A rendering of the discovery classroom going in at Kate Furbish Elementary School. Courtesy of CHA Architecture

The Brunswick School Department is now seeking construction bids for a new classroom at the Kate Furbish Elementary School.

According to Superintendent Phil Potenziano, the 1,000-square-foot “discovery classroom” will be used for science and nature experiments, small group presentations and additional hands-on learning activities.

The classroom will be a freestanding building near the entrance of the cafeteria. It is being funded through a 2019 gift from Bowdoin College of $450,000.

“I am very pleased that Bowdoin College decided to fund this unique learning environment for students,” said Potenziano. “A ‘discovery classroom’ will expand learning opportunities for not only our youngest students but the goal is to expand its use for the greater Brunswick community.”

The school department is hoping to receive bids from local construction companies, Potenziano said.

The classroom will also include sinks, tables and storage space, according to a 2019 report by The Times Record. Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School already has two “discovery classrooms,” according to the same report.

“In more traditional terms it might be considered a multi-purpose room,” said Brunswick School Board member Sarah Singer, noting that the facility will also be a venue for outside programming, such as bands or artists that might come present at the school.

The classroom was initially removed from the building plans for Kate Furbish due to budget constraints, according to Singer, who is also the chair of the facilities committee.

“Bowdoin’s gift for the inclusion of the Discovery Classroom was an opportunity to build on the considerable investment the community was making in its public schools,” said Matt Orlando, Bowdoin College’s senior vice president for finance and administration. “The inclusion of this unique classroom space will serve not only the students attending the Kate Furbish school but will serve the broader community.”

There are 615 students enrolled at Kate Furbish, which serves pre-school through second grade and opened in September 2020.

Bids are due by 10 a.m. on Nov. 23, 2021. Potenziano said the school department is hoping to break ground in the spring, but a timeline for when the building might be complete has yet to be determined.