New Canon-McMillan Middle School opens for students

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — After nearly a decade of planning and construction, the new state-of-the-art Canon-McMillan Middle School is finished and open for learning.

Students moved into the building last week, and district administrators hosted a Grand Opening event on Monday.

“In our previous building, we didn’t have a campus,” said Dr. Greg Taranto, Assistant to the Superintendent. “We have a true middle school campus now.”

Dr. Taranto told Channel 11 that Canon-Mac is among the fastest growing in western Pennsylvania, and the district had outgrown the previous building. He described it as “outdated” and noted that the building did not have air conditioning.

The new campus, located on Big Mac Boulevard, features a field, turf field, two gymnasiums, an auditorium, a dedicated wrestling room, a music wing, and various learning spaces including “team” rooms.

The previous building held about 850 students, while the new campus can accommodate more than 1000.

“We have space to actually expand, we had the foresight to think to the future,” Taranto said.

“It’s really amazing, I really love it,” said seventh grader Quinn Paris.

Paris serves as the Student Council Vice President. She and fellow officers helped to pack a time capsule during Monday’s grand opening event.

The capsule, which includes a signed “class of 2027″ poster, was cemented into the building, near the entrance.

Taranto told Channel 11 that despite the pandemic and subsequent supply chain problems, the construction project was completed “on time and on budget,” costing about $65 million.

Workers are wrapping up a few finishing touches, including some paint work. The auditorium isn’t open yet but should be completed Feb. 10, leaders said.

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