A Milestone in the Completion of the Science and Technology Center

On the morning of November 10, 2017, Newman students from Pre-K to 12th grade filed onto Michael Lupin Field for a very special event: the “Raising-of-the-Beam” Ceremony for the School’s new Science and Technology Center.

As the Newman band warmed up and notes drifted in the crisp air under a cloudless sky, teachers, administrators, board members, donors, and representatives from Woodward Design + Build prepared to watch a crane hoist the final steel beam and workers bolt it into the frame of the new facility.

For the past few days, the Newman students and faculty signed their names to the beam in gold and silver paint pen. At the event, the whole School looked on in wonder as a crane lifted the 900-pound beam and secured it in place some 40 feet above the construction site. As a permanent feature of the new building, the beam will serve as a lasting tribute to the Newman student body.

Head of School Dale M. Smith addressed the crowd to mark the occasion and to underscore the significance of the event.

“We are thrilled to see the progress on construction of this exciting project for our School,” he said, “I hope, as you look at this building taking shape, that you feel proud to be a part of this transformational moment for Newman, and excited to make this facility your own.”

Smith then addressed the students, many of whom will begin attending daily classes in the facility beginning next year. He said the new facility would feature state-of-the-art equipment, more space for lab-based learning, study spaces for small group collaboration, and signature labs on each floor for long-term experiments including external partnerships with local professionals in the science community.

Smith ended the ceremony by reminding the students that the building is for them.

“When you look up at this facility, I want you to remember: this is yours,” he said. “Just as you have made your mark on this steel structure with your signatures on the beam, I look forward to seeing the mark you make on this School with your science and technology explorations.”

As the last piece of the frame was set in place, it marked another milestone in the construction process as it advances toward completion of the project – and the achievement of a long-standing goal for Newman.

To learn more about the Science and Technology Center, and to track construction in real time, please visit www.NewmanSchool.org/Science. 

Newman’s Science and Technology Center is a 30,000 sq. ft., three-story facility with nine classroom laboratories and three “signature lab” spaces allowing for special multidisciplinary explorations in areas such as biotechnology, genetic engineering, energy systems, robotics, and design. Classroom laboratories allocate ample space and are outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment to allow experiments to blend seamlessly into classroom instruction. The building will also house a brand-new Makerspace, which will provide students access to the latest technology to explore limitless possibilities in creative design and problem solving.

An important phase of a long-term master plan to maintain the highest quality educational program for Newman students, the facility will inspire a new generation of leaders in science, engineering, research, medicine, and related fields. It will open in the fall of 2018 after a 15-month construction process overseen by Woodward Design + Build. The $16 million project is being funded through ongoing philanthropic support.