Wellesley Schools Advance Plan for Air Conditioning in Four Buildings

Wellesley Public Schools is preparing to seek design funds at the Fall Special Town Meeting to bring air conditioning to Wellesley Middle School and the Bates, Fiske and Schofield elementary schools, following a unanimous School Committee vote in May 2026 to upgrade electrical systems and install window units in the four buildings that lack central air.

SCHOOLS

The air conditioning push traces back to a feasibility study approved by Annual Town Meeting in April 2025. After small-scale classroom pilot installations outperformed expectations, the School Committee voted unanimously in May 2026 to move forward with a plan to upgrade electrical systems and use window units in classrooms and libraries at the four schools, according to the district. The committee says it plans to request design funds at the Fall Special Town Meeting to keep the project moving.

The School Committee meets again Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 6:30 p.m., with Back to School Nights at multiple schools set for later that week.

COMMUNITY & ARTS

Historian Robert A. Gross, professor emeritus of early American history and an authority on colonial America and the Revolution, headlines the Wellesley Historical Society's speaker series Sunday, Sept. 20, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Wakelin Room at the Main Library.

The Wellesley Theatre Project is celebrating two milestones: its IMPACT! Company was awarded an Excellence in Acting honor at the Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta, and WTP student Firo Oliva Ridge made his Broadway debut as Young Simba in Disney's "The Lion King."

ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS

"Patch AM: Meet the new leaders shaping Wellesley's Council on Aging services." New people are taking on leadership roles in the town's senior services programs, per Wellesley Patch (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/wellesley).

"Worcester's The Bra Shop Heads to Wellesley Square With Sizes A to O." A Worcester-based specialty retailer is opening a second location at 22 Church St. in Wellesley this November, offering bra fittings and inclusive sizing, according to Hoodline (read it at https://hoodline.com/2026/09/worcester-s-the-bra-shop-heads-to-wellesley-square-with-sizes-a-to-o/).

"Raider Recap 9-19-26." Wellesley High's girls soccer team fell 4-0 at home to Concord-Carlisle on Saturday, per Wellesley Sports Blitz (read it at https://wellesleysportsblitz.com/2026/09/19/raider-recap-9-19-26/).

COMING UP

Yom Kippur closes Wellesley schools Monday, Sept. 21. Wellesley Weston Chabad holds Kol Nidrei services Sunday, Sept. 20, from 7 to 9 p.m., and Neilah services Monday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Back to School Nights are scheduled Wednesday, Sept. 23, and Thursday, Sept. 24, across WPS schools, followed by the Western Round Up on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 11 a.m. The library hosts Intro to Podcasts and a Sci-Fi Book Club Tuesday, Sept. 22. Wellesley College's Albright Institute presents "Russia NOW: The Current State of the Former Soviet Union" on Wednesday, Sept. 23.

Compiled from official town feeds, community organizations, and local press. Outside reporting is attributed inline.