‘I Can’t Wait To See What the Students Do’: Officials Cut Ribbon on ‘The Dome’ at NCHS

District officials started talking about renovating “The Dome”—the planetarium at New Canaan High School—back in 2016, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi.

Young NCPS students inside “The Dome,” the newly upgraded planetarium at New Canaan High School. Photo courtesy of New Canaan Public Schools

They had a couple of false starts, including a key retirement and then COVID-19, but once they were clear of the pandemic, “we really committed to doing this, because we really feel strongly that we have this opportunity to create something special for our kids and for the community.”

“We’ve been looking forward to this day for years,” Luizzi told NewCanaanite.com as a crowd gathered outside The Dome for a formal ribbon-cutting on Tuesday afternoon. 

The ceremonial ribbon-cutting came as Luizzi led sessions inside the new space, introducing town and district officials, as well as donors and members of the diligent and hugely successful Dome Committee through demonstrations. Sitting in comfortable new seats that recline for a better view, those in attendance were led by Luizzi through not just interactive space exploration software but also videos showcasing The Dome’s immersive high-definition capabilities. 

Ribbon-cutting on The Dome, April 30, 2024. Credit: Michael Dinan

“To be able to welcome in so many of the people that helped make this happen, that stuck with us through the years as we were building momentum and building the vision—it was all about getting it right, and having a vision that went beyond what a planetarium could do, to really the ‘immersive theater’ idea, and doing it in a way that asks people to think bigger than the small screen,” he said. “To do it together and collectively. So bringing everybody together to celebrate the opening is another way that we show what we believe, which is community. The power of all of us together and what we can accomplish. It’s thrilling to think where we go next.”

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi inside “The Dome,” the newly upgraded planetarium at New Canaan High School. Photo courtesy of New Canaan Public Schools

First publicly discussed in early-2019, the renovation of The Dome is expected to open up new possibilities for NCPS students and the wider community. 

Those in attendance on Tuesday included First Selectman Dionna Carlson, Selectman Amy Murphy Carroll, former First Selectman Kevin Moynihan, Board of Education Chair Hugo Alves along with several BOE members, Town Councilman Tom Butterworth and his wife, Libby, district officials and the diligent Dome Committee, chaired by Sara Schubert and with members Jayne Benton, Elizabeth DeMuth, Lauren Erickson, Meghan Gould, Jennifer Hladick, Lydia Kremer, Carrie Kurtz, Janet Lee, Lauren Connolly Nussbaum, Katrina Parkhill and Erica Schwedel.

Ribbon-cutting on The Dome, April 30, 2024. Credit: Michael Dinan

Melinda Meyer, NCHS director of innovation, said she’s most excited about student-created content for the overhead screen.

“My job here is to look at curriculum connections with our programming,” Meyer said. “But I can’t wait to see what the students do in it. We have lots of different platforms and screens and dashboards that we can use to model and to show imagery, but we just purchased cameras for our students to be able to create their own. It just opens up opportunities of: How can you share what you’re learning? How can you share what you’re passionate about? That’s what I’m most looking forward to seeing with it.”

Schubert said the project “wouldn’t have been possible without the extraordinary efforts of so many—especially the incredible committee.”

Inside “The Dome,” the newly upgraded planetarium at New Canaan High School. Photo courtesy of New Canaan Public Schools

“What an absolute honor and privilege it was to lead this Committee of dedicated volunteers in support of NCPS and education,” she said. “One thing we are all extremely proud of is being able to recognize every single donor—no matter the level of their contribution—by a digital or physical star. We are so very grateful for their support.”

Parkhill, a Committee member and former Board of Ed chair who was instrumental in seeing the project through, said, “It feels absolutely wonderful to reflect on the process and the journey that the Committee went on and how hard everybody worked. It’s really satisfying to see this come together and to witness the benefit that the kids will have for many, many years to come.”