Build Day 2026 · Completed
Francis J. McGrath Elementary School
A disused library, rebuilt as a STEAM classroom
The school's old library was cleared, painted, and rebuilt as a dedicated STEAM classroom. It took three groups: the W4W team stripped the room out, students from Worcester Arts School painted it, and Build Day volunteers assembled and finished it.
- Organization
- Worcester Public Schools
- Location
- 493 Grove St, Worcester, MA 01609
- Site managers
- AJ Clarkin, Kayla Bortlik, Cara Cloghessy, Elle Spear
Project scope
- Cleared and stripped out the old library ahead of Build Day
- Hauled the old shelving and fittings away
- Painted by students from Worcester Arts School
- New desks, mobile seating, and storage assembled on Build Day
How it happened
Weeks of preparation, finished on Build Day.
- Before
The library as it was. Full shelves, old furniture, and a room the school had outgrown.
- 01
Ahead of Build Day, the W4W management team cleared the room themselves, boxing up everything worth keeping.
- 02
Stripped back to bare walls.
- 03
The old shelving and fittings hauled out and thrown away.
- 04
Students from Worcester Arts School came in and painted the room.
- 05
New desks, mobile seating, and storage arrived by the pallet.
- After
On Build Day, volunteers assembled the furniture and finished the room: a working STEAM classroom for about 200 students, Pre-K through grade 6.