09/03/2026
Yesterday, we joined Governor Dan McKee, Mayor Charles Lombardi, state and local leaders, and the North Providence community to celebrate the opening of the new Dr. Joseph A. Whelan Elementary School and Woodhaven Elementary School.
The two new schools will serve more than 800 students combined, with Woodhaven bringing the former Greystone and Centerville school communities together in a new preschool-through-fifth-grade facility, and the new Whelan Elementary School providing a home for 280 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Both schools feature flexible classrooms and dedicated spaces for music, media, dining, physical education, and collaborative learning.
Shawmut Senior Project Manager Christine Kennedy and Project Executive Gordon Zaniol were proud to speak at the ceremonies, recognizing the project teams, partners, educators, and community members who brought these schools to life. They also reflected on what made the work especially meaningful: throughout construction, our teams became part of the communities themselves—building relationships with students, educators, and families, bringing students into the construction process, and creating a deeper connection to the places where generations of North Providence students will learn and grow.
That same commitment continues across Rhode Island, where Shawmut teams have delivered or are currently advancing 16 K-12 projects across seven school districts.
