A gentle drizzle couldn’t stem the bubble of excitement as several hundred first to fifth-grade students streamed into Bruce Vento Elementary on St. Paul’s East Side for their first day of school on Tuesday.
They were greeted at the door by their principal, teachers, the mayor and the superintendent. The energy was palpable as they walked in with big smiles; some showed off their new backpacks, haircuts and outfits.
The students were returning to the district’s first magnet school with an environmental focus, and a new space to match.
“It’s a new school day, but it’s also new-school day,” Mayor Melvin Carter joked, referring to the new school building.
RELATED STORIES
The students returned to school a week after the devastating shooting at Annunciation Catholic School, which killed two students, and left several of them seriously injured. Teachers had just finished trainings that included sessions addressing the impact.
Bruce Vento is the district’s first new school building in seven years, and there are many things that are new, like the geothermal energy that heats and cools the space. Further work remains to complete a playground, parking lot and the gardening area.
“There are folks who say just cut, cut, cut,” said Carter. “We have to keep innovating. We have to keep investing. And there’s no greater investment than the investments we make in our children. And this school, this building, is a perfect example.”
The new building was four years in the planning and sits right across from the old one, which is now demolished. About 50,000 square feet bigger, this multi-level building caters to 490 pre-kindergarten to fifth-grade students, most of whom are Asian and African American.
“It’s just such a joy to watch such a big project that took a really long time to finally be here,” Principal Nicky Napierala said. “It is an educator’s dream come true.”
Bruce Vento’s curriculum will be centred on environment, nature and sustainability. An environmental magnet teacher will guide students through an inquiry-driven approach to climate education and literacy based on grade levels with outdoor and hands-on projects that foster play and being in nature. The school will also continue its gardening program that engages both students and parents.
Its early childhood program has grown from three classrooms to 11 in a separate wing of the new building. “It is a brand new state-of-the-art wing that was planned and implemented specifically for children and families, from birth to kindergarten,” said Lori Erickson, who oversees the pre-K program in the district and the early childhood program at the school.
“It’s so much more than the pre-K program I lead; this is an opportunity for early childhood family education, and their courses can be infant, toddler, preschool, and then 4-year-old programming,” she said.
Pam Bookhout, the facilities project manager at St. Paul Public Schools, said the layout and design of the school, which sits on a slight slope, was meant to cater to the students and the parents’ wishes: more space, more light and nature-themed play spaces.
From sensory walls for engagement to informal learning areas, calming rooms for students to enclosed spaces in classrooms for individual attention, Bookhout said that “the spirit behind it was having flexibility and openness.”
Bruce Vento was high on energy, enthusiasm, and optimism for the first day of school, but last week’s devastating shooting was fresh in Napierala’s mind. In the wake of the shooting, the school heightened safety training, and made sure the teachers had an informed sense of the layout of the building in case of an emergency, while also taking care of their emotional needs before students came in.
“We held restorative circles for our staff, just to make sure we were taking care of our people, to take care of our kids. And that part was really important,” said Napierala. “Even though it happens somewhere else, it still happened, and it could happen anywhere.”
“This is a time that’s thought to be exciting and joyful,” said Carter, “and it casts a shadow of grief and pain and trauma, so I imagine that’s in the minds of all of our families returning to school today. But, we get through it together, and we take care of one another.”
Correction: The location of Bruce Vento Elementary has been updated in this story.
