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Anastasia Barnes

Well, I guess school season is back in swing. Summer vacations are winding down. Parents are getting back to work. Students are heading to their classes. September is never a slow month, is it?

As I looked through this month’ s issue, I realized how fitting it is that we begin our Schools & Institutions section with Scott Bates’ piece on master planning( page 12). As his article suggests, the most successful campus projects begin not with a building, but with a vision.

To speak to how that vision carries through, our cover story by Lori Cowles( page 14) looks at how the design of a school can have a real impact on its students. Since the new Arlington High School opened its doors, an annual survey shows students’ sense of belonging has increased by 18 %. Those are real results, and one of the reasons this project felt so fitting for our September cover

Geothermal well drilling at Clinton Middle School

That sense of belonging also comes through in Pamela Perini’ s piece on school security( page 28). Pamela writes,“ A safe school should do more than keep danger out. It should help students feel secure, connected, and ready to learn.” The fact that school security is even talked about to the extent that it is today is still so mindboggling to me. When I went to school, you were lucky if the lightbulb worked in the bathrooms.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Dave Fontaine Jr. of Fontaine Bros. about what’ s changing in K-12 construction( page 35). My favorite quote from our interview:“ Rather than simply saying,‘ This building is old, and we need to replace it,’ they’ re looking at the district level, where the town is growing and what their long-term needs are.” The takeaway? A bigger-picture approach to any kind of construction project should start with a vision.

I always like to highlight anniversaries when I get the chance. M. O’ Connor Contracting, Inc.( MOCC) is celebrating 50 years in business. That’ s no small feat. It seems fitting that they’ re marking the milestone alongside the completion of Horace Mann Elementary School in Newton( page 24). Congratulations to the entire MOCC team!

High-Profile will be celebrating 30 years September of next year.

I’ m also excited to announce that High-Profile is producing the Built Leadership Forum, which will serve as the official kickoff event for Suffolk Technologies’ Boston Built Week. Check out the back cover of this issue to learn more!

September 2026

Next month’ s focus is Corporate and Interiors. Our deadline is shorter than normal: September 18. Pick up the phone or send me an email and let me know what you have going on.

Enjoy the read.

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