On Monday, October 6, 2025, excitement filled the air at Hatherly Elementary School as students, staff, and community members gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Cushing-Hatherly Elementary School project. The event, held at 9:30 AM, marked the official start of construction on Scituate’s newest elementary school–a project that will unite two school communities, Cushing and Hatherly, into one building.
Technically, construction was already underway. The new school is being built atop what was once Hatherly’s grass field. During the ceremony, several bulldozers were already at work plowing the field. The new elementary school is expected to be open for the 2027-28 school year, with students remaining in their current schools throughout construction.
Once the project is complete, the current Hatherly School building will be torn down and replaced with a grass field. Cushing Elementary School will also be torn down; however, future use of the land has not yet been finalized. Interim Superintendent Dr. Thomas Raab noted that the space might be turned into another grass field, though he’s “keeping his fingers crossed” that part of it will be used for a school bus parking lot.
With construction noise in the background, Dr. Raab opened the ceremony by welcoming the guests and sharing the excitement of “bringing two wonderful school communities together.” The Pledge of Allegiance followed, led by SPS fifth graders Norah Hanesh and Nolan Spinoli–one proudly holding the American flag while the other led the crowd in recitation.
Speeches following the Pledge emphasized appreciation for the hard work of the Scituate community and the shared excitement for the new school, a building that will soon house the leaders of tomorrow. School Committee Chair Nicole Brandolini described the day as “the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Scituate Public Schools.”
Susan Harrison, Vice Chair of the Scituate Select Board and mother of two current Hatherly fifth graders, followed with remarks regarding her time on “the spreadsheets, the budgets, and the numbers of this school.” Harrison defined budgets as “not just a collection of numbers, but an expression of our values and aspirations as a community.” She continued her speech by emphasizing how lucky Scituate residents are to live in a town and state where education is a top priority.
State Senator Patrick O’Connor closed the speeches with an inspiring and fitting quote from educator Lon Watters: “A school is not just a building–it’s four walls with tomorrow inside.”
The ceremony then turned musical, as Peter Mundt, Cushing’s longtime music teacher, led a combined fifth-grade chorus from both schools in a performance of “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay. Mundt played his acoustic guitar alongside the students, harmonizing with the chorus, earning enthusiastic applause from the crowd.
When the music concluded, the groundbreaking officially began. Community leaders, students, and project contributors lined up to grab one of the dozen shovels embedded in the ceremonial dirt pile and threw the shoveled dirt forward, officially kicking off construction. In his closing remarks, Dr. Raab thanked the staff, construction crew, and community, saying the day symbolized “brighter tomorrows for all of our children.”
With the groundbreaking complete, excitement for the new Cushing-Hatherly Elementary School is in full swing. As Dr. Raab said, this project marks “the start of something truly special for Scituate’s future.