The Swellesley Report

Since 2005: More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

We get a look at Wellesley’s newest building—Hardy Elementary School

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When the Town of Wellesley goes back-to-school shopping, it goes big. As in, “I think we should get the kids a whole new  elementary school this year, don’t you?”

Although the big-ticket (over $72M) item didn’t exactly come to fruition on such a whim, the new Hardy Elementary School did, indeed, open for students and staff in time for the start of this school year. The original Hardy, which last year celebrated 100 years educating students, was torn down and built back up in near-record time. Teardown start date: July 9, 2024. Hardy School opening date: Aug. 28, 2024. That’s 50 days from demo to done.

Hardy Elementary School, new construction, Wellesley
Hardy Elementary School, front view. All students enter via the front door at the start of each day.

The old building, located in the “front yard” of the property, close to Weston Road, stayed open and operational, while the new Hardy went up in the Route 9 eastbound side “back yard.”

The old Hardy was less than half the size of the new Hardy, a 80,039 square foot, 18-classroom school designed to serve approximately 365 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, and was funded in part with a grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

In case you’re planning a Wellesley teardown of your own and would like to stay in your old home while your new one is built in that unused corner of your vast property holdings, the answer is no. Something about safety regulations. Ah well, start looking for your swing space.

We were invited in to tour the brand-new Hardy building, and we’ve got pictures to show you.

If you, too, would like to get a good look at how your tax money is being spent, then save the date. The Grand Opening of Hardy Elementary School will take place on Saturday, Nov. 23,  at 10am. Wellesley Public Schools will hold a brief ceremony celebrating the completion of the new Hardy. Following the ceremony, visitors can tour the building and learn more about the design and construction process. This event is open to everyone in Wellesley.

Hardy Elementary School, new construction, Wellesley
Hardy School Principal Grant Smith served as our tour guide. The school has a nature theme running throughout the building, inspired by Morses Pond, Various nature-themed decals adorn the walls, and a color palette of soothing greens, blues, warm yellows, and neutrals runs throughout the building. The Hardy project isn’t Smith’s first rodeo. Before he came to Wellesley in 2020, Smith was a principal in Winchester, where he was on hand for a major school renovation there.

 

Hardy Elementary School, new construction, Wellesley
Hardy Elementary School foyer. A Massachusetts School Building Authority reimbursement kept the town’s share of the $72M+ project to under $60M.

 

Hardy Elementary School, new construction, Wellesley
The library is located in the heart of the school, off the foyer.

 

Hardy Elementary School, new construction, Wellesley

 

Hardy Elementary School, new construction, Wellesley
Kindergarten classrooms are 1,150 sq.ft., and grades 1-5 classrooms are 850-1,050 sq.ft. The school was built around the idea of a learning neighborhood concept, in which the classrooms for each grade open out into a pod area—a common learning and “neighborhood” space. Such flex space is where small group work often happens. Each learning common also has a separate closed-off small group room, “so rather than having to go down the hallway, this becomes a space where a special educator or a literacy or math interventionist can work with students without a lot of wasted transition time,” Smith says.

 

Hardy Elementary School, new construction, Wellesley
Outdoor classroom area.

 

Hardy Elementary School, new construction, Wellesley
Cubbies.

 

Hardy Elementary School, new construction, Wellesley
Salvaged Hardy sign that was above the main entrance door at the old school.

 

Hardy Elementary School, new construction, Wellesley
Every classroom has lots of storage space, a Smartboard, and a sound field system, which allows sound to be distributed around the room so someone sitting furthest away from the teacher, for example, can hear just as well as those closest to the instructional action.

 

Hardy Elementary School, new construction, Wellesley
School nurse Ann Warmington gave us a tour of the health suite, which includes two exam rooms and an entry area (pictured). The suite also has its own bathroom, a full-sized refrigerator that holds snacks, and a small, locked refrigerator for meds, such as insulin. “It all works,” Warmington says.

 

Hardy Elementary School, new construction, Wellesley
View from second floor. Hardy is the host school for the Skills program, formerly housed at the now-closed Upham School. The Skills Program provides a highly individualized and modified curriculum for students with autism spectrum disorder and/or other related disabilities that present with similar challenges. Hardy has four classrooms devoted to Skills, which serves students from the entire district.

 

Hardy Elementary School, new construction, Wellesley
Music room

 

Hardy Elementary School, new construction, Wellesley
The innovation space connects to library, creating a flex space that can be used for some of the STEAM disciplines, Smith says. The room boasts lots of built-in storage to hold building-related materials. such as Knex and oversized Legos. The area will be uses for project-based learning. basic coding, robotics, and more for all ages including kindergarten.

 

Hardy Elementary School, new construction, Wellesley
Smith says, “The gym is not only ideal for our fitness and health classes here at the elementary level, but also for future community use, with bleachers and a scoreboard that would primarily be used outside of school hours.”  The full-sized gym is big enough for a high school game, with seating for 100 on the bleachers. It won’t be available for community use until at least January. The gym is adjacent to the cafeteria, and there’s a collapsible wall that separates the two, allowing for expansion if needed for a community event. The cafeteria side doubles as a performance space and can accommodate the current student population of approximately 285, on up to a maximum of 365 kids. There is not a  separate auditorium in the school. Cafeteria tables can easily be collapsed for a school assembly or a creative arts and sciences program. Kids sit on the floor, teachers get chairs on the perimeter of the space.

 

Hardy Elementary School, new construction, Wellesley
The outdoor spaces are a work in progress. Smith says the playground will be open by the end of October, and the field will be ready by year-end. For now, students use the basketball court and a small back area for recess. The old Hardy had two playground areas, as well as a soccer field and a baseball field. The new Hardy has one playground designed for K-5, and a full soccer field for school use and community use outside school hours. The town lost a baseball field, as the new school building expanded Hardy by more than double.

 

Hardy Elementary School, new construction, Wellesley
The building is all-electric, with the estimated percentage of energy that will be created for the building at 60% via solar panels, which will be put on the roof during summer 2025. There are 5 EV chargers in the parking lot.

At the end of our tour, Principal Smith had something important he wanted to get across. “We’re all so grateful for the Town’s support and feel that the new Hardy School is a beautiful and a highly functional space that’s able to meet all the educational demands of teaching and learning in the modern age.”

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