As Norwood prepares for the new academic year, the School Committee has announced plans to open the newly constructed John P. Oldham Elementary School next Wednesday, contingent upon final safety inspections of its heating and ventilating systems.
While municipal electric light department crews rushed to finish electrical work and boilers were fired for the first time, town officials remain cautious. Despite a 3-2 vote by the Oldham School Building Committee declaring the school ready—over the strong objections of members Arthur B. Rodgers and Mrs. Ellen Dixon—the School Committee stressed that students will not be admitted until the heating system receives formal certification from the Public Safety Department. To ease the transition, initial classes at Oldham will operate on half-day sessions for the first week, welcoming roughly 450 students.
Police Investigate Found Safe Parts
In local police news, investigators are probing the mysterious discovery of safe fragments in a wooded area near Norton Drive and Neponset Street. Local children reported seeing two suspicious men in the area, after which residents uncovered a combination dial, metal casing, and concrete chunks. Sergeant John Wall is leading the inquiry, though checks with State Police and Boston Police have yielded no reports matching a stolen safe.
New Teacher Appointments
The newspaper also released biographical sketches of 28 new teachers joining the Norwood school system for the upcoming year:
- James F. Jesso (Watertown) — Winslow School (B.S., Northeastern University)
- Miss Sandra Ann Johnson (Belmont) — Balch School (B.S., Mills College, N.Y.)
- Karl P. Joslow (Newton) — Senior High Reading Department (B.A., Yale University; studied at Boston University and Boston College)
- Miss Mary Mastropieri (Walpole) — John P. Oldham School (B.S., State College at Framingham)
- Miss Diane L. McDonald (Mt. Vernon, Ind.) — Balch School (B.A., DePauw University)
- Franklin R. Miller (Dorchester) — Senior High Math (B.S., Indiana University)
- John F. Monahan (Roslindale) — Prescott School (B.S., Boston College; Ed.M., Boston State College)
- Miss Mary Ellen Jarrett (Hornell, N.Y.) — John P. Oldham School (B.S., State University College at Brockport, N.Y.)
- Robert B. Jennings (Springfield) — Senior High Industrial Arts (B.S.E., State College at Fitchburg; M.Ed., Springfield College)
- Miss Susan M. Moynahan (Maplewood, N.J.) — Prescott School (B.A., Newton College of the Sacred Heart)
- Miss Regina Mullen (Watertown) — Division of Special Services (B.A., Emerson College)
- Miss Mary Ellen O’Brien (Norwood) — John P. Oldham School (B.S., Boston College)
- Travis Nutting (Brookline) — Cleveland School (B.A., University of New Hampshire)
- Miss Elaine B. Pave (Milton) — Elementary Art (B.F.A., Boston University)
- Miss Elizabeth M. Pinel (Dennisport) — John P. Oldham School (B.S., State College at Bridgewater)
- Miss Judith Ponn (Jamaica Plain) — Shattuck School (B.S., Boston University)
- Wayne E. Ringer (Needham) — Senior High Social Science (B.S., Boston University)
- Miss Jeanine M. Riette (Brookline) — Senior High Foreign Languages (A.B., Emmanuel College)
- Miss Linda Ann Sawyer (North Dartmouth) — Balch School (B.S., State College at Framingham)
- Mrs. Jean L. Sever (Needham) — John P. Oldham School (Graduate of Wheelock College; studying at State College at Framingham)
- Miss Judith E. Seymour (Roxbury) — Senior High Social Science (B.S., Boston State College)
- Miss Florence T. Sullivan (Hull) — Senior High Physical Education (B.S.E., State College at Bridgewater)
- Miss Helena Tisdell (Worcester) — Senior High English (B.S., Simmons College)
- Miss Dorothy A. Tolini (West Roxbury) — Senior High Math (B.A., State College at Boston)
- Warren R. Tucker (Malden) — Division of Special Services (B.A., Harvard College; studied at University of Paris and State College at Bridgewater)
- Miss Stephanie Wallach (Leominster) — Division of Special Services (Attended Vassar College; B.A., Boston State College; studied at the Sorbonne)
- Miss Joan M. Werner (Barre) — Senior High English (B.A., University of Massachusetts)
- R. Oakley Winters (Newton) — Senior High Social Science (A.B., Dartmouth College; A.M.T., Harvard School of Education)
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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