Ten years ago, Principal Jane Esty and Assistant Principal Becky Fortier welcomed the first students to the new Great Falls Elementary School.

The spacious building was constructed for $15 million dollars on 20 acres of former farmland and replaced the much smaller White Rock School in North Gorham. The state paid 90% of the construction costs for the school on route 237, which was built to serve K-5 students in northeast Gorham.

Although Great Falls was built for 500 students, there were 620 before 100 were transferred to Narragansett in 2019. Enrollment this year is 510.

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary, Fortier, now Great Falls principal, is planning monthly events and activities with a committee of current and former parents, students, and staff, culminating in a “spring birthday blast.”

After the restrictions and changes of the past year, Fortier is looking forward to “celebration and renewal.” In past years, she said, as many as 300 families would attend events, giving the school a feeling of family and community. “We want to see our families again.”

The school will hold an open house at the end of September with an outdoor picnic and music. Families will attend staggered alphabetically.

Fortier was quick to say, “All three elementary schools will have welcoming events and meetings. The principals all work together; we have the same goals.”