Cabin John Middle School (CJMS) is currently undergoing a reconstruction that is scheduled to be completed for reopening in August 2011 with an estimated cost of about $48 million.  Demolition on the school began in July shortly after the completion of an asbestos abatement program.

Students at CJMS are currently attending Tilden Holding Center in Rockville, where they will remain through the 2010-2011 school year. 

The new building must meet specific energy efficiency standards to receive an award for leadership in environmental and energy design which is awarded in two levels, silver and gold.  All new MCPS schools are required to meet the silver standard, and the reconstruction team aims to acquire the gold award.

“[The building] is the total package,” reconstruction project manager Dennis Cross said.  “They will definitely get the silver [award], and they do stand a good chance of obtaining gold.”

In the early stages of renovations, there was destruction of vegetation around the school and many trees were ordered to be brought down so that construction could proceed. However, the school is taking pains to ensure that the trees are replaced.

“The whole process was reviewed by the Maryland National Park and Planning Committee,” Cross said.  “We were going through some methods [such as reforestation] described by Park and Planning to save many of the trees.”

Many CHS students who attended CJMS, including junior Ori Avissar, feel that the school needed a renovation and are excited to see the results.

“When I was there it really looked like it needed some shaping up to get a little bit more state-of-the-art,” Avissar said.  “I’d love to see what they do to the school.”

According to sophomore Alec Jennison, whose mother Tracy Jennison also attended CJMS, the renovations will give the school a new fresh face.

“It has a lot of history,” Alec said.  “[With the renovations] it would be much different.  The whole layout will be so different.”

Tracy Jennison feels similarly.

“I do feel a bit emotionally attached to the old CJMS,” she said.  “When Alec started school there I went over to look at the school.  Not much had really changed since I was there except that they added a new wing.  The smell of the school was exactly how it used to be and it was like a flood of nostalgia washed over me.”