New Bedford, MA – Global Learning Charter Public School (GLCPS) announced that the new Joan and Irwin Jacobs STEAM Center for Education has been completed, more than two years after construction began.
GLCPS is a tuition-free public charter school serving 500 New Bedford students in Grades 5-12. The 18,132sf, state-of-the-art STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Music) education center, which stands adjacent to the school’s main campus, officially opened on Feb. 13.
The rehabilitated former convent includes a Think-a-Bit (or innovation lab), a biology lab, a chemistry lab with a fume hood, two math classrooms, an art classroom outfitted with a kiln, a music room with separate practice room, two world language classrooms, a media center, and the College and Career Center, as well as small rooms for students who need a quiet space to work. Middle school students take art, music and technology classes in the new building. Besides those classes, high school students also take science, math and world language courses there. Additionally, they have access to the College and Career Center. School officials also plan to invite community groups to use the building for classes or meetings.
“What I love about our One School One Campus expansion project is seeing all of the planning for this building, especially all of the teachers’ input, come to fruition. It is a building designed for learning, collaborating, experimenting and creating,” said Dr. Stephen Furtado Sr, executive director of GLCPS.
The building was originally scheduled to open at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year but construction and materials issues delayed the opening. The school will hold a ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony in the new building at a later date.
