Gorham Middle High School Seniors Unveil New Baseball Dugouts for Town of Gorham

GORHAM – Superintendent David Backler and Principal Jen Corrigan are pleased to announce that two Gorham Middle High School seniors built two new dugouts for the school as part of their capstone project. 

Seniors Anthony Pizzuto and Chase Carder built two dugouts as part of their year-longcapstone project. Pizzuto and Carder put over 100 hours into the project. 

The dugouts are located on the Gorham Town Common, 20 Park St., where Gorham students play baseball throughout the spring sports season. 

Pizzuto and Carder were recognized for their hard work in a ceremony on Wednesday, May, 17, where they unveiled the new dugouts to the public ahead of Gorham Middle High School’s varsity baseball game against Colebrook Academy. 

Since the dugouts are located on the Gorham Town Common, Pizzuto and Carder had to present the idea of rebuilding the dugouts to the Gorham Board of Selectmen. The presentation showed their vision for what they wanted the new dugouts to look like, why it was important to redo them, and how they would get the materials needed to complete the project in just under 9 months. 

Starting in July 2022, ahead of their senior year, Pizzuto and Carder began asking for donations from the community to help fund this project and purchase materials and even asked for volunteers who were willing to lend a hand. The project was also supported by the Gorham Parks and Recreation Department, which will continue to maintain the dugouts. 

Each dugout was built to accommodate baseball teams, including Gorham junior varsity and varsity teams and the Babe Ruth League, with up to 20 players. The dugouts also feature a 10-foot by 9-foot closet to store groundskeeper supplies and extra sports equipment. Students also built a press booth located on top of the storage closet of the first-base dugout, which will be used by scoreboard operators, announcers, and by commentators from the Northeast Sports Network (NSN), when games are broadcast live.  

As a special thanks to local businesses, the third baseline dugout displays signs of  business that donated to the project. The signs face outward toward Main Street. 

Seniors at Gorham Middle High are required to participate in a year-long capstone project that is centered around community services. Students must complete a minimum of 30 hours, and make a presentation about their experience during the project.

“I want to thank our local businesses for their contributions and support to our students during their capstone projects,” said Principal Corrigan. “I am proud of our students who chose to participate in this initiative for their senior capstone project. These dugouts will be a part of our community for many years to come and they should feel pride in knowing that their contribution to their community really made a difference.” 

“It has been wonderful to see the baseball dugout project come to life and I am proud of Anthony and Chase for their dedication and hard work on this project,” said Capstone Advisor and School Counselor/School to Career Coordinator Matthew Saladino. “These dugouts will benefit our school and the community of Gorham tremendously. I look forward to seeing these two young students start the next chapter of their lives once they graduate and I can’t wait to see what they accomplish next.”

Businesses who donated to this project were: Quality Inn of Gorham, Berlin City Auto, York Land Services, North Country Dental, Nonna’s Kitchen, Color Works, Town & Country Inn, Mt. Tire, Nucar, Go Time, Northway Bank, American Legion Post #82, Ladies Auxiliary- American Legion, Sons of the American Legion, Gorham Randolph Shelburne Educational Foundation, White Mountain Lumber, Gorham Hardware, Ariel Site Communication, Peppy’s Electric, Presby Steel, and VR Concreate. 

Community members who donated to the project or volunteered were Joe Gilbert, Holly and Edmond Rene, Pete Canty, Gene McCualey, Jarrod Byrd, Jay Guimette, Ron Dube, Lee Corrigan, Mike Leclerc and Dave Guitard. Volunteers also included parents and players from the Gorham Middle High School baseball team. 

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