In December 2024, the Triton School District began a partnership with Massachusetts School Building Authority, inviting Triton into the first module of a renovation process.
Triton Regional High School was built back in 1971. Since then, an abundance of factors have led to the natural deterioration of the foundation and interior; student mistreatment and reclamation from the marsh it’s built on, on top of the inability to fund repairs. This reporter’s parents, Rebecca and Jeremy Ewell, who were classmates at Triton and graduated together in 1991, shared what the building was like during their time there.
“It was somewhat rundown in the 80s, but not compared to today,” says Rebecca Ewell.
“Back then, we probably treated the place worse than the kids today. There were missing doors from the bathroom stalls, so I always went to the bathroom at the nurse’s…the lockers were rusted and dented, it smelled like cigarettes in the hallways,” added Jeremy Ewell.
“Yeah, the kids definitely contributed to the poor conditions over the years,” Rebecca Ewell continued, “But now, I think it’s worse because it’s an outdated infrastructure. A lot of leaky ceilings.”
Superintendent Brian Forget and Triton High School Principal Patrick Kelley share how the Triton renovation project began, and how it’s going.
“Personally, I have been coordinating this process for many years, starting formally in 2019 when we completed a facilities assessment and began working with our towns to understand the needs,” says Forget. “We have selected the Owners Project Manager and are working on selecting the Designer/Architect. We expect to have that team set by April, and then we can expect to study our options for about one year, and then work to create the schematic designs over the following year.
“We expect we’d be taking a proposed plan (including how much the project would cost) to each of our member towns’ approval in May of 2028,” said Forget. “With that plan, we’d start construction in 2029 and a renovation would be substantially complete in 2031.”
Kelley stated that some of the initial work to envision what a renovated Triton would look like has already begun.
“Over the past year there has been a visioning committee that I have done a lot of work with and been part of,” said Kelley. “This group is looking at what education needs to look like on this campus when we move into a new building. We have visited other new schools, conducted community workshops, and done a series of student observations.”
When asked about the current building, he said that while it is working somewhat now, the school has many needs.
“It mostly functions, but it does not do all that we fully need,” said Kelley. “The spaces are not designed for modern learning and many of the building systems are reaching end of life.”
“There is more that we should be able to do but are limited because of the building,” said Kelley. “Our campus is set on one of the most beautiful plots of land for any school in the state and I want our building to match that for our students,”
Members of the Triton community have aimed for and hoped for a change. So, when the district announced in August of 2025 that the full renovation project with MSBA is expected to be completed in 2031, many are satisfied, but some students are disappointed knowing they’ll have graduated before that.
For now, Triton students and staff can wait for updates regarding the project as they arise.
