Former student shares thoughts on GMS project

By Guest

Dear Editor:

As a former student of the Galvin Middle School and current sophomore at Canton High School, I believe that Canton is in need of a new middle school. I want to take this opportunity to share my own experiences that led me to feel this way.

I was confronted by examples of the age and condition of the building almost daily. Every time it rained there would be buckets throughout the school to catch the water leaking from the ceiling, which was both inconvenient and hazardous.

In addition to that, while in seventh grade three years ago, a pipe burst in my science classroom, flooding two floors and causing significant damage. Due to this situation, we were forced to suddenly revert to remote learning for a week while they repaired and cleaned up the damage. This was a stressful time for both unprepared staff and students who had just gotten back to in-person learning.

Limited space was also a common problem. There are not enough classrooms to provide for the number of students and courses offered. Due to this, multiple classes are held in the library with temporary dividers. This makes it difficult to conduct class in an environment where other activities are going on at the same time.

While there is a performing arts stage at the middle school, it is not big enough to be used for the drama performances that the students work really hard to put on each year. They, along with all three of the elementary schools, have to use the high school stage for performances. Having an additional auditorium for both the middle school and others to use would greatly benefit our growing performing arts program.

I know people from previous generations — who attended GMS and still live in this town — who say that little has changed in the 50 years since it was built. Today’s curriculum is based on group learning, and this is difficult to achieve with the school being built for a different time and way of learning. Classrooms are cramped and it is hard to collaborate. With a new building, Canton students will have the benefits of learning in the best possible environment and be set up to succeed.

Nora Sullivan

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