By Dan Atkinson
Voice Writer
During her renowned career as an administrator and later principal of West Haven High School, the late Pam Gardner harbored the dream of building a lecture hall at WHHS where students could “transcend” traditional book-learning they do in classes. While the effort to build a lecture hall was long and difficult, it finally came to reality over the past two years. On Monday, March 4th, the school community came together to officially dedicate the project, as well as celebrate Gardner’s memory.
A crowd of 100-plus gathered in the school lobby that afternoon to officially dedicate the Pamela Bellmore Gardner Memorial Lecture Hall. The dedication began with a moving speech by the Master of Ceremonies, Superintendent Neil C. Cavallaro. Following him, the crowd heard memorable speeches by guest speakers Cebi Waterfield (the city’s Board of Education Director), West Haven Mayor Dornida Borer, and WHHS Principal Dana Paredes.
The overriding messages of the speeches was that the lecture hall was a fitting memorial to Gardner’s contributions to the school and dedication to excellence, and that Gardner was a wonderful leader and friend who inspired students, staff, and the wider community to succeed with her belief in the power of education.
Cavallaro opened the proceedings by discussing how Gardner, who was principal of WHHS before passing away in 2018, thought a school lecture hall would benefit all students and teaching staff and could be used for community meetings (such as for Board of Ed) and gatherings as well. He said WHHS plans for the space “to be a routine part of the academic program for any student that attends West Haven High School beginning now and well into the future”.
Cavallaro added that Gardner’s fingerprints were all over not only the project to build the lecture hall, which was first conceived a decade ago, but the school as a whole. He ended his speech by urging the dedication guests to reflect on the opportunities Gardner Memorial Lecture Hall will provide to students, and how “none of it would have been possible without Pam’s leadership, vision, and belief that no students who attend West Haven High School should have to settle for anything less than the best.”
Waterfield was up next. The Chairwoman first said the dedication was a way to pay tribute to Gardner’s spirit and commitment to education. Said Waterfield, “This space will act as a lasting reminder of her contributions to WHHH and inspiration for students to come.” She then moved on to discussing how the lecture hall dedication was a way to recognize Gardner’s larger influence on WHHS and importance to the community.
“It’s Pam’s ideals and values that we seek to honor today. She believed in the power of education to transform lives, open the doors of opportunity and to foster a community of belonging,” Waterfield said. “She instilled in her students a love of learning, thirst for knowledge and a belief in their own potential to make a difference in the world.”
Waterfield concluded her remarks by saying she hoped the Pamela Bellmore Gardner Lecture Hall can be “a testament to her legacy and the profound impact one individual can have on the lives of others.”
In her speech, Mayor Borer focused more on her personal relationship with Gardner, her influence on the WHHS community at large, and Gadner’s hope that city residents as well as school staff could enjoy the resources of the lecture hall.
“(Pam)always made sure that everything she worked on, not only provided a great quality of education for the youth of our city but also, she wanted to empower our community,” Borer said. “This dream of a lecture hall was for our students, but she wanted the community to access it as well, because she wanted everyone to enjoy what our education system has to offer.”
Borer talked a little bit more in the reception after the dedication why it was appropriate for the lecture hall to be named after Gardner, and why she thought the event drew such a big crowd.
“It is fitting for Pam to have her own lecture hall because she was a great champion for the school and community. Pam was a very authentic and friendly person with a great family, and you reap what you sew. I am not surprised so many loved her and wanted to give back in her name by showing up her to this ceremony,” Borer said.
WHHS Principal Dana Parades concluded the dedication by calling Gardner the heart and soul of the school as principal and her commitment to the job unparalleled. Parades fittingly summed up the message of the dedication ceremony by saying “This lecture hall will not only serve as a physical space for learning, but also as a symbol of Pam’s enduring spirit, her dedication to excellence, and her unwavering belief in the power of education.”
Following the speeches, the dedication ceremony for Pamela Bellmore Gardner Memorial Lecture Hall ended with a musical presentation by Gardner’s cousin Mark Denny and pianist Phyllis Silver, in which they performed “Beautiful City” by Godspell. Scott and Mackenzie, Gardner’s husband and daughter, accepted a plaque with the names of individuals involved in the lecture hall project, which will be displayed outside of the hall.
The Pamela Bellmore Gardner Memorial Lecture Hall is an eye-catching structure that should be a great learning environment for WHHS students. The hall can seat 96 people in six rows of comfortable seats. It has a large multi-purpose screen in the front that will be used to help teach lessons and for similar activities.
The team that led funding efforts for the lecture hall was led by Ken Carney, the chairman of the West Haven Building Committee and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Committee, along with Waterfield. Cavallaro formally secured the funding for the project in late 2022.
$4 million was originally allocated towards the lecture hall, with much of the funding being ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds that became available during the pandemic. However, after the initial design of the lecture hall was put out to bid, the cost escalated to 6.2 million. Carney worked with the winning bidder, Gilbane Building Company, and Antinozzi Associates to lower the cost of construction to $4 million. The construction of the Pamela Bellmore Gardner Memorial Lecture Hall ultimately came in $150,000 under budget.
Gilbane and Antinozzi Associates Architecture and Interiors collaborated on building the lecture hall, which was constructed between July and January. Mike Mazzarella and Nick Conti, who both manage projects for Gilbane, said that essential tasks they had to carry out included audio visual coordination and constructing the lecture hall so that it connected to the main high school building. The construction of the Pamela Bellmore Gardner Memorial Lecture Hall ultimately came in $150,000 under budget.
Examples of how the audio visual features will be used in the lecture hall include microphones built into the ceiling that will pick up people sitting in the back of the lecture hall who want to voice opinions or questions and cameras at the front of the room that will focus in on students with raised hands and project them on the corner of the large projector screen so that the lecturer is aware of the student.
Mazzarella and Conti both said that the construction process went very smoothly. The pair had strong working relationships with all parties involved in the lecture hall project. Michael LoSasso, the Principal of Antinozzi Associates, said that he helped make the decision to attach the lecture hall to the right end of the main high school building. The hall was originally intended to be attached to the back entrance of the high school, close to the swimming pool. LoSasso echoed Mazzarella and Conti’s statements about the working process on the lecture hall.
Pam’s daughter Mackenzie was front and center at the dedication of the Pamela Bellmore Gardner Memorial Lecture Hall. Mackenzie, who was involved with her dad in making the lecture hall a reality, talked afterwards about what she enjoyed the most about the ceremony and how rewarding it was to see such a large crowd show up and speak at it.
“I truly enjoyed the speeches from each of the speakers. Each speaker had a unique and special connection to my mother, and it was incredible to hear their kind words and perspectives. Each speaker mentioned my mother’s vision for this lecture hall, and I loved how they were able to vocalize how much this meant to my mother,” Gardner said. “I did not expect that many people to attend, it was incredibly heartwarming. I enjoyed seeing so many West Haven High School alumni, and heard many comments that they were jealous that the lecture hall was not there when they were in school.”
Mackenzie praised the design of the lecture hall, saying that it rivaled similar college facilities , and that it could be used by WHHS athletes for watching game tape and community guest speakers in addition to students and faculty at the high school.
Finally, Mackenzie spoke for many as well as herself when asked what she hopes is the ultimate legacy of the lecture hall for the individuals and groups that use it.
“I hope this lecture hall will serve as an opportunity for students to acquire education in a setting that is like that of higher education classrooms. Additionally, this lecture hall provides the opportunity to bring more students together for classes, which gives the students more discussion opportunities and causes less worry about obtaining a spot in a demanding class section.”