It feels so perfect to be here today attending a groundbreaking for a school that's filled with an amazing spirit and warmth."

It was the last day as superintendent for Dr. Sherry King (in center with striped pants). Asst. Supt. Sarah Tate (with shovel) retires at the end of the summer. Members of the Mamaroneck School Board and administrators joined construction workers at the groundbreaking of a new wing for Mamaroneck Avenue School.

Coming prepared to get to work with the original shovel used for the groundbreaking of MAS in 1909, Principal Carrie Amon noted that the school's facilities have rarely been updated since its inception. The front building was opened in 1909, and its back building was installed twenty years later. The succeeding eighty-six years is "a long time to wait for these exciting plans and changes," she said.

Louis Dilallo and Brett Poniros represented this year's graduating class that donated a brick to the new playground fundraising effort.

The new baseball field will occupy space formerly held by a playground, and PTA members are currently raising funds to build a new playground in another section of the school grounds. Residents can contribute by purchasing bricks that will be used to form a path to the new playground. Leading the way in the effort are this year’s fifth graders, who presented a $50 brick as their class gift during their graduation ceremony. (See: MAS PTA Launches Fundraiser for New Playground.)

With the playground's size and design still up in the air, rising first grader Joseph Obalde made his preference clear. "I love to go on monkey bars," he said. His sister, Jill Marie Obalde, a rising fourth grader, hope to see a spiraling pole. Clearly, there is still a great deal for administrators, teachers, parents and students to discuss.