Published March 20. 2026 09:19AM
On March 6, Parkland School District held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the high school expansion project at Parkland High School, 2700 N. Cedar Crest Blvd., South Whitehall. Attendees of the ceremony included staff, students, school board members, contractors, legislators, township personnel and local media.
The project is the culmination of two years of planning. It is a critical component of PSD’s Vision 2030.
“This multi phase project will significantly expand and modernize the existing high school campus to better serve students, educators and the broader community,” Director, Communications and Community Engagement Nicole Mehta McGalla said.
What this means for students and staff is that there will be an additional 84,914 square feet of additional space and 74,561 square feet of renovations. This increases the school’s total size from 495,000 square feet to 578,696 square feet.
The expansion includes 30 new classrooms, 16 new science, art, engineering, robotics and food laboratories, two enclosed outdoor courtyards, a renovated media center, improved building flow and circulation, expanded administrative offices, enhanced cafeteria space and a new athletics entrance.
“As a graduate of Parkland High School, this project is especially meaningful to me. We’ve been a proud partner of Parkland School District on many projects, and the upcoming high school addition is no exception. We’re more committed than ever to bring our experience and enthusiasm to help support the district in delivering a successful project the Parkland community can be proud of,” Mike Butz, general manager of Alvin H. Butz, Inc. said.
Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Mark J. Madson, said, “This expansion project holds profound significance for the students and staff of Parkland High School, culminating two years of thorough planning and community engagement. We are excited to break ground on a project that will immediately alleviate space constraints, modernize facilities and provide dedicated, permanent classrooms for the many teachers currently sharing spaces and traveling throughout the day.”
There will be phases in the construction with work to be completed by December 2027.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOParkland School District officials Tim Chorones, assistant superintendent, Chris Pirrotta, school board member, Dr. Mark Madson, superintendent of schools, Jay Rohatgi, Lisa Roth, David Hein, Carol Facchiano and Jon Macklin, school board members, Annette Wilcox and Rob Cohen, former board members, Michelle Minotti, assistant superintendent and Leslie Frisbie, director of business administration break ground for the expansion to begin March 6.
PRESS PHOTOS BY SHARON SCHRANTZParkland School District Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark J. Madson, tells the attendees at the groundbreaking, “This expansion project holds profound significance for the students and staff of Parkland High School, culminating two years of thorough planning and community engagement.”
Parkland High School Principal Nathan Davidson provides comments about the high school expansion.