LEXINGTON, MA — Officials from Minuteman High School and the state of Massachusetts joined representatives from Gilbane Building Company, Kaestle Boos Architects, teachers and students to celebrate the official ribbon cutting ceremony of the new Minuteman Regional Vocational High School.

Completed a year ahead of schedule, the two-story, 257,000-square-foot facility accommodates 628 students and is designed to foster collaboration between academic and vocational classes. The building itself is bifurcated in two, one half housing the Engineering, Construction and Trades Academy, which offers such pathways as carpentry or web development, and the other half devoted to the Life Sciences and Services Academy where students can explore careers in cosmetology or biotechnology. Connecting the two wings, or academies, is the student union; a naturally lit, open-air atrium, complete with outdoor courtyard, that provides students from various learning tracts with a common space to gather, collaborate and share ideas.

During his closing remarks at the ceremony, Superintendent Edward Bouquillon commended the entire team that worked to make this new school possible, despite a “very long, very public journey,” and thanked them for their commitment throughout.

“Together, we have built a school that is second to none, a 21st century vocational-technical high school, founded on the principles of collaboration, integration and supporting the whole learner,” Bouquillon said. As he looked toward the students, who brimmed the room as they watched the ceremony from all available space in both the balconies, he attested that this new school “honors the way a student’s brain works” and would now allow the student body to “answer two questions: ‘What do I like to do?’ and ‘What do I do well?’”

Gilbane Building Company provided preconstruction and construction services for the $145-million project, which includes the demolition and abatement of the existing school. The new facility boasts traditional classrooms and vocational spaces, as well as security features, such as secured vestibules and shooter detection capabilities.

“Minuteman High School is a true showcase of the region’s investment and commitment in not only its students, but in the future of these communities and their workforces,” said Mike O’Brien, Vice President and Business Unit Leader for Gilbane in Massachusetts. “I couldn’t be more proud of the entire team. Their focus on collaboration and adherence to lean principals allowed us to deliver this landmark project to the students and the communities an entire school year ahead of schedule.”