SWAMPSCOTT — While teachers and parents are concerned about location for a new elementary school, the kids just want it to be named after Red Sox star Mookie Betts.
All day recess and ice cream were also at the top of the list for the young students.
The school administration held an idea exchange on Saturday to give all residents the opportunity to share their visions for a new elementary school. Residents spent the day in break-out groups voicing their wants regarding school building design, location, their vision of a classroom, and community use.
“I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people who showed up and the age range,” said Superintendent Pamela Angelakis. “Location and finances are the two greatest concerns that have been talked about throughout this whole process.”
When it came to the discussion topics, most of the parents, and the kids, were on the same page. They want a drop off and pick up location that is on school property, not on the street like the town’s other schools, added space for a community recreation center, a building as energy efficient as possible, and enough rooms for smaller class sizes.
“I also feel like there should be a huge garden around the new school,” said 12-year-old Cole Hayes.
Eight elementary-aged students, with the help of eight senior volunteers with the high school, put together lists and drawings of all the items they want in a new school. Besides ice cream and recess, they want a hockey rink, a theater program, a video game room to learn coding, and a go-kart track.
The kids also asked for some sort of underground tunnel system for emergency situations.
“It’s sad with all our little ones that this is what they’re thinking about,” said Angelakis.
The School Committee and its building sub-committee planned the idea exchange as a way to get everyone involved in the major project, said Angelakis. School officials are working with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) in planning for a new elementary school, which could replace the town’s three elementary schools.
In 2017, the MSBA conducted site visits to the Hadley, Clarke, and Stanley schools. They advised the school district to submit statements of interest for replacement for all three, given they do not provide adequate space and service for students, according to Angelakis.
The MSBA provided the seaside town’s school district with four options. Swampscott can either renovate or rebuild Hadley school for K-4, build a new K-4 school for all students, build a new third through fifth school for all students, or build a new school for about half of the town’s K-5 students.
“Our fifth grade kids did step up to be in the middle school level but it presented a lot of challenges,” said Angelakis.
School officials compiled a list of priorities for the new school, including having all students in the same grade together, minimizing transitions from one school to another, creating space for middle school programming, and including fifth grade back into the elementary school. Angelakis said the district is realistic in knowing they may not be able to include all the items on their priority list.
Next steps for new school planning are hiring a project manager and design team, conducting a feasibility study, and choosing one of the MSBA given options for design.
“I feel like we’re ahead of the game at this point,” said Angelakis.