Oldham School Portable Classroom Nears Completion-October 12, 1989

Relief is finally in sight for overcrowded conditions at the Oldham School. School Committee members learned last night that a newly installed portable classroom building on Prospect Street is nearly ready for occupancy.

Principal Talanian reported that construction connecting a passageway from the portable unit to the main school building will be completed within 10 days, allowing students and teachers to move in by the end of the month.

Solving Five Years of Overcrowding

The new structure provides long-overdue space to alleviate overcrowding that the Oldham School has battled for five years:

• Kindergarten Space: Seventy-five percent of the portable building will house a dedicated kindergarten classroom, giving 19 kindergartners—who were previously taught out of the school library—a permanent home.
• Special Needs Program: Two 12-by-12 rooms will accommodate a federal school-wide special needs program. Previously, the program’s two teachers had to work with groups of about 10 children at a time right out of the school lobby, serving roughly 60 participating students overall.

The School Committee originally approved Superintendent James Savage‘s plan for the portable classroom in January, successfully resurrecting an idea first floated four years prior.

Thomas MacDonough Reports on German Marshall Fund Fellowship

In other business, Norwood High School social studies teacher Thomas MacDonough addressed the committee to share insights from his travels this summer as a fellow under the German Marshall Fund.

MacDonough, a 24-year veteran of the Norwood school system, spent four weeks in West Germany alongside 13 other American educators, comparing educational systems and political structures with German counterparts. One of the most striking cultural differences, MacDonough noted, was textbook selection: German teachers were fascinated to learn that American educators have the autonomy to choose their own history textbooks. In MacDonough’s German region, by contrast, only a single approved history text is permitted in classrooms.

“I think diversity is a better route and so do they,” MacDonough remarked.

Reflecting on his experiences abroad—which also included a 1988 trip to Turkey as a Fulbright fellow—MacDonough praised the strong institutional support Norwood provides for independent educator endeavors, noting that teachers in other districts often face severe hurdles securing sabbaticals.

MacDonough actively integrates his international studies into his local curriculum: following his trip to Turkey, he added a dedicated section on Islam to his Western Civilization course, and he plans to incorporate his observations on contemporary Germany into his honors European history classes this year.

Additional School Committee Actions

In other administrative matters during the session, the committee:

• Finance Commission Liaison: Voted to send a letter notifying the Finance Commission that committee member Christopher Curran will serve as the official liaison. Curran explained that the commission will coordinate closely with town boards to project revenues early, helping departments anticipate budget adjustments.
• New Appointment: Appointed Amy Selig as an elementary school speech teacher to fill the vacancy left by departing teacher Donna Brown.

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