Parents and school officials have a saying for the new Fitzgerald Elementary School: It's "The Fitzgerald School with a 'Bright' future."
School opened in Waltham yesterday with elementary students from the former Bright School and the old Fitzgerald School as classmates.
"I taught at both Bright and Fitzgerald last year and it was so nice to see all of my little friends come together today," drama teacher Kate Kelly Adamson said yesterday. "We are very, very lucky and I think everyone has sore cheeks from smiling so much today."
It cost the city approximately $24 million to tear down the old building and create the new one on Beal Road. Last year, Fitzgerald students attended classes at the Fitch School on Ash Street.
Waltham officials are now considering what to do with the Fitch building and the Bright building on Grove Street, which now sit empty.
Yesterday, Cathy McWhinnie said her son, Scott, woke up at 6:50 a.m. ready for first grade.
"He was very excited. He was bouncing off the walls," she said. "He was excited to meet his new teacher, Mrs. Jewart. I just volunteered today. I was in the library helping to scan books."
Former Bright Elementary School PTO President Ethel Williams has teamed with Fitzgerald co-Presidents Diane Thompson and Christine Iannuzzo to help lead the organization this year and bring families from both communities together.
Williams said her son Derek was also excited to be starting school in the new building.
"He was dying to see all of his friends," she said. "He was nervous at first, but he was so excited when he finally saw them."
Christine's daughter, fifth-grader Marisa Iannuzzo, said she noticed a lot of changes at her new school.
"It's big," she said. "It has a gymnasium and cafeteria that are separate from each other. I made new friends."
The major challenge faced by Fitzgerald administrators yesterday was coordinating after-school pick- up plans for more than 400 students.
"One of the big projects today was verifying how students were going home, whether they were walking, getting picked up or taking the bus," said new Assistant Principal Shane McCracken. "We had to go around to all the classrooms and get info from each student. If students were unclear how they were getting home we had to call their parents."
Principal Alice Shull said, "The most important thing we focused on was making sure the children are relaxed and comfortable in the new building."
Laura Crowley, as a recess and lunch monitor, said the students she saw were well-behaved and excited about the new building. "It's spectacular," she said. "It's a great place for the kids to get an education."
The Fitzgerald Elementary School was the seventh of eight public schools Waltham has renovated or replaced since 2001.
Jeff Gilbride can be reached at 781-398-8005 or at jgilbrid@cnc.com.
