School Board Gets Its First Look Inside The 5/6 School

By Tanjua Damon

The Newtown Board of Education took its first look at the inside of the 5/6 school, which has been under construction for just over a year, during an evening tour June 20.

Five members of the board — Chairman Elaine McClure, Margaret Hull, Earl Gordon, Sheila Stickles, and Lisa Schwartz –– were accompanied by Superintendent of Schools John R. Reed, Assistant Superintendent Alice Jackson, and Tim Alix of Strategic Building Solutions, who led the tour. Vice Chairman Vincent Saviano was unable to attend.

The 165,000-square-foot school can accommodate 1,100 students, but just 840 students will attend the first classes there when it opens in January 2003.

“I think it’s spectacular,” board member Lisa Schwartz said. “I want to go back to fifth grade.”

Much of the outside construction is near completion. The front of the school faces Wasserman Way. Parent drop off and visitor parking will be located in that same area. The gym and cafetorium are located on either side of the main entrance.

Buses will drop students off at the back of the school, off Trades Lane. Students will enter the building and be able to head up two staircases that lead to the “two houses” that will be the academic wings for the fifth and sixth graders attending the school.

“This is so incredible,” board member Sheila Stickles said. “It’s wonderful.”

The walls in the gym and cafetorium are being painted yellow. The gym will be able to seat 300 people, while the cafetorium will be able to serve lunch to 550 students at a time. The stage in the cafetorium can hold almost 90 students playing instruments.

The guidance area has a sitting area as well as two offices that are not the usual square space. The offices are more triangular to match the school, which is built with a triangular shape with a courtyard in the middle.

There are three art rooms in the school. There is also a band room, chorus room, and music lab room.

Each of the 44 classrooms is built for two teacher teams, with a shared small group instruction room along with a movable partition. Every classroom will have a sink and water fountain. Classrooms will also have digital capabilities for teachers to use LCD projectors.

The stairwells are roomy and bright in the school. They lead to the upper floor, which houses the library media center, located at the back of the school that has windows providing outside views of Fairfield Hills.

“It looks nice. I’m really pleased with how it looks,” board member Earl Gordon said. “I think it’s going to be a beautiful facility for children.”

The school will also have softball/baseball fields, a multipurpose field, and an outdoor hard-surfaced play area.

The school is being built on a 20-acre lot located at Wasserman Way and Trades Lane. Haynes Construction began the $28.62 million project last June. A $9.7 million reimbursement is expected from the state.