Gerry school

One last view of the Elbridge Gerry Elementary School before tonight's Town Meeting discussion of the feasibility study that will be put to voters in the Fall.  The Gerry School is a very small building by modern school standards and it seems that 100 years ago there must have been little need for offices for any of the administrative staff. As I explored the basement, I found two makeshift offices that highlight the resourcefulness of the staff at the Gerry School.  One office can be seen above literally under the stairs leading down to the basement gymnasium. Below, a shared [...]

As I made my way through the Elbridge Gerry Elementary School, I found myself in the basement and turned to find these bright yellow bathrooms with beautiful murals along the walls.  What struck me was that the boys and girls rooms were in one long connected space down here and, with the single wood door between them open, it made for a quick travel through the basement. The murals seen here and elsewhere show the care and pride that those who work at the school have in their building.  They've made due with facilities that seem to have far outlived [...]

Continuing with last week's tour of the Gerry School in advance of Town Meeting, here are three vertical shots aimed at capturing very different locations in the old school. Above is an image of a child's chair and table underneath the flag was spotted in the basement gymnasium.  There was something about the simple scene with a note written on the whiteboard and the gym mats stacked neatly on the side that grabbed my attention. On the left is the view from outside one of the classrooms at the Gerry School.  The small corridor has been every inch of space in use [...]

I mentioned last week that I had visited the Gerry School on Wednesday to explore the old school in anticipation of Town Meeting this Monday.  Here are a few more images of the school for those who passed through these halls as children or have kids in the Coffin/Gerry School district. Above is the warming station or cafeteria where food is reheated after being made at the Village School.  Children pick up their meal and then return to their classrooms to eat at their desks.  Above the cafeteria is a quote by Elbridge Gerry that reads: "It is the duty [...]

As Town Meeting approaches and the Gerry School feasibility study with it, I thought it would be helpful to visit one of the older schools still in use in Massachusetts having been built in 1906.  I visited the grounds of the Gerry School on Wednesday and was joined there by two local photographers I greatly admire - Rick Ashley and Jared Charney.  While Jared shot photos with kids in them to give the place a sense of life and add some scale, Rick shot from the first floor having recently injured his achilles while receiving an award for his photography [...]