Balch School Principal Faces Roster of Community Rumors as Charles C. Saraca Investigates Missing Piano-October 26, 1973

Rumors Plague Balch School Principal Andrew Ciarletta

A flurry of persistent rumors has recently surrounded Balch School Principal Andrew Ciarletta, prompting formal discussion at last night’s Norwood School Committee meeting. Among the community concerns addressed by school officials were questions regarding fire safety adequacy, plans transferring 42 sixth graders out of the school to be replaced by 42 incoming students from Roxbury, and unverified reports concerning school property.

The scrutiny initially stemmed from inquiries by former selectman Olga A. Abdallah, who telephoned Principal Ciarletta to ask whether a memorial piano donated in 1966 in honor of her grandfather, Nicholas Abdallah, had been sold. Ciarletta reassured her that the memorial piano remained secure. However, committee member Charles C. Saraca raised alarms over a second instrument, demanding to know the whereabouts of a missing school piano. “Where in hell is the other piano?” Saraca asked during the meeting. “It’s public property—it belongs to the taxpayers.”

Committee Jokes Give Way to Formal Investigation

While initial comments from colleagues were lighthearted—with Francis X. Sheehan Jr. joking, “It’s up at the Norwood dump,” and Superintendent of Schools Philip O. Coakley playfully chiming in, “I sold it to get a few bucks”—Saraca pursued the matter seriously. He revealed he had received tips indicating the instrument was located inside a private residence. “If I find out it’s in a private home, I’ll go down to the police station,” Sheehan added. With the issue unresolved during open session, Saraca announced following the board’s executive session that he would personally investigate the case of the missing piano.

In addition to the instrument inquiry, the committee addressed parental panic regarding school fire safety. Officials confirmed that evacuation concerns stemmed from remarks made by Selectman Chairman William F. Butters. However, letters submitted to the board by Principal Ciarletta and Fire Chief Irving J. Dobson verified that a series of rigorous fire drills had successfully demonstrated the building could be safely evacuated.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger

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