Cumberland breaks ground on first new school building in 50 years

CUMBERLAND, R.I. (WLNE) — Officials gathered in Cumberland Wednesday to celebrate the groundbreaking of the town’s first new school building in more than 50 years.

The new Bernard F. Norton Elementary School will serve students in the southern part of the town.

Superintendent Philip Thornton said it would be the first new school built in town since 1970, when North Cumberland Middle School was built.

“At the same time that our enrollment continues to grow, the construction of the new [school] will allow the district to get the space we need as we keep getting more students,” Thornton said.

The groundbreaking was also a homecoming for Gov. Dan McKee, who said he knew the ground where the new school will be built “very well.”

“That, by the way, was the former Cumberland High School,” he said. “This is where it’s at, and I played baseball right on that field when I was at Cumberland High School.”

Education Commissoner Angelica Infante-Green said that the new school would provide additional opportunities for the students of tomorrow.

“Students will now have bright, collaborative spaces for art, STEM and media centers, spaces where their ideas come alive,” she said. “New classrooms for special education, spaces will be filled with natural light, making them warm inviting places where every child, no matter their needs, can thrive.”

Norton Principal Sandy Lariviere said it wasn’t just a groundbreaking, it was “the start of something amazing.”

“This is where the future doctors, artists, teachers, engineers and maybe even principals will begin their journey,” she said.

The elementary school was expected to be open in time for the 2027-2028 school year.