NESS was recently featured in The Day!

Groton — The Groton school district is getting ready to shift to all intradistrict, themed magnet elementary schools next school year in a plan the district says will help the school communities mirror the community at large and engage students in new ways of learning…

Each elementary school will follow the same core curriculum but have a unique magnet theme, Austin said. She added that this will help re-engage students in face-to-face learning…

To develop the themes, families were surveyed, and staff and administrators have been working to further design the new schools, which are expected to continue to evolve, district officials said.

The two new schools, which will have an enrollment of about 604 students each, will house not only students in kindergarten through fifth grade, but also the district’s preschool students, Austin said.

Jamie Giordano, who will be principal of Thames River Environmental and Marine Sciences Magnet School, said the school on the former West Side site will feature partnerships with Project Oceanology and New England Science & Sailing Foundation…

Through the partnership with NESS, four AmeriCorps members will be stationed at the school to deliver STEM-based activities and curriculum and serve as role models for the students.

Plans are also in the works to develop a greenhouse, trail system, aquaponics and hydroponics, and enrichment activities based on the concept of recycling, she said.

The school also will have “enrichment throughout the year to connect the various themes through Art and Technology,” according to the district’s website.

Steve Wheeler, who will be principal of Mystic River Active Exploration – Play and Ingenuity – Magnet School, said the school on the former Cutler site will be the first of its kind in the Northeast.

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