Seeking to bring local students into the emerging computer age, school officials announced plans to request nearly $62,700 in funding at the upcoming special town meeting scheduled for September 20.
Proposed Computer Acquisition and Distribution Plan
The School Committee is formally proposing the purchase of 16 microcomputers to be distributed across the district’s school buildings:
- Elementary Schools: One computer for each of the five elementary schools (plus three units allocated to the Peabody School).
- Junior High Schools: One computer in each of the town’s two junior high schools.
- Norwood High School: Six computers to anchor secondary instruction.
Louis Buscone Jr., high school vice principal and head of the district’s computer education project, stated Wednesday that he anticipates securing the strong backing of the Finance Commission ahead of the September 20 special town meeting vote.
Educational Goals and Long-Term Vision
According to Buscone and high school math department chairman Al Carver, the newly acquired technology will serve a dual purpose: teaching students fundamental operational skills for high-tech machinery and providing targeted remedial assistance in core academic subjects.
School officials outlined an ambitious long-term objective to place a computer in every elementary classroom—where foundational introduction to technology should begin—with the complete rollout estimated to take between three and five years. In addition to general classroom use, educators plan to expand specialized computer instruction to students enrolled in college preparatory mathematics courses.
“Workers in almost any field will have to operate computers in the future,” Buscone emphasized, noting that the educational rollout would proceed independently of a separate municipal study exploring the purchase of larger computer systems for town data storage and financial management.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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Norwood High School Releases Fourth-Quarter Honor Roll-August 14, 1986

Norwood High School announced its student honor roll for the fourth quarter of the 1985-1986 academic year, recognizing academic achievement across senior, junior, and sophomore classes.
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150 Norwood High Students Walk Out and March to Protest $5 Million Renovation Delays-October 31, 1985

Protesting ongoing delays in a $5 million renovation project that has kept them displaced at Junior High North, 150 Norwood High students staged a walkout and marched to the high school.
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Norwood High SAT Scores Surge as Principal John Piccirilli Commends Student Gains-October 30, 1985

Driven by a 12-point surge in verbal scores and math averages exceeding state and national benchmarks, Norwood High Principal John Piccirilli celebrated strong college board gains.
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School Opening Delayed for High School Students-August 27, 1985

Norwood high school classes are delayed to September 9 as students temporarily relocate to Junior High North during a $5 million renovation project.
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High School Students to Relocate to Vacant Junior High School North-August 21, 1985

Citing extensive construction delays by Anchor Construction Co., Norwood school officials voted to move nearly 950 high school students to Junior High School North for the start of the school year.
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Norwood School Officials Weigh Alternatives as Renovation Delays Threaten High School Opening-August 8, 1985

Norwood school officials discussed seven alternatives for opening day if $5 million high school renovations are not finished, while firmly rejecting double sessions.
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Norwood Rejects Rockland Offer of Part Payment-July 16, 1985

The summer of 1985 was a time of great economic uncertainty in Massachusetts, with the state facing significant budget deficits and high unemployment rates. However, amidst this backdrop of fiscal woes, the town of Norwood found itself embroiled in a dispute with its neighboring municipality, Rockland, over tuition fees for vocational school students. The issue…
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Norwood High School Implements Total Smoking Ban-July 3, 1985

In July 1985, the Norwood School Committee unanimously approved a total smoking ban at Norwood High School to begin in September, prioritizing the health of its students.
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