On the afternoon of June 20, all alumni of Hutchinson Elementary School are invited back to Hutch to share history, memories, and nostalgia before construction of the new elementary school officially begins the following morning.

Tours of the current Hutchinson school will be available to returning alumni and visitors, to give one last glimpse of the building that so many hold close to heart. The tours begin at 4:15 p.m., and will be led by younger Hutchinson alumni still in the school district. At 5 p.m., a group picture of the alumni that attend will be taken on Hutchinson Field to commemorate the school and all of the students that have passed through it. In the event of rain, the picture will be taken in the gymnasium.

Organized by Hutchinson alumnus and Pelham Memorial High School faculty member Kim Scalisi, the event is estimated to bring 100 attendees to the school for the photo.

Trisha Fitzgerald, the principal of Hutchinson since 2016, says she is looking forward to the event. “While we have been spending a lot of time this year planning for construction for the new building, it was always part of the plan to honor our current school and all the students who attended Hutchinson through the years,” she said. “I’m excited for such a diverse group of people to come together and share their stories about what it was like to attend Hutchinson.”

On the following morning of June 21, there will be a ceremony to mark the commencement of the new school’s construction. The groundbreaking ceremony begins at 9 a,m. and will be held on Hutchinson Field, where the new school will be built.

With construction so near, the alumni event is, for many, one last opportunity to revisit Hutchinson Elementary School. Though it will be demolished when the new building is completed, Hutch has shaped generations of students in ways that will always remain with us.