SWANZEY, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) More than 250 residents, families and alumni gathered to mark the completion of a long-anticipated expansion and renovation project.

The celebration, which included a ceremonial ribbon cutting and self-guided tours, showcased new learning and community spaces that will soon serve students from across Swanzey, Richmond and Roxbury — and, beginning this fall, former Cutler Elementary students as well.

School leaders described the turnout as a powerful show of community support, with current families, graduates, future students and longtime residents all walking through the upgraded campus together to celebrate what they called a new chapter for the school.

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Among the highlights are a new library and makerspace near the main entrance, a larger cafeteria designed to double as a performance space, and a gymnasium slated to open soon. A two-story classroom wing adds new kindergarten and preschool rooms on the first floor, with fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms upstairs. The project also features a secure front entrance and updated administrative and health offices.

The expansion represents the largest piece of the Monadnock Regional School District’s multi-year elementary school renovation and consolidation plan, approved by voters in 2023. With Mount Caesar’s completion, Cutler Elementary in West Swanzey will close at the end of the current school year, bringing preschool through sixth-grade students together on one campus.

District officials have said the upgrades not only modernize aging facilities but also improve safety, accessibility and energy efficiency. The new multipurpose areas are designed to allow separate scheduling for physical education, lunch and fine arts programming — strengthening the district’s STEAM focus and creating space for schoolwide assemblies and performances that previously weren’t possible.

The Mount Caesar project follows earlier work at Emerson Elementary in Fitzwilliam and is part of a broader plan that includes upcoming renovations at Troy Elementary and Gilsum STEAM Academy.

Former administrators and longtime school board members in attendance reflected on how the project had been discussed for decades, noting that temporary classroom modules once intended for short-term use remained in place for more than 20 years before being replaced with permanent learning spaces. They credited sustained community support and collaboration across multiple boards and administrations for bringing the vision to fruition.

Construction at Mount Caesar began with site improvements and a new playground that opened at the start of the 2024-25 school year. The latest phase completes the building addition, positioning the campus to serve all PreK–6 students from the three towns in modernized facilities.

As attendees explored the bright new classrooms and gathering spaces Tuesday night, many paused to take photos — a visible reminder of how long the project had been in the making and how many people had a hand in seeing it through.