Wexler-Grant Says Goodbye

Wexler-Grant School sent off its final eighth-grade class of 24 students Tuesday morning — as the Dixwell school community plans to leave its Foote Street building and merge with Newhallville’s Lincoln-Bassett School next academic year.

The eighth-grade promotions ceremony was celebrated by families, students, and staff at the 55 Foote St. community school, which New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) leadership announced earlier this year will merge with Lincoln-Bassett amid the district’s ongoing struggles with a multi-million-dollar budget deficit.

As of August 2024, Wexler-Grant had 217 students ranging in grade levels from kindergarten to eighth grade, and Lincoln-Bassett had 256 students ranging in grade levels from pre-kindergarten to sixth grade. The new, merged PreK‑8 school will be based out of Lincoln-Bassett’s current building on Bassett Street in Newhallville, will have around 470 students, and will remain a neighborhood school.

The district also plans to convert the current Wexler-Grant building on Foote Street into a new alternative middle school focused on​“project-based learning.”

Wexler-Grant staff described Tuesday as the last promotion ceremony for the school as the community currently knows and loves it. The school has for decades had a ​“strong foundation rooted in community,” said school counselor Colette Urbano. 

“The people have made Wexler-Grant Wexler-Grant,” she told the crowd.

As staff presented students with end-of-year recognition awards before receiving their promotion certificates, they reminded the class of 2025 to carry Wexler’s legacy and life lessons with them to high school and beyond.

Tuesday’s keynote speaker was Sara Wexler, the granddaughter of Isadore L. Wexler, who the school is named after. She spoke about her grandfather’s influence and the bittersweet feeling of the community school’s end. 

Wexler Principal David Diah asked Sara Wexler to speak at Tuesday’s celebration to honor her grandfather and remind the audience of the school’s community-rooted history. 

Wexler was 13 years old when her grandfather passed away in 1984. She said that she learned about his legacy mostly from old news articles that her family had stored away in several boxes in her basement over the years. 

She described him as ​“a man who was ahead of his time” and who invested in community schools as a coach and civic leader. He began his education career in 1926, then became the principal of Winchester School in 1946. He pioneered a work-study program to introduce New Haven students to local businesses, real-life work experiences, and community.

Sara Wexler encouraged the graduates to support each other because ​“sometimes there’s no other place to find that than within your own community.”

The celebration had performances from Wexler-Grant’s drum line, led by in-house suspension staffer Douglas Bethea, and choir, led by music teacher Jaminda Blackmon.

Tuesday’s salutatorian and valedictorian were new to Wexler-Grant’s community but found their place immediately thanks to the welcoming nature of the staff and students. 

Salutatorian Marina Chavez transferred to Wexler-Grant in January from Stamford and said ​“if not for Wexler, I wouldn’t have gained my courage to overcome challenges.”

She thanked the staff and students for believing in her. She thanked her friends for inviting her in. She thanked the school’s educators for pushing her to step outside of her comfort zone. And she thanked the school community for always encouraging her. 

“I am a more confident person because of the kindness and encouragement that I received here,” she concluded. ​“Wexler modeled what it means to lead with my heart.”

Valedictorian Orquidia Buret arrived at Wexler-Grant at the start of the school year from New York and learned from the school community how to adapt. Of the many lessons she’s learned over the past few months, she said the most important have been learning that less is more; you don’t have to be good at everything, you just have to try your best; and that failure is simply the opportunity to begin again. 

She said she feels saddened for Wexler-Grant’s youngest students who will soon be displaced from the Dixwell community school as it merges with Lincoln-Bassett. She said, however, that if she can find a new home in less than a year, then so can they. 

Also during Tuesday’s ceremony, students received literacy growth awards. Seven students received awards for their growth in math, and four were awarded for demonstrating consistent engagement. 

During concluding remarks on Tuesday, Diah pointed to the graduates and told the audience, ​“They’ll rise up.” He thanked the families and staff for years of supporting Wexler. ​“Your love has been the foundation of our success,” he said. 

Each graduate has grown not only in knowledge, he said, but also in confidence and courage to embody the school’s lion mascot. 

Wexler-Grant staff described Diah as a ​“beacon of stability” from the school’s turnaround years to its new transition. 

Wailny, graduate Dylan Garcia Castillo’s mom said that, while she’s nervous for what’s next, she is so proud of her son who has been at Wexler-Grant since the second grade. Wailny said she previously struggled to manage her son’s behavior but received a village of support from Wexler-Grant’s staff to help him to develop. 

Dylan added that he’s learned from Wexler-Grant staff how to open up to his mother more and has become better at sharing with her how he feels. 

Wexler-Grant school counselor Colette Urbano described cycling through the stages of grief during the final weeks of the school year. 

She said it’s been hard saying goodbye to students she’s built relationships with for months and years. She also is unsure of her own placement for next school year. 

While offering parting advice to her students, like the importance of remaining connected to your community and pushing through growing pains, she also took her own advice as the current school year comes to an end. 

Urbano has been at Wexler-Grant since 2018 and has worked for NHPS since 2012. She has learned over the years the importance of community schools and of Wexler’s decades of supporting high-needs students. ​“All of our time here mattered. And these kids inspired me every day and taught me resilience,” she said. 

While she looks forward to what’s next for her and for Wexler-Grant’s students, she said it’s taken years for Wexler-Grant staff to build trust with their students and will be hard to start over. She said she hopes the community takes pieces of Wexler-Grant’s values and lessons with them. 

“There will be growing pains, but I really hope Wexler’s heart finds its place at Bassett,” she said. 

In recent weeks, Wexler-Grant and Lincoln-Bassett staff have been working to acclimate the school communities with one another. Students have taken field trips to Bassett to meet staff, have a question-and-answer panel with the principal, and partake in ice-breaker activities with their peers.

Fifth grader De’aire said she is going to miss Wexler-Grant after Tuesday’s ceremony. She said she will not be attending Bassett next year. 

However, at her next school, she said she plans to use the many coping skills she learned from Urbano. She also will miss Urbano’s support helping her control her temper when she’s upset, and she’ll miss when they would enjoy lunch together. This year, Urbano took the time to laminate a ​“break pass” for De’aire for when she struggled to handle her behavior in class. She would use her pass to visit Urbano to practice coping skills like counting to ten, taking deep breaths, and using ​“I” statements to tell others how she feels. 

“I’m going to miss Wexler,” De’aire concluded. ​“I wish I could stay.”