FARMINGTON — As hundreds of visitors entered the new W.G. Mallett School for an open house and dedication ceremony Saturday morning, they were greeted in the hallway by a juxtaposition of the past and the future.
On one wall was a display case of photos and artifacts from the old Mallett school. On the opposite wall was a sleek built-in video monitor displaying images of students in the new school.
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Just beyond both wall ornaments: A table where people could buy the remaining 50 of 200 bricks saved from the old school building. Proceeds from the $8 bricks, featuring a small commemorative plaque, will help pay for school landscaping.
At a dedication ceremony later that morning, Michael Cormier, superintendent of Mt. Blue Regional School Unit 9, told visiting families that the new $14 million Mallet school is a big achievement for the ages.
“This school is a tribute to our children,” Cormier said. “The children of the past, the children of today and the children of the future.”
The new school, at 116 Middle St., serves 411 students in pre-kindergarten through grade 3. Both the old and new schools were named after Wilbert G. Mallett, a longtime principal at the nearby Normal School, now the University of Maine at Farmington.
Visitors touring the school’s classrooms and hallways Saturday morning said they were impressed by the building’s open design and the vast amount of natural lighting and colors. Parents and their children attending the school said they liked having a separate gymnasium and cafeteria, student lockers and a big new library.
Among those inspecting classrooms upstairs was Gerald Libby, who was principal of the old Mallet school from 1963 to 1995.
“It is a very beautiful building,” Libby said. “Obviously, it was built to meet the needs of youngsters. The old school was built in the ’30s and for kindergarten through grade 8, so it wasn’t aimed at young children; and this one is.”
Connie Hiltz, of Farmington, said the new school is beautiful and long overdue. The former Mallet school, off nearby Quebec Street, was 80 years old.
“And as sad as we are to see the old school go, it was time,” she said. “I like the openness, and the light, the airiness. The sun isn’t shining, but it’s still very bright inside.”
Her great-grandson, 8-year-old Cooper Hiltz, a third-grader, also liked what he saw. “I think it’s awesome,” he said. “It’s cool that we got lockers.”
Jason and Trixie Abbott, who toured the building with their three children — including third-grader Natasha — said the new school was well worth the investment. “It’s really impressive,” Jason Abbott said.
Betsy Turcotte, a library technician, pointed to the large glass windows that provide a full view inside the library from the hallway. “I think the glass really invites people in,” she said.
The new library also features a circular arrangement of comforatble chairs (orange, green and red) and bookshelves that are close to the floor so they’re easily accessible to little ones.
“It’s really all about marketing,” Turcotte said. “It’s a pretty wonderful room for kids to want to be in.”
During the dedication ceremony, held in the cafeteria, hundreds of visitors gathered as school officials and project planners spoke on a stage with members of the building committee seated behind them.
The building is designed to last 30 to 40 years, said Susan Pratt, a former assistant superintendent who worked on the building’s design.
“It truly will live on for years and years to come,” she said. “This should be the biggest celebration that any of us have in our lifetimes.”
Tracy Williams, the school principal, described the new school as a “real gift,” and because staff and students have been in the building for only a month, “it’s still being unwrapped every day.”
Williams said Saturday’s open house and an event in June recalling school’s history represented two installments of a “trilogy of celebrations.” The third and final celebration will happen when the school playground, which is under development where the old school used to be just outside, is finished in about a year.
Several students read poems for the audience, including third-grader Isabelle Decker, who asked that staff and students follow “the golden rule” of treating others as they themselves want to be treated.
Stephen Blatt, a project architect, later told the audience that he thought Decker’s words were right on the money. The new school may be beautiful, energy-efficient and designed to be comfortable, welcoming and modern, Blatt said, but it’s just a building.
It’s the people inside that building, and what they do, that really matters, Blatt said.
“Treat everybody wonderfully,” he said.
Scott Monroe — 861-9239
smonroe@centralmaine.com
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