Staff Report

With the construction of a new Northeast Middle School recently underway with the elimination of trees along the perimeter of the property, a brief review of the school’s formative years and the development of the northeast section of Bristol seems in order.

The groundwork for the school began in the 1950s with Bristol’s post-war building boom. 1954 saw a record number of permits filed with the office of Bristol’s building inspector. By 1959 and over the next three years, 500 single-family homes began being built on the east side of Stafford Avenue near Mine Road.

Heavy construction equipment is on location at the site of the new school. | Staff

Faced with the need for additional schools, in August of 1960, the school building committee approved plans for a new school in the northeast section of town.

Three months later, the city obtained slightly more than 30 acres to construct the school which would be 300 feet south of Stevens Street. To do so, the city secured warranty deeds from Frank and Josephine G. Winar, Hilda I. White, Joseph and Alice Mills, and Emile and Albina Gaudet.

With construction complete and the delivery of school supplies, equipment, and a fresh coat of paint, the school opened in September of 1961 with 465 students. George W. Simpson, transferring from Clarence A. Bingham School, became its first principal.

Due to the significant development on the northeast side of town, the Water Department announced in October of that year they were going to build a water tank on the campus, 10 years ahead of their proposed timetable. The green tank still stands.

The infamous Northeast School path came to be when five parcels of land at the end of Shagbark Road were acquired in 1963. The deed specified that if no hard surface road was installed on the property before Nov. 1, the city would pay $3,500 for severance rights to the property. In that transaction, the Northeast Path was born.

The Bristol school system saw enrollment continuing to grow so on June 25, 1964, the school building committee voted to approve preliminary plans for an additional 14 classrooms on the east side of the school for $487,000. The school became the city’s second largest behind Eastern High School. The addition brought with it 400 students.

The early days of the school were not just the construction of water towers and expansion.

In 1965, the school won Bristol’s second annual drama festival.

The school department sponsored the drama competition as part of its enrichment programming.

“Tramps, Teens, and Terrors“ was directed by Caroline Schafferick, a faculty member. The cast included William Leone, Christine Lisecki, Jeannine Lee Blanc, James Bowden, Mary Anne Leone, Stephen Matthews, John Packard, Andrew Attar and John Patten.

It was not all fun and games, though. 1970 vandals saw fit to desecrate the school the weekend of April 17-19.

Doors were smashed, books were thrown and scattered about, desks were ransacked and bulletin boards found their notices thrown to the floor. The hooligans broke at least 10 windows and threw a stone at the principal’s office window. Total damage was estimated to be at several hundred dollars.

The area where the new school will be built. | Staff

During this period, the neighborhoods around the school began to grow with the development of Illinois Avenue (1964), Minnesota Lane (1966), Indiana Street (1965), and the completion of Sonstrom Road and Rambler Steet.

In 1967, the vacant land south of the school was developed resulting in the emergence of Ivy Drive School, less than a mile away.

Come 2027, the new school will consist of a three-story academic wing and a two-story specialty academic wing with art, music and technology labs. The 130,000 square-feet building is expected house up to 748 6th-8th graders. The cost is $102 million.

D’Amato + Downes Joint Venture is the contractor tasked with the project. The architect is QA+M. The two worked together on the recent renovation of city hall and Bristol Arts and Innovation Magnet School.

For a link to the architectural plans, click here.

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