What’s Going On in the Annex?
August 02, 2024
If you’ve been around campus this summer, you might have noticed construction vehicles in the south parking lot and wondered – what’s going on in the annex?! We are pleased to announce that the annex classroom wing will finally be wheelchair accessible, starting this school year.
Built in 1966, the two-story annex added much-needed space to the Thetford Academy campus of the time, including eight classrooms, bathrooms, a connecting hallway with lockers, and a student lounge (which older generations fondly remember as the ‘milk room’ where a daily morning snack involving legendary cookies was served). But the building’s layout, which predated disabilities legislation, gave no consideration to wheelchairs or other mobility challenges – like being on crutches after an injury or surgery. Its split-level design featured stairwells at either end of the classroom hallways, requiring everyone to go up or down a flight of stairs to get to class.
This summer, two years shy of the building’s 60th anniversary, we are making the necessary changes to make the annex classrooms accessible to all. Banwell Architects of Lebanon, NH designed the renovation, which reduces the width of the stairs, creating space to install a lift – all within the original footprint of the stairwell, avoiding any impact on classroom square footage. Local construction firm Estes & Gallup is leading the project. And a big shout out to TA’s own John Brown for managing the project on our end.
We are grateful for a lead gift from generous anonymous donors that helped expedite the lift project, along with follow-up grants and donations from the Poore Family Farm Trust, the NH Charitable Foundation, and individual community members. We continue to seek support for additional phases of the project, which include upgrading the fire rating of the building and wheel-chair accessible west entrance.
Our mission at TA is to celebrate the unique worth of all students, to nurture their strengths and to challenge them to fulfill their potential. Having a fully accessible campus is a critical part of meeting that mission – and this summer we are taking one big leap forward toward this goal!
Construction progress photos: Demo in early July … New concrete pad for the lift in mid July … Installing new stairs in early August …
