Photo: The previous topping ceremony took place in May 2020.

The Belmont Middle and High School Building Committee (BMHSBC) and general contractor Skanska USA is inviting the community to the in-person “topping off” ceremony for the Middle School segment of the Belmont Middle and High School on Friday, March 4 at 11 a.m.

The celebration is the final topping off of the $295 million project, a milestone that speaks to the completion of the entire building erection, said the head of the town’s oversight group.

“Looking back over the nearly six years of planning and execution, it is an incredible feeling to be realizing the start of the end of this construction project”, said Bill Lovallo, BMHSBC chair, in an e-mail released Feb. 23.

Speakers will include Belmont High School Principal Isaac Taylor, School Committee Chair Amy Checkoway, Massachusetts School Building Authority Chief Operating Officer James MacDonald, and representatives from Skanska. Special musical guest is the Belmont High School Marching Band. Chenery Middle School Principal Karla Koza will arrive with student council members from grades 5 and 6, representing the students who will be in the new grade 7 and 8 wing when completed in September 2023.

Students and the public can sign the beam in the morning before the ceremony from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

The first topping off celebration for the grade 9-12 wing was held virtually on May 15, 2020 due to COVID.