NEWS | Biddeford celebrates BPS school expansion

The expanded Biddeford Primary School offers 16 new classrooms, an outdoor learning center and the possibility for future expansion

By RANDY SEAVER | Editor

A project – some 15 years in the making — from concept to completion, was unveiled Thursday as students from Biddeford Primary School welcomed community members to a ribbon cutting that celebrated the grand opening of a building expansion, which will accommodate the city’s youngest learners.

**CUT THAT RIBBON** | BPS Second-Grader Brady Boucher did the honors of cutting the ceremonial ribbon at Thursday’s ceremony | *Biddeford Gazette photo by Randy Seaver*

The expansion – spurred by the necessary closure of the former John F. Kennedy Memorial School last year — creates what school officials describe as “a unified early-learning campus,” where Biddeford students can begin their educational journey and remain together from Pre – K through the second grade.

The $9 million project saved the city’s taxpayers roughly $16 million, said School Supt. Jeremy Ray, pointing out that necessary repairs and upgrades at the 70-year-old former Kennedy school would have cost the city more than $30 million.

Ray said the “expansion journey” began more than 15 years ago when he was touring the city’s schools as part of a final job interview.

“Closing JFK, a school that served generations, was emotional,” Ray said. “But we really had no choice. The building was becoming increasingly inefficient.”

**SCHOOL SUPT. JEREMY RAY** said the BPS expansion will help families and students by consolidating learning for the first four years of a student’s public education. | *Biddeford Gazette photo by Randy Seaver*

The new building includes an additional 16 climate-controlled classrooms that will allow for summer learning programs and future expansion.

“This project is about much more than additional classrooms; it is about creating stability, belonging and opportunity for our youngest learners,” Ray told the crowd of onlookers. “It represents the balance of honoring our history while planning responsibly for the future, and the return on this community’s investment will be seen in generations of Biddeford children.”

Biddeford voters overwhelmingly approved the $9 million bond for the project (3,253 – 1,581) in 2023.

Ray pointed out that the modernized expansion also preserves an important piece of Biddeford’s educational history, most notably the original scoreboard from the JFK School has been relocated to the new addition and restored to working order.

WELCOME TO OUR SCHOOL

“The excitement in this new space is something you can see and feel every day,” said Meghan Schrader, the principal of Biddeford Primary School. “Our students are eager to explore, learn and make these classrooms their own, while our staff has been energized by the opportunities the new environment creates.”

Mayor Liam LaFountain acknowledged many of the former city and school officials who were all part of making the expansion reality, including former mayors Alan Casavant and Marty Grohman.

“Major investments like this extend across administrations and generations, and today is a powerful example of how thoughtful decisions made years ago can create opportunities for the children who follow,” LaFountain said. “Some of the children standing here today may one day return as graduating seniors, educators, community leaders—or even a future mayor.”

Both Ray and LaFountain noted that the expansion reflects years of planning and public discussion, both pointing to the vision of former Biddeford school superintendent Robert Hodge.

**FORMER BIDDEFORD MAYOR BONITA POTHIER** chats with Bob Hodge, the city’s former school superintendent who led the way for building the Biddeford Primary School. | *Biddeford Gazette photo by Randy Seaver*

Hodge – now 94 years old – was the leading force behind the concept and building of the Primary School in the late 1980s and early 1990s under former mayors Michael Cantara and Bonita Pothier, and he was a special guest at Thursday’s ribbon cutting.

When the Biddeford Primary School was opened in the early 1990s, it was the largest primary school in Maine, Ray said.

School officials say the expansion is not finite and was designed to accommodate the possible future expansions of 10 to 12 classrooms.

Second grader Max Hough served as the student emcee just before the ceremonial ribbon cutting and brought a round of laughter with a quick joke.

**SECOND-GRADER MAX HOUGH** served as student master of ceremonies at Thursday’s ribbon cutting event | *Biddeford Gazette photo by Randy Seaver*

“What is a Ninja’s favorite shoes?” Hough asked the crowd. “Sneakers!”

Hough pointed out many of the expansion’s attributes, including the “Tiger Tail,” a giant, winding interior slide.

Second-grader Brady Boucher did the honors of cutting the ceremonial ribbon to celebrate the completion of the school’s expansion.

Marie Potvin earns her Tiger Stripe by sliding down the new Tiger Tail slide.

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