Saying goodbye to cherished institutions can be as difficult as sharing a final farewell with a close friend or family member. Even when we know it’s for the best.

It isn’t easy for some of us to watch the demolition of parts of the old Somerville High School as construction crews make way for the massive renovation project now underway. It can almost be felt in the heart and our nervous systems.

Others shrug it off, conceding that the ravages of time cannot be avoided, and we must always be willing to make way for renewal.

The new high school will be a state-of-the-art facility, right in step with the latest technologies and innovations that will make our students brighter and better qualified than many to lead successful lives after graduation.

We are certainly investing a great amount of money in the project, so we expect nothing less than excellence in the finished product. The renovation has been meticulously planned and its execution has been placed into good hands. We are confident that we will be proud of the end result.

But for now, in the midst of this grand transformation, we pause and feel that twinge of heartache as the bricks and mortar of our childhood past crumbles to the ground before us.

But take heart. A new dream is on the horizon. The dream of a great future for our own beloved children.