At 10 a.m., a plethora of familiar and not-so-familiar faces rolled through the doors of Mass Academy, checked into a booth manned by two alumni, and picked up a name tag. Classmates and past teachers reunited and explored the building together! Doctors, lawyers, researchers, engineers, teachers, and parents shook hands and recalled their high-school experiences. It was Saturday, September 26th, 2026—Mass Academy’s FIRST Alumni Open House!

At First Sight: Name tags alongside directions to the Brickyard!

Mass Academy first opened its doors in 1992, thanks to the efforts of late MA Senator Arthur E. Chase. The school had first sat directly on campus, taking up a portion of the WPI Gordon Library Basement. Today, the school can be found within a larger space at 85 Prescott Street on the outskirts of the WPI campus. 

Throughout the years, many faces have joined the school, one class of at most fifty juniors at a time. As any student at the MA Academy of Math and Science could tell you, that’s up to 1700 total students and alumni—about the size of a large public high school today. 

Through the Years: Alumni explore select photos from each class, all the way back to ’92-’93

Since its founding days, the Academy has experienced a number of changes. The building is different, the teachers have changed as well. Rules have fallen into place: modern expectations replacing what was described by some alumni as more exploratory constraints. The phys-ed curriculum today is diverse: team sports, football, yoga, zumba, self-defense, and kickboxing! 

Despite these differences, the Mass Academy experience has remained the same: two years of deep intellectual rigor alongside a tight-knit group of equally motivated classmates. Seniors, graduating in 2027, easily connected with alumni all the way to the class of ‘94 and ‘96. Situated in each classroom (Humanities, Physics, Computer Science, Math Modeling, and STEM), seniors had the opportunity to showcase their projects, discuss their experiences, and build connections with the alumni.

Top Left: Sanvi V., senior, showcasing her Independent Research Project to MAMS alumni. Top Right: Ananth G. and Sam W., Seniors, lead an expose of FIRST Robotics Competition Team 190’s Robots. Bottom Left: Charles S. and Prisha N., seniors, talking about their time in Computer Science with MAMS alumni. Bottom Right: Mohammad G., Senior, presenting various projects completed throughout the Humanities class

Teachers were given the opportunity to connect with former students and teachers as well! Being able to see their students through their years and connecting with veterans in each position provided a unique and insightful perspective for each of our teachers, making the event even more meaningful! For our new director, Mr. McCarthy, connecting with previous years of students and faculty seemed to be an amazing experience: a window into what was to come and the progress the institution has made thus far.

Top Left: Mrs. Durost, math modelling instructor, talking with a former math teacher. Bottom Left: Dr. Crowthers, STEM instructor, addressing previous students. Right: Mr. McCarthy, director, addressing alumni in the Brickyard

The event concluded with a group picture and some refreshments, including donuts from Roccos (the best donuts on the East Coast). Mr. McCarthy, both at the beginning and at the end, addressed the large audience and extended gratitude towards their presence. It was a memorable and successful milestone for Mass Academy—and hopefully just the first of many alumni reunions to come.

Left: Rocco’s Donuts, alongside some other snacks. Top Right: MAMSAA (MAMS Alumni Association) addressing attendees. Bottom Right: post-refreshments group photo!