AMHERST — With markers in their hands, students and staff from both Fort River and Wildwood schools throughout the day on Monday inscribed their names on a beam that will become part of the entrance canopy at the town’s first new elementary school building in more than 50 years.

“I feel like it’s cool that we got to sign the beam,” said Fort River fourth grader Abigail Schmeiser, moments after autographing the cream-colored piece of steel. “It’s something to represent us in the new school.”

Placed just outside the construction area for the three-story, 105,750-square-foot building rising on South East Street, immediately south of the Fort River School, the beam became the canvas for not only many names, but for short messages and symbols, like hearts and stars. On the perimeter construction fence next to the beam was an illustration of the new school building, with the phrase, “built for the children of Amherst by the residents of Amherst.”

“It’s really cool,” fourth grader Irene MacLean said of the opportunity to both sign the beam, and view the progress on the school building, which will open in fall 2026.

Zoey Kuzia-Ferenc, also a fourth grader, said the signing brings with it some level of fame for the students. “I feel really cool about it,” Zoey said.

But the current fourth graders also understand they will be in sixth grade in 15 months, so they won’t be part of the 575-student, K-5 school. That doesn’t diminish their excitement, though.

“At the start of the year, it seemed no work was happening,” said fourth grader Aaya Aslam. “But then a bunch of poles went up.”

“It feels like we still get to be part of the community — and our siblings will be in the school,” said fourth grader Lucy Nahm.

Third graders at Fort River, as well as Wildwood, though, will get to spend one year in the new building. Third grader Atley Rice is among those looking forward to that.

“It feels like it will be a lot more spacious,” Rice said.

“I think it’s been amazing,” said Sirinan Barnes-Bernal, also a third grader. “I signed the beam today, and then will be in fifth grade when it opens.”

Wildwood students came via several buses throughout the day to sign the beam, also getting their first chance to see the building project up close. As they exited the buses, teachers pointed over the fence to the new building before the students quickly got markers and put down their names.

Kseniya Slavksy, the owner’s project manager with Anser Advisory, told the Elementary School Building Committee at a recent meeting that the signed beam will be installed as the top beam of entrance canopy, and, because of the personal touches students and staff are giving it, will be known as the welcome beam for the $97.5 million, net-zero energy elementary school building.

CTA Construction Managers LLC of Waltham, which placed the welcome beam outside the fence, is building the school that will have five classrooms per grade level and will lead to the closing of both Fort River and Wildwood, with the former school building to be demolished to make way for and the latter school building’s future undetermined. The town’s third school, Crocker Farm School on West Street, will also become a K-5 school and continue to serve as the Early Education Center.

Fort River, which opened in 1973, was the last new school built in Amherst, though the 1960s-era Crocker Farm was renovated and expanded in the early 2000s.

The beam signing came a day before a ceremonial topping off ceremony Tuesday, when the last steel beam was expected to be put in place.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.