Students, parents, residents, area officials and representatives of agencies that played key roles in the project attended the ceremony and toured the facility. The SDA funded and provided oversight for the school construction. The project co-developers were the Mercer County Improvement Authority and the Trenton Demonstration School Development, LLC. Joseph Jingoli & Son, Inc. was construction manager, and the school was designed by USA Architects, Planners and Interior Designers, P.A.
The event marked the completion of the third of six state-designated demonstration projects – an initiative where new schools incorporate community components. These projects are designed to serve as a catalyst for private investment to revitalize urban communities.
Rodney Lofton, Superintendent of Schools, stated, “We are excited and delighted to be on the threshold of the opening of our new, award winning Daylight/Twilight facility. As we celebrate the long-anticipated move to this modern, well equipped, functioning high school that Trenton students so richly deserve, we also celebrate the hope that its newness embodies for improved academic achievement in our Capital City. We are grateful for our continuing partnership with Mercer County Community College and the many benefits that this collaboration will afford our students, staff and academic programs. A heartfelt ‘thank you’ to all who helped make this project possible.”
Scott Weiner, SDA Chief Executive Officer, remarked, “In May of 2006, I was privileged to represent the SDA and speak at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Daylight/Twilight High School. On behalf of everyone at the SDA, I am pleased to celebrate the opening of this 21st century facility. It marks the latest milestone in the ongoing, collaborative efforts of the SDA, school district and city officials, which have now produced seven modern schools for the students of Trenton. This project also shows how, by investing in the community, we are making real progress toward revitalizing urban neighborhoods.”
Besides the Daylight/Twilight High School, other projects completed by the SDA in the Trenton district include Parker, Columbus, Gregory, Kilmer, Mott and Hill elementary schools. Another project, the Martin Luther King/Jefferson School, is under construction.
The Daylight/Twilight High School at East Hanover and Montgomery streets includes 40,000 square feet of new construction linked to 61,000 square feet of renovated space in two five-story buildings and a one-story building. Last month, it received the City of Trenton’s Landmarks Preservation Award for its reuse of the landmark five-story structures. It provides instruction for 1,400 students during three four-hour shifts daily. The flexible schedule allows students to balance jobs and family responsibilities with furthering their education. The facility includes a day-care center, auditorium and meeting rooms for community activities.
The school is part of an urban campus with such community-based learning institutions as Mercer County Community College, the Public Library and YWCA around a central open space. It will house the Trenton school district's educational program that provides non-traditional students ages 16 to 75 – including working parents and retired grandparents – the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and pursue higher academic and vocational studies. For the past eight years, the Daylight/Twilight program has operated in satellite facilities.
The SDA is responsible for funding and oversight of the school component of the six state demonstration projects. The projects are managed by a municipal redevelopment entity and redeveloper.
The first completed demonstration project – the Octavius V. Catto Community School and Boys & Girls Club of Camden County – opened in the City of Camden last August. Vineland’s Gloria M. Sabater School, a community facility for 830 pre-kindergarten through 5th grade students, opened last December. The remaining demonstration projects are under construction in East Orange, New Brunswick and Union City.
The SDA has 25 projects under construction. In addition to the three demonstration projects, the SDA has completed 39 schools and 39 major renovations and additions along with nearly 400 health, safety and other projects in SDA (formerly Abbott) Districts. The SDA is forecasting the opening of 12 schools and the completion of four school rehabilitations in September 2008. The program also has distributed $2.2 billion in grants, impacting more than 1,400 suburban schools statewide.
