Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School Returning To Hamden

HAMDEN, CT — The ACES Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School is returning to its original location at 670 Wintergreen Avenue in Hamden, officials announced Thursday.

The school opened in the location in 1998 and moved out in 2019 when Hamden decided to use the space for programming, according to a news release. The magnet school then relocated to 88 Bassett Road in North Haven, which was previously used as the North Haven campus for Gateway Community College.

Officials with ACES expect students to begin the 2023-2024 school year in the Wintergreen Avenue location.

“We look forward to welcoming ACES Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School students back to 670 Wintergreen Avenue in Hamden — the school’s initial home,” ACES Executive Director Thomas Danehy said in a statement. “The building will provide our students with opportunities that enhance learning and promote enriched arts learning.”

ACES will host two Open Houses at 670 Wintergreen Avenue from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 24, and from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24. Tours of the building will be offered during the Open House.

Read more from the news release below:

ACES Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School is a K-8 school that serves over 600 students primarily from the following districts: Hamden, Meriden, New Haven, Wallingford, and Waterbury, as well as, from other districts within New Haven County.

In 2022, 65 percent of the Grade 8 students promoted were accepted to private high schools, Connecticut Vocational and Technical High schools, and New Haven Magnet High Schools. Schools include Sacred Heart Academy (Hamden), Notre Dame High School (West Haven), The Hopkins School, Xavier High School, St. Joseph High School, The Ethel Walker School, Vinal Technical High School, Eli Whitney Technical High School, Engineering Science University Magnet School (ESUMS), Career High School, Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School, The Sound School, New Haven Academy, and High School in the Community. In October of the same year, ACES earned a 5-year Magnet School Assistance Program grant that will allow for significant investments in our Arts Integration theme.

Students will work side by side with resident artists in developing the creative part of their brains. By utilizing a creative, experimental method of teaching, WIMS will develop thinkers who can use their strengths to explore their varied interests. Classroom teachers and arts specialists collaborate to connect the academic concepts studied in the classroom to the arts, through performances, Arts Showcase Expos, and an Arts Capstone Project.

There will be an opportunity for rising grade 6 students to participate in a week-long Arts Immersion Program each summer. Students can enroll in ACES WIMS through the ACES Magnet School Parent Choice program.