Rendering of The Monarch School of New England - Rochester, NH

Rochester, NH The Monarch School of New England broke ground on its new regional high school and vocational center on July 15 in a ceremony attended by project partners, city of Rochester mayor Caroline McCarley and Karen Pollard, city of Rochester’s economic development manager. The groundbreaking marks the beginning of construction for a new ground-up, regional high school and vocational center for young adults with significant disabilities by Jewett Construction Company, Inc.

Jewett Construction will once again work with client, partners and the community to build a facility promising to provide education, well-being and opportunity to the needs of the regions young adults with significant disabilities. 

Shown (from left) are: Jason deWildt, S.U.R. Construction; Rick Lundborn, CLD Consulting Engineers; Craig Jewett, Jewett Construction; Phillip Saltmarsh, DeStefano Architects; Jim Jacobs; Josephine Jacobs; Harold Jacobs; Diane Bessey, Monarch School; Jim Carolan, Monarch School; Susan DeRoy, Monarch School; mayor Caroline McCarley; Caitlyn Marble, Rochester Chamber of Commerce; Karen Pollard, city of Rochester; Meghan Anderson, Monarch School; Jonathan Shapleigh, Bank of New Hampshire.

The new 11,000 s/f facility designed by Portsmouth, NH-based DeStefano Architects, will be built on a parcel of land within a beautiful farm off of Eastern Ave. The new facility will house a large multipurpose room, a computer lab, a woodworking/shop area, art and music room, a greenhouse, a kitchen for preparing student lunches and numerous classrooms and administrative offices. The exterior will include cementitious siding, a standing seam metal roof and multiple cupolas. Also onsite will be a half-court basketball court for the students to enjoy.

“We’re honored to be part of this tremendous project,” said Craig Jewett, president of Jewett Construction. “It’s not simply a wonderful opportunity for our company, but for the community at large. A community-build such as the Monarch School of New England project is uplifting for all involved and will, without a doubt, leave a lasting impression on the region.”

“This is our second design collaboration with the Monarch School and we are excited to team with Jewett Construction for this project. We are proud to be a part of a team mutually focused on the betterment of the learning environment for the students of the Monarch School,” says Lisa DeStefano, Principal Architect and Founder of DeStefano Architects.

The full team of DeStefano Architects, Jewett Construction, Summit Engineering, CSI Engineering, HBLA, Inc., and CLD Consulting Engineers are working with local subcontractors and the Monarch School of New England to design and build a facility that will provide the necessary equipment and space to educate and provide training to its students for a wide variety of work options in the agriculture, hospitality, technology and service sectors. The project is being funded by community support, a generous pool of corporate donors and a construction loan from the Bank of New Hampshire.

“Our groundbreaking was a huge success – I was amazed at the number of people that came together to help us celebrate,” says Diane Bessey, Executive Director of the Monarch School of New England. “We have waited over 15 years for this new regional high school and vocational center to be built. Everything has finally come together for us to realize our vision. We are so grateful for everyone that has been a part of this, including all of our partners. The best is yet to come.”

Monarch School of New England is a 501(c)(3) non-profit year-round day school for students, 5 to 21 years of age, with severe physical, medical and developmental disabilities. 

Jewett Construction, an official Butler Builder, is a family-owned design-build/construction management firm specializing in automotive, commercial and industrial projects throughout the Northeast. Its many clients include such well-known organizations as the Exeter Area YMCA, LAARS Heating Systems, The Bean Group, Kennebunk Savings Bank, the Herb Chambers Companies, and the Daniel Webster Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

DeStefano Architects (D|A) has provided architectural services for residential and commercial clients in New England for over two decades.  The firm’s vast experience within the industry ranges from small renovations to ground-up buildings, from one-of-a-kind custom residences to large-scale mixed-use developments. D|A is dedicated to creating environments that function efficiently and improve quality of life.