Marshfield
Superintendent of Schools, Jeffrey Granatino, announced that two individuals
have been selected to the district’s first class of the recently created, Wall of Honor. The two chosen for this honor are Ms. Nancy Currie and Mr. John Putnam.
Each
of the inductees were long-time educators in the district, who spent 70 years
teaching the children of Marshfield. In
addition, they spent time coaching and advising many of them and served
selflessly in a variety of volunteer roles, including the School Committee, to
the benefit of the students and the Town of Marshfield.
Ms.
Currie was a Health teacher at the Marshfield High School (MHS) for 34 years
and eventually served as the Coordinator of Comprehensive Health. She was
responsible for creating the secondary health curriculum and initiated the use
of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey for the MPSD, which has provided valuable
data about the youth of Marshfield. Upon
her retirement from teaching, she also served three terms on the School
Committee. She has also spent decades
volunteering in countless other endeavors on behalf of the schools and the
Town. School Committee Chair, Sean
Costello, noted, “Over her many years of service to the community, Nancy
Currie’s name has become synonymous with educational excellence in Marshfield.
She was an innovative member of the faculty for 34 years at MHS and an integral
member of the School Committee for three terms.
Mrs. Currie has always gone to bat for our students, and her inclusion
in the inaugural class for the Wall of Honor is a fitting recognition for such
a special contributor to Marshfield education.”
Mr.
Putnam worked in the district for 40 years, spending 36 of those years teaching
science and coaching wrestling at Marshfield High School. During much of that time, he served as the
Department Chair for science. He
impacted countless other students in his role as the MHS Wrestling coach and due
to his many years of success in that role, he was also selected to the Massachusetts
Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
As described by MHS Teacher, Dave Mitchell, one of two individuals who
nominated Mr. Putnam for this honor, “This individual, an honorable man, has
distinguished himself as an outstanding educator and gentleman. He has brought considerable credit to the
Town of Marshfield and to the MHS community.”
Last
fall, the Marshfield School Committee voted on the creation of the Wall of
Honor, to “foster pride in our system through recognition of individual achievement
of former students, teachers, coaches/advisors, administrators, school
committee members and friends of the Marshfield Public Schools.”
While
all of the nominees brought forth were tremendous individuals, who made
positive impacts on the school community over the years, the Search Committee
selected two who they felt best fit criteria for the Wall of Honor and who
scored the highest on their rubric. All
nominees who were not selected this year will continue to be considered, along
with new nominations that come forward, by the MPSD Wall of Honor Subcommittee over
the next four years.
The
Subcommittee consisted of two parents, two school committee members, two
teachers, a school principal and the Superintendent. They will be working with volunteers over the
next few months on setting up the induction ceremony and dinner which is slated
to take place in the Fall.
