On Monday April 10th,  over 40 members of the Lyndon Institute extended community came together to celebrate the groundbreaking for the remodeling of the entryway to LI’s Main building. The ceremony marked LI’s first capital campaign in over 30 years and celebrated the commencement of the $950,000 renovation project.

The planned remodeling of the entryway to the Pierce Wing will create a welcoming entrance for guests to be checked before entering into the building, gender-neutral restrooms, and a student lounge with art displays on each wall. This is the first remodel to the wing which was originally completed in 1976. The Main building itself just celebrated its centennial birthday in December 2022.

In attendance were LI trustees, corporators, community members and friends, elected state representatives, members of the contracting team, school faculty and staff,  students, and parents. People were greeted by LI’s Head of School, Dr. Brian Bloomfield, who opened the event by commenting on the importance of this project at this time. Bloomfield highlighted the three-fold goals of the renovation: security, inclusivity, and socio-emotional health. The new entryway, Bloomfield said, “will provide the safety and security all members of our community deserve. When someone doesn’t feel safe, they cannot learn quadratic equations.” In addition, the project replaces communal bathrooms with five non-gendered, single-occupant restrooms. “Most importantly,” Bloomfield said, the new space, “is designed for students. It will be a place for them to hang out and simply be together” and that “Covid taught us that this time together, being social and building friendships, is so important to the healthy development of these young adults.” Bloomfield also commented that, “LI has been serving the Lyndon area and the families of the Northeast Kingdom for over 150 years…our core is to be of service to these families in this place at this time. Today marks a commitment to the new decades of NEK students who will walk through these doors and be a part of LI’s legacy.”

Following Bomfield, Student Council President Gemma Stowell, a senior at LI, spoke to the gathering. Stowell joked, “I’ve spent the last four years walking through these halls, learning in these classrooms, and coming in late through this entrance,” but continued to say, “I have changed drastically because of Lyndon Institute and it is truly heartwarming to see this project with the goal of improving the school I’ve been so lucky to have been a part of.”

Trustee, Caleb Burrington, architect and alumnus of the class of 2009, spoke next and commented that the remodel will “modernize the school, which is the point.” Burrington, owner of  Burrington Design Build, LLC., told the crowd that his career began in a drafting classroom on LI’s Vail campus and that he was happy to see this project underway.

The final speaker at the event was Board President, Loralee Tester. Tester, herself an alumna from the class of 1996, a former French teacher at LI, and a current parent, was overjoyed at the event. “Just over 30 years ago I entered this building for the first time…As we [LI] hit 155 years, we recognize that the feeling you have when you walk on campus is part of the experience. When you take pride in your surroundings, you are lifted just a little higher and dream just a little bigger.” Tester continued, “This, in itself, is incredibly exciting, but it also is symbolic of what is to come. It marks the dawn of the next era of greatness for LI. We see what is possible when the community comes together to support a cause and we see the benefits to our entire community when we invest in this historic educational institution.”

After, Bloomfield thanked everyone for coming and invited them to share some construction-themed refreshments while members of the community took turns placing shovels into the ground and symbolically opening up the project. LI has hired Dana Young Construction, satiated out of Burke, to oversee the project. The renovated entryway is scheduled to be completed by mid-August to welcome students in for next year.