Chapman Middle School

A driving force behind the project was to foster student well-being and provide an equitable education for all. As the largest middle school in Massachusetts, the facility ensures each student’s social, emotional, and academic needs are met by establishing small learning communities within the greater school where students feel welcome and supported. From the layout to graphics and color selection, every piece of the school is designed to promote a sense of belonging and foster a small-school atmosphere.

As a feeder for Weymouth High School and its robust career technical education (CTE) programs, the new grade 6-8 school’s curriculum and layout are centered around its unique “exploratories”—elective tracks that focus on modern, STEAM-driven paths in CTE, ranging from robotics and fabrication to culinary arts and broadcast media. These programs are housed in the three pods surrounding the Town Square, with specialized lab spaces to support this exploration.

To break down the scale of this large school, academic wings are organized by grade level and further separated into neighborhoods—a cluster of classroom teams surrounding support spaces. Each wing converges on a collaborative presentation area with easy access to an outdoor classroom for special lessons or messy project work.

The neighborhood structure provides a “home-base” for students and ensures their needs are met with expanded resources, focused attention, and supervision. Vibrant supergraphics in each wing reinforce concepts of diversity, empathy, and inclusion, and are supplemented by distinct color schemes for each neighborhood that assist with wayfinding and promote a sense of belonging.