Former Patriots star Rob Gronkowski stopped by New Mission High to spike a football and celebrate the opening of the school’s state-of-the-art weight room.

“This new facility right here, this is what it’s all about,” Gronkowski told a collection of New Mission student athletes packed in the school’s weight room Wednesday. “If you want to get better as an athlete, you want to get stronger in life, this is where it begins. Right here in the weight room.”

The former tight end was joined by members of his family and Mayor Michelle Wu to cut the ribbon on the Hyde Park school’s freshly installed weight room. The facility came out of a collaboration between BPS and the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation, the family’s nonprofit that supports youth sports.

The school is fresh off of three state championships, including the recent win by the boys basketball team, Wu noted, calling Boston “the city of champions.”

“Boston is a city of champions because every single one of our schools has championship teams and players and learners inside as well,” Wu said. “And today is a little bit of a reminder of all the work that goes into making sure our students have what they need to grow into the champions that they are.”

The speakers emphasized the importance of making sure every student has the resources they need to meet exceptional potential.

“What better way to get better than having our own gym, and the school building,” said New Mission basketball star and BPS Player of the Year Amy Mariano. “And I just feel like it’s a better way to bring people together, and let’s enjoy it.”

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Gronk took time after the event to take pictures with the students and mess around the gym space, doing pull ups and spiking a football for the small but enthusiastic crowd. The athlete will stick around town to serve as the Grand Marshall for the 2024 Boston Marathon on Monday.

“We want to give the kids an opportunity to succeed, the kids that don’t have those opportunities, that don’t have access to fields and equipment to go out there and play sports,” Gronkowski said. “So the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation comes into play in that category. Just working out, staying active is huge as a kid. My brother’s kids are all active; we were all active growing up. And I believe that’s why I’m here where I am to this day.”

Gronk brought his star power back to Boston. (Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)