Getting their hands on science
The excitement was palpable at Gardner Pilot Academy (GPA), as students, teachers, parents and special guests gathered last month in the auditorium of the community elementary school in Allston for a momentous event. It was a day, in fact, that principal Erica Herman had waited nearly a decade to see. On this special morning, Herman, along with several young GPA scholars, Boston Public Schools Superintendent Tommy Chang, and Harvard officials cut the ribbon on the school’s new state-of-the-art science laboratory — a vision brought to life with a $500,000 donation from Harvard University. “Over the last 10 years we have been working on how to transform unused basement space to create a school that is ready for the 21st century,” said Herman. “We wondered how we would get the money, and thanks to the tremendous commitment from Harvard University in seed funding, we were able to not just do one small project...