New Zervas Elementary School: Open House This Weekend In Newton

NEWTON, MA — This September, after a year and a half of construction and camping out at Carr, students are walking the halls of Zervas Elementary 2.0.

Although the Superintendent of Newton Public Schools David Fleishman and Mayor Setti Warren came out on Sept. 14 for a ribbon cutting, now the district wants the rest of the community to see the new digs and is holding an open house this weekend for those who are curious about the newest Newton Elementary school.

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The original Zervas Elementary School was more than 60 years old and had served thousands of Newton children by the time crews demolished it to make way for a building that could hold another 140 or so students.

The $40 million replacement project was second in a series of school building upgrades that began in 2013 as the district races to address population growth in schools like Zervas that had renovated and expanded and juggled existing space as far as it could and was becoming outdated and over crowded. The district added modular additions in 1999, 2007 and 2011 to the old, single-story Zervas. But it still wasn't enough, especially with projected enrollment, according to school officials.

New Zervas is, as was old Zervas, situated on Beethoven Avenue, adjacent to Beacon Street in Waban, but its foot print has expanded a bit along with its capacity.

It's now a multi-story building, decked out with a fancy cafeteria, breakout rooms and space for specialized educators to work with small groups of students, media centers, separate bathrooms for students and staff, and color coded lockers. A total of 24 classrooms grace the 80,000 square foot building.

"The new Zervas provides much needed space and an updated facility for Newton elementary students. We are excited to show the Newton community the result of their investment in our school district. The community is welcome to tour the building and see all the fantastic new spaces. We look forward to seeing you there!," reads an invitation sent out by the School District.

Newton Public Schools will host a Community Open House at the new Zervas Elementary - Saturday, Sept. 23, from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Fun fact: The Zervas School was called originally called the Beethoven School, named for the street out front in 1954. The name changed when popular Principal Frank Zervas passed away.

Photo courtesy Julie McDonough