Two months after the fire occurred, Westborough High School has started its reconstruction process. The multistage process began Friday, November 18 at 3:00 p.m. 

The first stage entailed building walls to contain the area of remodeling. The construction company is working from 3:00-11:00 p.m. and will continue to do so for approximately the next 5 weeks. The construction crew will be removing and replacing floor and ceiling tiles, painting, fixing light fixtures, and replacing any damaged lockers. The cost of remodeling is covered fully by the school’s insurance company.

When the fire alarms went off back on September 7, 44,000 gallons of water were released in 12 minutes through the B- wing hallways. Due to the water damage, there was a possibility that mold could grow, which is why the administration decided not to wait until the summer to start reconstruction.

 A couple of weeks later the fire alarm system short-circuited which caused two unplanned fire alarms to go off. They found that one of the 640 sensors in the ventilation system had malfunctioned. They tested each one and found that the 618 sensor was broken. It’s unclear if the fire incident caused the short circuit in the two unplanned fire alarms. But as of right now, all fire alarms are currently working.

WHS principal Mr. Callaghan shared that fourteen teachers would be relocated to suitable classrooms that were carefully selected. He wanted to make sure teachers had a home base and feel comfortable with the changes the reconstruction will cause. 

Teachers were provided boxes to remove student work, posters, desks, chairs and all other appliances in the school that were moved into storage by a moving company. The teachers took any materials that they needed for the following five weeks. 

When asked how classes will evacuate now that some exits are closed off, Mr. Callaghan shared that only one classroom, B200, was affected and was told the new evacuation plan. 

Reconstruction started the week of Thanksgiving break and due to safety measures taken by the state, the air quality was tested to ensure it was safe for students and staff to return back to school after the break. 

According to Mr. Callaghan, an email was sent to staff informing them about the new changes.