Meet Marshall Carter & the Atrium School

Q: Marshall, how did the Atrium School get started? 

Atrium’s history is a great Watertown story! In 1982, we started in the East End with just a handful of students and a few classrooms rented at the Armenian Cultural and Education Center (ACEC) on Nichols Ave. We were known as “Ginny’s School” in honor of our founder, Ginny Kahn. But apparently one day a student called the ACEC courtyard “the Atrium” and it stuck! 

We grew through 6th grade, and moved into the Browne School. When the City repurposed Browne as the police station in 2006, we sought out a new location, and found one on Grove Street. 

Q: Why did you move back to the East End? 

Atrium had always dreamed of a permanent home. 69 Grove Street was such a great find! With so many Atrium families from Watertown and neighboring towns, It’s perfectly central. 

With Watertown-based architect Maryanne Thompson, we renovated and moved in as renters. We bought the building around 2015, about the same time we built out our middle school. 

Atrium looks pretty low-key from Grove Street, but when you come up the ramp around back, you encounter these gorgeous high-ceiling, light-filled classrooms and hallways. It’s a very inspiring building to be in, and really echoes our motto, “Excellence with Joy”. 

We love being nestled into this fantastic East End neighborhood. There’s just so much going on among the families, new companies, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Filippello Park, local businesses, arts resources like Indigo Fire, pre-schools, and more. Our students are out in the neighborhood every week -– it’s an important part of our program to be integrated into our community. 

Q: What distinguishes Atrium’s approach to childhood learning? 

Atrium is a different kind of independent private school, I think. You can feel the creative excitement every day about learning. With many open-ended projects and complex issues in the curriculum, kids really explore their own thinking and take other perspectives. 

We also really support the needs of every child while deeply immersing them in a wonderful community. It’s our mission and vision to serve a wide variety of students -- all of our kids are curious, kind and they love school, and also have quite varied approaches to learning. All of our students are deeply challenged by teachers, and their social-emotional growth is equally nurtured alongside their academic development. 

We’re generous with financial aid, and there is a very powerful sense of adventure and opportunity here alongside a strong culture of social justice. We have always been, and always will be, a school where equity and inclusion are integral, high priorities. 

Truly though, it’s our teachers. Our teachers are just exceptional. They’re passionate learners themselves, and are so committed to our kids and our families.

Q: So what’s happening with the playground renovations? 

We’re very excited about our new schoolyard!  We break ground in June, and re-open in December. We’ve got some civil engineering & drainage issues to resolve, and while doing that, we’ll recontour the landscape to create incredible play and learning opportunities. 

There will be tons–literally–of reclaimed old granite bridgestone blocks, gardens full of New England native plant species, and many new shade trees. We’re even incorporating a beautiful antique millstone, six feet across with the grinding grooves intact. 

Kids need to get outdoors for lots of open-ended, exploratory play in natural landscapes–that’s very close to my heart as an educator and parent. It’s amazing to see them collaborate and form friendships through play. We’ll keep our existing playground structures and basketball court, offering kids of all ages a real balance, a wonderful array of choices. 

Neighborhood families have always been welcome to use our schoolyard on the weekends, and that’ll continue too. A couple of pictures showing the schoolyard are below!

Q: Marshall, you’ve dedicated your career to childhood learning. Why did you pursue this field? 

I had a somewhat unintentional start as an educator! Senior year in college in Maine, a professor approached me with a need for volunteer teachers at the local middle school. It sounded fun, so I signed up. With those 6th graders, I just felt an immediate, gratifying sense of joy and purpose being with them. 

After 35 years now with elementary and middle school kids, I still feel that every day. I just love hearing the richness of their ideas, and seeing them develop confidence as they learn.  

Q: What brought you to Watertown? 

When I first moved to the Boston area in the mid 1990’s, I lived right here in Watertown, near the intersection of Arlington and Mount Auburn. Then four years ago, I wandered into a Watertown open house on a whim. My wife Lori and I fell in love with the house and moved here seeking more room, a bigger yard, and that very special “old and new” vibe of Watertown. 

We love the local businesses in the East End -- Sevan, La Bodega (run by an Atrium family!), Cha Yen, getting fresh fava beans from Arax Market, and so on. When my daughter is home from school, there’s often a quick trip for fresh, very hot falafel from Fordee’s. And, always soft serve from Celebrity! 

Soon, I’d love to get more involved in service to Watertown. We really appreciate events like the Annual MLK Unity Breakfast, and how well the city government works here. I love Watertown!

NNG: You can learn more about the Atrium School here.