Returning With Fond Memories to a Magnet School

When the first started in 1991, its immediate purpose was to address an embarrassing challenge levied against the state.

Hugh Birdsall, who teaches English to speakers of other languages at the school, said a woman sued the state government after her son was advanced through the school system and allowed to graduate despite the fact that he could not read. The problem, she charged, was de facto segregation.

In 1991, the southeastern corner of Connecticut held a referendum on how to take steps in the right direction, and the magnet school started  as a result. Beginning in a building on Bulkeley Place dating back to the 1880s, it originally took up only the basement while businesses operated on the upper floors. Gradually, it expanded to include the entire structure.

Today, the school maintains its original mission of celebrating diversity and creating an environment to empower all students between kindergarten and fifth grade. Students are selected by lottery and come from East Haddam, East Lyme, Groton, Ledyard, Lyme, Montville, New London, North Stonington, Old Lyme, Preston, Salem, Stonington, and Waterford.

“In a sense, all of southeastern Connecticut was involved in the formation of this school, which is why we want to invite everyone to our events,” said Birdsall.

Between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, RMMS will mimic early anniversary celebrations with a at the school. The event brings in alumni and student musicians, dancers, classroom booths, face painting, tours of the school, the painting of an RMMS mural, and other activities.

The celebration of the second decade rolls over to Sunday, when will be the site of . This concluding event runs from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. with a number of musical performers and a suggested donation of $5 per person and $10 per family.

Mari Kodama, who is involved in the anniversary committee, was a member of the second class to graduate from the school. She said cultural activities, hands-on learning, and the fact that teachers are responsible for two grades help create strong connections among the students and between the students and teachers.

“I thought it was wonderful,” she said. “I don’t think I could have been in a better situation personally…I think it was a leap of faith for a lot of people to get involved, but it was hugely rewarding.”

Both of the children of Elizabeth Beaumont, who teaches kindergarten and first grade, attend the school. She said her own daughter, a fourth grader, went from being a shy student to having enough confidence to perform an Irish jig at a school assembly. Beaumont said that while the youngest students often enter with an egotistical attitude, they leave these grades with a newfound awareness and respect for those around them.

“By the time that they leave us at the end of kindergarten or first grade, we see this transformation when they realize what they do impacts themselves and the world around them,” she said. “I think that’s amazing in a six-year-old.”

Candi Bartsch has been with the school since 1994 and is helping to organize the Multicultural Festival. She said teachers are treated with respect and given helpful guidance on state requirements and how to match them with the class curriculum.

“I did teach in the traditional sector, and I’m still here,” she said. “I think that speaks volumes.”

Students also spoke favorably of the school, especially the opportunity to learn Spanish. Judy Serrano, a bilingual fifth grade student from New London, said she thought there were many opportunities available.

“In the classrooms, it’s like your own home because you get to know each other really well,” she said.

Hannah Turner, a second-grader, said her mother transferred her from a school in Stonington.

“It’s really fun,” she said of RMMS. “There’s more activities than my old school, because we didn’t do Spanish.”

Megan Bondey, a former student who has returned to RMMS as a substitute teacher, said she was glad to be able to return to the school to help. She said she has talked to current students about her own experience as well as what they might expect in middle school.

“A lot of the teachers that are here now were here when I was here,” she said. “There haven’t been any big changes, which I think is really cool.”