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The 'South School' name remains

By Al Turco

Published on July 12th, 2000

Stoneham, MA- The School Committee decided not to change the name of the South School, but proponents of the name change say they didn't get the chance to present their case.

A July 6 vote of the School Committee made it official: the South School name will remain. The most recent reincarnation of the Main Street elementary school building opens for business in September 2000.

"We didn't get due process," said Kathy Conary of Park Street.

Conary gathered 200 signatures in support of her proposal to rename the South School as the Ruth B. Gerrish South School after bringing her idea before a June 8 School Committee meeting. Conary said she planned to bring the petition to the first meeting of the South School Naming Committee, which the School Committee voted to form on June 8.

Gerrish was born in Stoneham on Feb. 26, 1911. She graduated from Stoneham High School in 1928, and she taught in Stoneham schools as a teacher and later as a substitute until her death in 1996. The bulk of her career was spent at the South School.

At the July 6 meeting, as part of the motion not to alter the South School name, the School Committee proclaimed that the school's library would be named after Gerrish.

At the June 8 meeting, Conary spoke in favor of renaming the school after Gerrish, and South School PTO President Ann Simmons argued not to alter the name.

Beginning in the second week of June, the School Committee posted notices on cable television and in the newspapers, looking for volunteers for the naming committee.

As of the July 6 meeting, only Conary and Simmons had applied. A unanimous vote of the School Committee — minus the vacationing Mary Carey — agreed to rescind its previous decision to form the naming committee.

"Two people do not make a committee," said School Com-mittee Chairwoman Jeanne Craigie.

Then the Committee voted on member Marie Christie's motion to keep the school name and name the library after Gerrish.

Craigie said that regardless of the strength of arguments made by Conary or Simmons, the School Committee would have had the final word on naming the school.

"Under School Committee policy, renaming the school is totally the School Committee's prerogative," Superintendent Joseph Connelly said. "The naming committee would have been advisory only."

In this light, Craigie defends the July 6 votes as pragmatic and efficient.

"It stinks," said Library Director and Wright St. resident Hugh Williams, of the votes to scrap the committee and make the final decision without further input.

The vote to keep the school name and rename the library was 3-1, with freshman School Committee member Marc Grimaldi voting against the action. He agreed that two people did not make a committee, but he disagreed with taking action July 6.

"I voted against the motion to make a decision about the name because the public had not been made aware of this," Grimaldi said. "It was not on the agenda."

Craigie said discussions about renaming the South School made sense because the July 6 agenda included reviewing appointments to the naming committee.

She added that Grimaldi knew on Monday that she planned to rescind the vote to form the naming committee. Connelly confirmed this.

Grimaldi responded that he had no knowledge that any motions to take final action on the name would be made at the July 6 meeting. Connelly also agreed with this statement.

Regardless of who knew what when, Craigie stands behind both July 6 votes.

"I didn't see much room for compromise (between Sim-mons and Conary) so we bit the bullet and did what we are expected to do as elected officials — we made the decision," Craigie said.

This still does not sit well with Conary, who was ready and willing to be part of the process.

"I was told there would be a committee to discuss renaming the school," Conary said. "I went out and got signatures. Next thing I know, it's done."