Contributed by The HOPP Hope Fund
For years, the old schoolhouse in West Gorham has sat empty. This summer, a team of workers has been working to bring it back to life and to return it to its original purpose: a place for children to learn.
The journey has been difficult. What was considered a renovation quickly became a much larger restoration after opening walls and discovering extensive rot, water damage, and years of hidden problems. There have been plenty of moments when this project felt bigger than the team, but somehow this community has continued to show up. Families have volunteered their time, people have stepped in wherever they could, and they have played a huge part in getting this close to completion.
In September, this old schoolhouse will once again open its doors to children. House of Parker Preschool will operate from the property, including a partnership with the Gorham School District to offer public pre-K. But the vision for this property reaches beyond the school day. House of Parker is creating a community space for after-school makers and creators of all ages, vacation and summer programming, and the work of The HOPP Hope Fund, a new 501(c)(3) created to help make these opportunities accessible to children regardless of a family’s financial circumstances.
Mary Hanscome, owner of Parker Preschool and founder of the HOPP Hope Fund, had this to say about the project: “There is something incredibly special about watching an old schoolhouse become a school again more than a century after it was built. For me, there’s also a very personal connection to this building. My grandfather attended school here sometime in the 1950s. My mother remembers attending Halloween parties here that were sponsored by USM. And I attended preschool here myself in the early 1980s. To now be the person bringing children back through these doors feels like one of those rare full-circle moments in life.”
An Open House is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 30, and the team is working hard to reach that goal.
There is a very tight deadline, and after everything discovered during construction, the project is significantly over the original budget. Over the next couple of weeks, they are asking anyone who believes in what they’re creating to help however they can, whether that’s volunteering a few hours, sharing the schoolhouse’s story, or donating to The HOPP Hope Fund to help get the project across the finish line. “Some of the children who attended HOPP at our former Huston Road location are even planning lemonade stands, with the proceeds going to The HOPP Hope Fund. This is a wonderful example of what this project has become: children helping build something for the children who will come after them,” says Hanscome.
“This little schoolhouse has already lived a lot of life and impacted many children and their families, and we’re working incredibly hard to make sure its next chapter continues that legacy.”