A Busy Summer and Fall of Construction
When the ice storms hit Portland in January of 2024, French International suffered significant damage including flooding in Satellites Two, Three, and part of Satellite One. The storm opened an opportunity for the Campus Transformation to officially begin in the summer of 2024. Things are changing on campus as we begin our full transformation to create a more student-centered space for global minds to learn and grow.
The first steps of the construction project begin over the summer. Our contractor, Carbon Group:
Demolished Satellites Two, Three, and the south part of Satellite One
Demolished the three houses on the north side of campus along Cornell Road
Remodeled the Commons into two classrooms
Installed five modular classrooms where the south part of Satellite One stood
Began “rough grading” of Maternelle construction site
Once the 2024-25 school year began, Carbon Group has:
Built and tested a retaining wall that will help support the new Maternelle buildings.
Conducted retaining wall, soil, erosion, and stormwater testing to ensure space is ready once building permits are issued.
Performed underground utility work over ACE week.
Set concrete foundations.
For most of the fall, we were awaiting approval from the City of Portland for our Maternelle building permit to begin construction on the actual Maternelle buildings. After back-and-forth with the city, the building permits were officially approved in November.
Carbon Group and the French International team are mobilizing in anticipation of beginning the build of the new Maternelle buildings in late November. The Maternelle buildings will be located on the southwest corner of campus, where Satellite Three used to sit. These buildings will house TPS, preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten classrooms, as well as other important programmatic spaces.
Our campus transformation will be funded through campaign philanthropy, our campus redevelopment fund, and strategic borrowing. Our campaign, Grow with Us, The Campaign for French International, is underway, and we are having conversations with leadership donors. Our goal for the campaign is $8 million which was validated through the campaign planning process and feasibility study. This is an ambitious fundraising campaign for our community, but we trust that, with the support of our entire community, we can successfully reach this goal. If you are interested in having a conversation and getting involved in the campaign, please email Marianne Wilburn, Director of Development.
Throughout our school's history, we have continuously evolved to meet the needs of our students and community. Every member of our school community, past and present, has played a vital role in our history. We wouldn’t be in the position we are today to establish a permanent campus and set ourselves apart as one of the premier independent schools in Portland without the support of our community.
