Norwood School Committee Backs Nuclear Education Plan and Approves Artists-in-Residence Program-October 14, 1982

Meeting last night, the Norwood School Committee gave a unanimous green light to an independent educational initiative aimed at informing high school students about “decision making in the nuclear age.”

The curriculum project is being developed on their own time by high school Spanish teacher Maria Revilla and elementary school principal Andrew Ciarletta.

Developing a Balanced Nuclear Issues Curriculum

The school committee approved the proposal with the explicit stipulation that the instructional plan remain strictly neutral—neither pro nor anti-nuclear. Superintendent of Schools James R. Savage requested that he be provided with a preliminary review list of proposed films and guest speakers prior to any school assemblies.

Ciarletta emphasized that presenting both perspectives is vital to the program’s success. As outlined in their preliminary proposal, the core goals are to help students “see the realities and complexities of the nuclear age” and to foster discussions on providing “a healthy and safe future for students.”

Both Ciarletta and Revilla previously participated in an ad hoc citizens’ coalition formed earlier that year, Norwood Citizens Concerned about Nuclear Arms, which successfully petitioned the previous May’s town meeting to pass a resolution calling for a bilateral nuclear weapons freeze between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Despite their personal advocacy, the educators stressed that the classroom program will invite both pro and anti-nuclear speakers and will not attempt to poll students or manufacture a forced consensus.

“It’s a controversial subject. I do not intend to create controversy,” Ciarletta noted. “My only concern is we give them the whole story.”

Committeeman Richard W. Kief supported the initiative while drawing a distinction between the peaceful applications of nuclear energy and the existential threat of nuclear warfare.

New Artists-in-Residence Program Approved

In other curricular action, the committee endorsed a proposal from the art department to establish an artists-in-residence program.

Scheduled to begin around February, a professional artist will spend 12 weeks working out of a temporary studio split between the two junior high schools, with elementary and high school students visiting the workspace. High school art teacher Jacqueline Munroe announced that the faculty selected Harry Brock, an established abstract painter with a Boston studio, as the inaugural artist-in-residence.

While Brock will primarily work with selected student groups, portions of his residency will feature open studio hours and general assemblies where he can illustrate his artistic evolution from realism to abstract painting through slide presentations.

Committeeman Kief and colleague Margery H. McKenna praised the initiative, expressing hope that the program would achieve broad student exposure and eventually expand to incorporate writers and performing artists.

Northeastern University Evening Classes Relocated

In administrative updates, Superintendent Savage reported that Northeastern University opted to pull approximately 10 evening classes from Junior High School North following local police requests to alleviate parking congestion.

The departure results in an annual loss of roughly $3,600 in rental revenue for the town. Northeastern previously paid Norwood approximately $17,000 annually to rent classroom space. The displaced evening classes will relocate to the Westwood public school system.

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