POMFRET — Rectory School opened its new academic addition with a ribbon-cutting and grand-opening ceremony Jan. 23. Students, faculty, administrators, board members, alumni, and community members joined the celebration to open the new 10,000 square-foot academic building, housing the Hale Elementary Wing for grades K-3 and the Smith Learning Center, which includes 17 tutoring rooms for Rectory’s signature Individualized Instruction Program. 

Headmaster Fred Williams welcomed the gathering by reflecting on the anticipation Rectory’s students displayed throughout the year-long construction process. “I am awed by the pride and excitement the kids have expressed as we occupy this building for the first time today.” Williams continued by quoting former Governor General of Canada Adrienne Clarkson by saying, “Each of us is carving a stone, erecting a column, or cutting a piece of stained glass in the construction of something much bigger than ourselves.” Williams added, “The opening of these new spaces furthers the mission started nearly 100 years ago by Rectory’s founders, Frank and Mabel Bigelow, and allows us to more effectively continue our important work - the education of young people.”

Rectory’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Laurence Hale P’16, ‘19, ‘21, spoke about what makes Rectory such a special community, referencing the school’s website. “At Rectory, we build foundations for life …this new building represents an investment in both the structural and academic foundations that Rectory students can build upon.” He went on to highlight the unique Individualized Instruction Program (IIP), “At Rectory, we teach with an individualized approach, something which lead us to invest in a Rectory education for our three children. They have each benefited greatly and grown academically from the one-on-one tutoring and mentorship of the School’s legendary faculty through participation in IIP.”

Rectory’s Director of the Elementary School, Maria Carpenter, who Fred Williams referred to as “the mother of Rectory’s Elementary School,” expressed her appreciation to everyone who helped make the new academic addition possible. “I have always felt that our elementary experience was exceptional in design, even when we were scattered about this wonderful campus. We have been waiting, since we opened Rectory’s kindergarten in 2004, to have a space where children and teachers could connect and collaborate in one space… and that dream is becoming a reality today.”

Freddy Nagle, Rectory’s director of Development, graciously thanked donors who supported this project, “Because of you, Rectory is able to provide an education that goes above and beyond, in state-of-the-art facilities like the one we are celebrating today, that creates a hands-on learning environment, guided by our outstanding faculty. Because of you, Rectory has the foundation and tools necessary to meet students’ needs and interests, while empowering our students to ask questions, explore new ideas, and connect multiple subject areas so they can  begin to understand how their studies apply to the world that awaits them.”

 

The following donors, who were in attendance at the celebration, were recognized: Betty Hale, for her generous support of the Elementary School Wing; Melissa, Jim, Blake, Brooke, and Brody Zahansky, for their generous support for the fourth-grade classroom; Robert S. Perkin ‘62, for his generous support of a tutoring space given in honor of John B. Bigelow, James Barber, and C. Stanford Murray; Fred and Marcia Williams, for their generous support of a tutoring space given in honor Nancy Nielsen Williams; Karl Norton, Susan Roarabaugh, John Everett, and Kevin Tubridy for their hard work and dedication to this project, a tutoring space was named in honor of Karl Norton Architects and New England Design; For their hard work and dedication to this project we would like to recognize John Darigan and Lupachino and Salvatore General Contractors.  

 

Rectory is planning several open houses in the coming months, including a reception prior to a public Parent Technology Night, featuring a free showing of “Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age” on February 28. For more information, please contact the Admissions Office at 860-928-1328 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..