New Bath Elementary fills every student need, and then some

by Sheldon Ocker

What do you get for $21 million? If you have kids in grades 3-5, or expect to, and you live in the Revere School District, you have a building that should serve the needs of its students now and decades into the future.

The new Bath Elementary will open for business Sept. 3, when the community will begin reaping the benefits of the $68.4-million bond issue passed three years ago to build an elementary school, a new Revere High School, renovate Richfield Elementary and Revere Middle School and construct a new bus garage.

Even though the administration has pegged the cost of the project at $79.4 million, Superintendent Matt Montgomery and the board of education are confident the job will get done without going to the taxpayers for more money.

Old Bath Elementary served the district for more than 80 years, so Bath and Richfield, which account for more than 90 percent of the enrollment, have gotten their money’s worth. But how will the sub-teens who populate the new school be better served by a new building?

“There are so many updated elements of this building that were not a part of the original building,” Montgomery said. “Look at the air conditioning alone. Besides climate control, there’s updated lighting fixtures and [more] natural light coming into the building. All of this impacts the educational environment in a positive way.”

Much of Montgomery’s time, and his primary mission, is to determine how to make the learning process more efficient and more attractive to students.

“If you’re looking for ways to increase student activity, a lot of it hinges toward light and comfort, and these are met in this building,” he said. “The academic structures and environment were built in such a way that flexibility was at the forefront of the design.”

More than any other component, Montgomery was seeking flexibility.

In that regard, these aren’t your parents’ classrooms. Among the 30 classrooms on three floors, the vast majority are fitted with operable partitions that can turn one classroom into two, or two into three if the teaching goal is to enlarge the group.

In addition, Nano Walls enable the teacher to open a classroom into what normally would be the hallway, but at perhaps 30 feet wide or more, hallway is hardly an apt description. Montgomery calls these vast open spaces “extended learning areas.” These can accommodate large or small learning groups, depending on how the space is configured.

The shape of student desks makes it possible to transform five desks (or more) into one, so small groups of students can work together on projects.

“I wanted flexible learning environments to enable us to meet the needs of all students,” Montgomery said. “It’s all about learning, so the way to do that, from my vantage point, is to offer different types of instruction: direct instruction, small groups, large groups, problem-based, project-based.

“I wanted an environment where teachers could expose the students to as many types of learning as possible to ensure that we’re meeting the needs of every one of our students.”

When the old Bath Elementary opened, there were no such thing as computers, television or STEM-based curriculum. The new building was constructed with technology in mind, and it includes a dedicated STEM area, which was makeshift in the old school.

That is not to say students at old Bath Elementary received an inferior education.

“It’s hard to say the community wasn’t doing a good job at Bath Elementary,” Montgomery said. “It was a national Blue Ribbon School last year. But there is always room to grow. The old building was limiting growth in terms of what we were able to offer our students.”

The new building’s cafeteria can be converted into a performance space when it opens up to the gymnasium, where the audience will be seated. There also is a media room (formerly library), which includes printed books and online tools, plus “state of the art” music and art rooms, according to Montgomery.

The superintendent expects to use 28 of the 30 classrooms the first year, with no more than 25 students per class.

The building was constructed to accommodate increased enrollment. For the past two years, the district has seen significant growth, with about 80 additional students in the 2017-18 school year and another 50 last year. Total enrollment for the 2019-20 school year won’t be known for a few weeks, but Montgomery expects another population rise based on preliminary kindergarten numbers.

Why is this happening? Montgomery isn’t sure, but he has an idea.

“Academically, we are improving at a rate that is unprecedented for the area,” he said. “In technology, we’ve become more robust, a leader in the area. I also think people are excited about the new facilities. So I think there are some private school folks who are starting to examine [their choice]. Are they getting the educational benefits they thought they would get?”

Montgomery said that no significant element was omitted from new Bath Elementary.

“I’m really excited about this building,” he said. “The community is going to be proud of this building. I’m proud of this building.”

Featured image photo caption: The finishing touches are going onto the front entrance of the new Bath School. Photo by S. Ocker