LYNN — Years of planning, fundraising and construction came to fruition Friday when St. Mary’s cut the ribbon on its new $20 million STEM building, a facility for science, technology, engineering and math that will “transform the lives of St. Mary’s students going forward,” according to Board of Trustees Chair William Mosakowski.
Head of School Dr. John F. Dolan, trustees, students, staff, Archdiocese of Boston Superintendent of Schools Thomas W. Carroll, Mayor Thomas M. McGee and State Rep. Dan Cahill were among those participating. Students will begin using the building on Monday.
“This is going to change the future of St. Mary’s,” Dolan said. “This is a fully functional, state-of-the-art science center that will operate year-round.”
“This gives us a campus feel, in the middle of downtown Lynn,” said Associate Head of School David Angeramo, who is excited about the addition of two floors of classroom and lab space in the three-story, 30,000-square-foot building that includes a gateway entrance to campus.
The new entrance leads to the first floor of the STEM building, which includes the lobby, main office, guidance office and learning commons. From the lobby, the completely renovated Connell Family Dining Commons and Tony Conigliaro (class of 1962) Gymnasium are easily accessible. Science, engineering and computer classes will be held on the two upper floors, with cutting-edge equipment and learning spaces for students in grades 6-12.
St. Mary’s students are already exposed to STEM courses, with sixth-graders taking Intro to Engineering, seventh-graders taking Design & Modeling, eighth-graders studying Automation & Robotics, and high school freshmen taking Intro to Engineering Design. Beyond that, there are electives, including Advanced Placement offerings in Biology, Chemistry and Computer Science, as well as Intro to Engineering Design 2, Civil Engineering, Architecture, App Creators and Forensics, Angeramo said.
The STEM building was in the works for several years. Funding was derived from the Building Futures campaign, chaired by Glenn Morris (class of ’65), which raised more than $20 million. The general contractor was DeIulis Brothers Construction and the job superintendent was Chris DeIulis, St. Mary’s Class of 1995. Ed Calnan (class of ’57) served as clerk of the works, providing invaluable expertise and assistance on the project from start to finish.
“Today, we revitalize our school and in some ways our city, and certainly our students’ education,” Mosakowski said,
“This is a game-changer for St. Mary’s,” said Dolan, who is equally excited about the area behind the building, the Mosakowski Gardens, which includes green space named for Board of Trustees Vice Chair Elizabeth Molloy Twomey (class of ‘52), an outdoor amphitheater, a grotto dedicated to the Blessed Mother, and the Cardinal Seán O’Malley Sanctuary.
“We believe this project makes us unique among schools on the North Shore,” Dolan said. “This is one of those moments that people will look back on as pivotal in the history of the school, and we are very excited about that.”
