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
-
Norwood Zeroes In On School Vandals-August 3, 1977

A newly formed blue‑ribbon security committee convened to confront a surge of costly vandalism at Norwood’s public schools. Members reviewed structural, technological, and community‑based deterrents while assigning formal research duties for a comprehensive townwide response.
-
Public Schools Enrollment Down 341 Students, Though Upcoming Apartment Construction Expected to Boost Numbers-September 16, 1976

Norwood school officials report a drop of 341 students in total enrollment, but anticipate new apartment construction will push numbers back up.
-
Louis Buscone Jr. Appointed High School Vice-Principal After Close School Committee Vote-September 9, 1976

Louis Buscone Jr. wins a one-year appointment as Norwood High School vice-principal by a 4-3 school committee vote as the board reviews declining enrollment figures.
-
Norwood School Committee Seeks Field Trip Funds and Awards Bus Transportation Contracts-July 29, 1976

Facing budget cuts that eliminated student field trips, the Norwood School Committee voted to appeal to the Finance Commission and special town meeting for restoration funds.
-
Norwood Board Rejects Blue Hills Collaborative-July 29, 1976

The summer of 1976 was a time of great change and uncertainty for the town of Norwood, Massachusetts. As the nation celebrated its bicentennial, local residents were grappling with issues of education, finance, and community involvement. One such issue that dominated the headlines in July 1976 was the proposed Blue Hills Collaborative, a vocational school…
-
Balch School Welcomes First Full-Time Bilingual Teacher for Growing Portuguese Student Community-October 24, 1975

Driven by parent advocacy led by Manuel DaCosta, the Balch School welcomed its first full-time bilingual teacher, Mrs. Diane Lawrence Callahan, to support Norwood’s growing Portuguese student population.
-
Balch School Library to Be Officially Dedicated as Grace M. Beverly Memorial Library-October 23, 1975

The Balch School library in South Norwood will be dedicated as the Grace M. Beverly Memorial Library, honoring the beloved former principal’s lifelong dedication to children’s literature and education.
-
Oldham School Sixth Graders Discover an Outdoor Classroom During Rainy New Hampshire Wilderness Trip-October 9, 1975

Oldham School sixth graders brave a rainy week of hiking, craft-making, and ecology studies during an outdoor education field trip to New Hampshire.
-
School Committee Reviews Standardized Test Results-September 18, 1975

Norwood School Committee reviews standardized test results, prompting officials to push for a return to basics in math and language skills across all grade levels.
Discover more from Norwood Historical Society
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

