A future sixth-grader moved swiftly through a collaborative work space, around a corner and ducked inside an eighth-grade science room. 

A few seconds, he was back outside the classroom, darting down a hallway past a row of bright blue lockers and then through a doorway leading to the media center inside the new Barrington Middle School.

"It's awesome!" he said, when asked what he thought about the building.

A similar message was shared by dozens of residents as they toured the new school, following a special ribbon-cutting ceremony at the school on Monday morning, Aug. 26. 

"I was extremely excited today, but I'm going to be very excited on Tuesday (Sept. 3) when the staff and the students are all here," said Barrington Superintendent of Schools Michael Messore. "That's going to be the most exciting day for this building, opening up for everybody and seeing this come alive again."

A large crowd attended Monday morning's special event. Hundreds of people stood in the parking lot in front of the school and listened as state and local leaders spoke about the new middle school. 

Senator Jack Reed said the construction of the new Barrington Middle School served as an example of this community's desire and dedication to helping each and every student in town excel. He also said that the building, while designed primarily for students and teachers, will serve the entire community. As an example, he said that he had heard the new middle school auditorium was already booked up months in advance. 

Angélica Infante-Green said her very first school visit as the new education commissioner in Rhode Island was to Barrington Middle School. She said the old building did not strike her as being too bad, but could understand why Barrington residents wanted a new building that would further help local students succeed in the classroom. 

She said that even though Barrington is the best school district in the state, it continues to push hard for improvements. Ms. Infante-Green said she wants the new Barrington Middle School to serve as an example for the rest of the state. 

Rhode Island Treasurer Seth Magaziner continued along that same line — he said Barrington played a key role during the statewide school construction initiative. He said all children across the state should be able to attend a school like the new Barrington Middle School. 

"What has started here in Barrington is going to spread statewide," Mr. Magaziner said.

Senator Cindy Coyne, and Representatives Jason Knight and Liana Cassar also shared comments with the crowd of residents who had gathered for the ribbon-cutting. Meanwhile, just a few hundred feet to the south construction crews continued their work tearing down the old middle school building, installing a new parking lot and leveling the ground for what will become new athletic fields. 

Rep. Knight said he believed the new school was an example of the real work of politics — people working hard to find common ground and achieve greater good for the community. 

Rep. Cassar thanked everyone in town for their commitment to bringing this new school to Barrington.

It will be a wonderful place to work, she said, and a fabulous place to learn.

Barrington School Committee Chairwoman Dr. Megan Douglas took time to thank Patrick Guida, Kate Brody and Anna Clancy for their contributions to the project, adding that she was "so proud of our town for making this possible."

Barrington Town Council President Michael Carroll made an effort to thank the educators at Barrington's public schools, and especially at Barrington Middle School, which was able to achieve National Blue Ribbon status despite less than perfect building conditions. Mr. Carroll also thanked Barrington Schools' Director of Facilities Skip Learned and his crew for keeping the old middle school functional through the years. 

Mr. Guida, a former member of the school committee and current building committee co-chairman, offered a brief history lesson about the project, tracing its roots back near 10 years. 

Mr. Messore served as the final speaker before officials gathered to cut the blue and gold ribbons positioned at the front of the new building. Mr. Messore thanked former representative and current council member Joy Hearn for her contributions at the state level. He also shared some heartfelt comments about the teachers at the middle school — he said many were in tears during the last day of school at the old middle school. Despite the condition of the old school, he said, the teachers had made many wonderful memories over the years. Mr. Messore then said he was excited for all the students who would be attending the new school.

Later, after the ribbons were cut and people were welcomed into the building, Mr. Messore paused to reflect on the accomplishment of bringing a new school to Barrington.

"We are a leader in education. When you look at this building, and you look at the leadership that's taken place in this district, from the school committee, the building committee, the administration, for Barrington to commit to building a new school going back as far as 2009, and not losing that vision, even when the moratorium was in place," he said, "Barrington kept planning and ensuring the fact that when the moratorium was lifted we'd be the first to have shovels in the ground. That's a commitment. 

"And the vision of teaching and learning isn't just for this building. It's for the whole district. And that's the commitment from our administration, our principals, our teachers, to always looking for ways to be innovative, to be 21st century ready, and to engage our students in the classrooms."

Mr. Messore said he felt a sense of pride while listening to state leaders praise the district.

"I think it was great… but the pride came on Saturday when we opened the doors and we had nearly 800 people come for a tour," he said. "That's a sense of pride."