High-Profile: October 2026 | Page 31

October 2026 High-Profile: Education 31

By Bob Labanara

For Nick Conti, building Madison’ s new Neck River Elementary School was personal. The Gilbane senior project executive wasn’ t simply helping deliver a new school for 640 students. Two of its future students live in his house.

“ I’ ve been building schools for over 20 years and lead all school projects as if my kids will be in the classrooms the first day the school opens,” said Conti.“ It was an added thrill— and pressure— at Neck River because it was actually true.”

Conti’ s sons joined him at the school’ s beam-signing ceremony, adding a family milestone to a project that reflects a broader philosophy at Gilbane: school construction is ultimately about the students, educators, and communities these buildings are built to serve.

Gilbane has been building in Connecticut since 1944, with decades of experience delivering educational facilities across the state. Its recent work includes new schools and major renovations in communities across the state, from Fairfield and South Windsor to Madison, West Haven, Norwalk and Bridgeport.

That commitment to Connecticut’ s schools takes a different form with every project.

In Waterford, Gilbane is providing construction management services for LEARN’ s new Early Childhood School, an 87,000sf, PreK-through-grade-two magnet school scheduled to open for the 2027 school year. The facility is shaped around a museum-inspired, inquirybased educational model, with flexible classrooms, discovery and science spaces, creative arts areas, sensory and therapeutic environments, outdoor playscapes and a family resource center.

For Senior Project Manager Taylor Crouse, who is leading Gilbane’ s work on the project, successful school construction starts well before a shovel enters the ground.“ The construction process can be daunting,” said Crouse.“ We drive a fact-based, problem-solving approach that upholds the best interests of the community as the top priority.”

That commitment extends beyond construction. In Norwalk, Gilbane is managing construction of the new 334,000sf Norwalk High School. Gilbane worked with school leadership to make the construction process itself a learning opportunity. Through a sixweek student externship— a hands-on career exploration experience— students work alongside project managers, superintendents, subcontractors and safety professionals, gaining firsthand exposure to career pathways throughout the architecture, engineering and construction industry.

It’ s an approach that has resonated with other Connecticut school communities.

“ Overall we were extremely pleased with our partnership with Gilbane,” said Dr. Kate Carter, superintendent of South

Windsor Public Schools.“ I also want to note the mentoring program and the outreach to our students, which was well received by our community.”

For Amar Shamas, a Gilbane senior project executive with nearly three decades at the company, relationships like these are an important part of the work.“ Communities choose Gilbane as their builder because of our trusted teams,” said Shamas.“ The proof is our rate of repeat clients. For us, each project

Neck River Elementary School in Madison, Conn.

Trades Day at Norwalk High School / Photos courtesy of Gilbane

is a steppingstone for the next as we strive to improve each step of the process.”

From a child’ s first day of school to the moment a student begins envisioning a future career, Gilbane’ s Connecticut school projects are united by a common purpose: creating learning environments that strengthen communities long after construction is complete.

Bob Labanara is senior manager of business development at Gilbane.

Hollis, NH – The Beaver Brook Association recently cut the ribbon on its new program and education building, marking the completion of the project.

Beaver Brook chose Bensonwood for the team’ s commitment to sustainability, its approach to design, and its limited impact on the physical site and surrounding environment. The efficiency and speed of construction also supported the project’ s schedule goals. Bensonwood manufactured the highly efficient, wood-framed panels offsite at its Keene facility. The panels arrived fully insulated with dense-pack cellulose and pre-installed windows, reducing time on site and material waste while improving quality control.

The ribbon cutting marks a major milestone for Beaver Brook Association and a strategic investment in its dual mission of conservation and education.

“ For Beaver Brook, it was important that how we built this facility reflected why we built it,” said Lindsay Jones, executive director at Beaver Brook.“ Bensonwood

Bensonwood and Beaver Brook celebrate ribbon cutting

shared our commitment to sustainability, thoughtful design, and stewardship of the natural world. Together, we created a building that will support environmental education for generations while also serving as an example of the values we hope to inspire in everyone who comes through its doors.”

“ Behind the $ 4.1 million we raised are so many people who chose to invest in

Beaver Brook’ s future. That’ s what makes this accomplishment so meaningful,” said Debbie Johnson, director of development at Beaver Brook.“ The number is incredible, but what really matters is that it represents the generosity, trust, and commitment of our community.”

The new building represents the first phase of a larger facilities plan and provides modern classroom space to support Beaver Brook’ s expanding environmental education programs across its 2,200-acre outdoor classroom in Hollis. Leaders emphasize that the sustainable structure not only houses programming but also serves as a living example of the conservation principles the organization has taught for more than 60 years.

Steven Dumont, architect for Bensonwood, said the missions of the two organizations are closely aligned and that the firm was pleased to support the growth of Beaver Brook’ s educational programs through a modern, functional building.

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