'A beacon of hope': Doors of Chapman Middle School open to future parents, students

Mayor Bob Hedlund presents a gift to Chapman Middle School principal Matthew Meehan as Ted Langill, chief of staff for the mayor, looks on during ceremony for the new Chapman Middle School in Weymouth on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022.
Mayor Bob Hedlund presents a gift to Chapman Middle School principal Matthew Meehan as Ted Langill, chief of staff for the mayor, looks on during ceremony for the new Chapman Middle School in Weymouth on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022.
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WEYMOUTH – When students walk into the new Maria Weston Chapman Middle School for the first day of school on Sept. 6, Anne Rowsell, a computer literacy teacher at Chapman, plans to arrive early to witness the shock on her students' faces.

Standing in the sweeping, open-air atrium that will welcome students when they walk through the doors, Rowsell said she hopes the new building stimulates "excitement about learning."

"We have really special kids. Weymouth just has an excitement," Rowsell said.

Teachers, students and families walked through the hallways and classrooms of the new 252,170-square-foot school at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 6. The ceremony was the first chance  for the public  to visit the school, which  cost $164.2 million.

Local leaders, including Mayor Robert Hedlund and state Sen. Patrick O'Connor,  spoke and thanked administrators, committee members and builders for their work on the project.

A mother and daughter walk through an eighth grade class room during a tour of the new Chapman Middle School in Weymouth on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022.
A mother and daughter walk through an eighth grade class room during a tour of the new Chapman Middle School in Weymouth on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022.

Superintendent Robert Wargo expressed excitement for the enhanced educational opportunities that the school – which serves students in grades 6, 7 and 8 – will be able to offer.

"Our students will walk into this future-focused building with amazement," Wargo said. "It is our job as educators and as a community to ensure they walk out better thinkers and doers and, most importantly, better people."

The morning's festivities were a moment for the adults who worked on the project to celebrate before handing off the job of bringing the school to life to incoming students.

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Jeremiah Clerverseau, a rising sixth-grader at Chapman, said he is  looking forward to the new science learning opportunities because he wants to be an inventor.

The school has vocational and technology rooms, including a "makers space" with robotics equipment, which will allow the school to expand thecurriculum.

The school also has 18,000 square feet for special education services, including classrooms for physical and occupational therapy.

A girl looks at a mural during a tour of the new Chapman Middle School in Weymouth on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022.
A girl looks at a mural during a tour of the new Chapman Middle School in Weymouth on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022.

Jane Maroney, of Weymouth, has driven buses for special education students for 14 years and said she knows the students she has seen grow over the years will benefit from the sprawling new space.

"They have the most unbelievable programs in Weymouth," Maroney said about the special education services that the schools provide.

Kyle Keaveny, a rising seventh-grader, was able to pick from a list of new elective classes and is excited for classes in the culinary classrooms.

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Denise LoBello, of Weymouth, graduated from the school in 1988 when it served as a high school. LoBello brought her niece, Bella Sheehan, a rising sixth-grader, to see the new building.

"It's great to see how it transformed," LaBello said.

Colleen McDonough, a chorus teacher at Chapman, said the school is an arts-focused building and  plans to use the new space "to its fullest potential."

There will be new art classes offered, including modern band, chorus and music technology, McDonough said.

"It's really exciting. I think coming out of some tough years with the pandemic this was a huge beacon of hope for the community," McDonough said.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Weymouth students set to use 'full potential' of new middle school