Mansfield Public Schools and the Town of Mansfield held the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Mansfield Elementary School (MES) on Friday, June 9 at 9:30 AM. The ceremony was timed so students and staff could all attend the celebration, and also included a few invited guests. Grade 3 students Ella Ferrigno and Kwesiga Ampeire joined Superintendent Peter Dart in welcoming the crowd, and cut the ribbon held by student representatives of every classroom. The two were among students who had broken ground on the new school two years ago in June 2021, so their involvement symbolically brought the building project full circle. The school opened its doors to students on April 18 and 19.
MES is the first new net-zero energy elementary school in Connecticut, and several special guests were on hand to celebrate the significance of this accomplishment. Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz joined the festivities and addressed the gathering. Invited guests also included Hand Webster, Deputy Commissioner of Energy for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), Beeca Trietch, Senior Policy Advisor at DEEP, Keith Norton, Chief Strategic Planning Officer for the Connecticut Department of Education, State Senator Mae Flexer, and State Representatives Gregory Haddad and Patrick Boyd, UConn Mayor Toni Moran. Members of the Mansfield School Building Committee, Town Council, Board of Education and key Town staff also attended.
The ribbon-cutting opened with a performance by grade 3 students surrounding the gymnasium to perform, “Welcome Here, Three Shaker Songs,” led by Music Instructor Katherine Smallidge. Mayor Toni Moran welcomed the guests, and School Building Chair Randy Walikonis acknowledged the work of the many leaders, volunteers, and organizations involved with the project. He recognized individually the members of the School Building Committee who continue to volunteer for multi meetings per month to oversee the design and completion of the new school.
He also acknowledged those community members who worked to get the project approved by town voters. A video was shared which chronicled the first days of the new school when town leaders, teaching staff, and students began to move in, and summarized the journey to achieve its opening this spring.
Kelly Lyman, Coordinator of the Executive Leadership Program at UConn’s Neag School of Education and former Mansfield Superintendent also addressed the gathering, summarizing the goals of the new school. She emphasized how the building was designed for 21st century learning, meeting the needs so clearly articulated by the community from the early planning stages.
MES students, led by Grade 1 students and Music Educator Julie Frascarelli, sang a song with the guests called, “At MES”. The song referenced the blending of three schools into one, and the unified spirit that is growing at Mansfield Elementary School.
At the climax of the ceremony, Principal Lauren Rodriguez invited the students to come forward as the members of the School Building Committee, the Lieutenant Governor, Ms Lyman and professional partners from TSKP stood behind them in support. As the ribbon was snipped, students, staff and guests erupted into joyful cheering as school mascot, Thunder the Tiger, encouraged them from the stage.
As the students returned to classes, guests were invited for tours of the new net-zero energy school
Open House Celebration June 10
Continuing with the celebration, the district hosted a Celebration Open House at the new Mansfield Elementary School on Saturday, June 10 from 12 noon to 3 PM for any member of the greater Mansfield community who wanted to tour the new net-zero school building.
The Open House Celebration included self-guided interior and exterior tours of the new facility with detailed descriptions of each area, with staff on hand to answer questions. The tour was also included among the statewide Connecticut Open House Day events.
As families enjoyed the playgrounds following their tours, the band Echo Uganda entertained them performing outdoors. Mansfield Fire Department staff was on hand with a fire truck, a tanker, and ambulance apparatus for families to see. Mansfield Historical Society members, who have staged an exhibit about the history of schools in Mansfield in the Great Hall of the new school, also attended and answered questions.
Town departments including exhibits from Human Services, Youth Services, Mansfield Community Center, and the Mansfield Public Library staffed information tables at the event. BikeMansfieldCT, a non-profit organization that is collaborating with Mansfield Elementary School to develop a bicycling curriculum, showed a chart demonstrating how close they are to their $28,000 fundraising goal.