Cornwall-Lebanon School District cuts the ribbon on Falcon Connector building

A year and a half after breaking ground on the 33,000-square-foot building, the Falcon Connector, bridging Cedar Crest High School and Middle School, was officially unveiled Tuesday night, Sept. 30.

Though students have been using the building, which features 22 new classrooms, since the beginning of the school year, the ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday officially marked the end of the approximately $12.9 million project.

The ceremony was populated by school administrators, various others involved in the project, and government representatives.

For now, the classrooms serve as swing classrooms while renovations to the high school are underway.

High school renovations should be complete by May 2028, said superintendent Dr. Philip Domencic, at which time renovations to the middle school are slated to begin. Then, the connector will host classes for middle schoolers.

“Today’s event is about investing in our youth: students who are here today and students that will be here in the future. That has been a hallmark of our district for generations,” said Domencic, going on to explain the history of the district, which was established in 1952 with the merger of West Cornwall, North Cornwall, and Cornwall school districts.

Though it’s a long ways away, Domencic said, the district hopes to move the district office to the ground floor of the connector, while maintaining the top floor as classrooms.

“The classrooms on the second floor are permanent bond classrooms,” he said. “The flexible design of the first floor classrooms will enable potential future modifications including the anticipated move of district offices to this area after the completion of phase three.”

Dr. Jason Murray, CLSD technology services director, said students have been excited to see and use the new building. He said that in addition to lots of natural light, the connector has LED lighting on timers to save energy. He also said classrooms include movable interactive panels and allow for easy movement of equipment.

“It gives [teachers] more flexibility with how they can teach and their strategies,” he said.

Scott Shonk of Beers + Hoffman explained that the architecture firm first interviewed with the district in 1998, and has been working with the school on renovation plans ever since. After the district requested a facilities study in 2021, the three-phase project began to take shape, with contracts for the connector (phase one) being approved in January 2023.

The project involved work from Beers + Hoffman, Steckbeck Engineering and Surveying Inc., Fidevia Construction Management, and contractors including eciConstruction, McCarty & Sons, and Vision Construction.

The connector is part of a three-phase plan to renovate both the high school and the middle school in preparation for a rising student population.

A project renovating the stadium is also currently underway, as well as an 8,306-square-foot addition to the high school.

Read More: CLSD breaks ground on high school additions and stadium renovations

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article stated that the project cost was $15.8 million. That was the estimated cost from 2023, not the final cost. LebTown sincerely regrets the error.