Bishop Ireton kicked off construction of the school’s new academic wing with a groundbreaking on Tuesday.

Bishop of the Arlington Diocese Michael Burbidge, Head of School Bishop Ireton and Mayor Allison Silberberg, among other school and faith leaders, were in attendance at the groundbreaking.  

The 40,000-square-foot building will be located next to the school’s existing building on Cambridge Road. The new wing will have a bigger cafeteria, a media center, learning common areas, STEM labs, additional classrooms and collaborative learning spaces.

The groundbreaking comes a year after city council approved the project in September 2017. The first phase – demolition of the existing Oblate House and the construction of the classroom space, cafeteria, administrative offices and 38 parking spaces – is expected to be completed in 2019. 

The second phase, also expected to be completed in 2019, will involve adding an auxiliary gymnasium and new main entryway, modernizing classrooms and completing a permanent northern parking lot.