Harbinger The Algonquin
October 2015 vOL. 27 NO. 1
The Student Newspaper of Algonquin Regional High School 79 Bartlett street, Northborough MA 01532 | arhsharbinger@gmail.com
Walsh: 61 years, still counting Annie Campbell
Sports Editor Richard “Dick” Walsh shuffles through the halls and cafeteria often pausing to pick through a trash can or to crack a joke with a passing teacher or student. His unassuming frame carries a long history of hard work and passion for ARHS. He is a man who has spent 61 of his 83 years contributing to Algonquin’s legacy. After retiring from a long career as a coach, teacher, and administrator at ARHS, Walsh has spent a large portion of the day inside the school building doing various assigned and volunteer duties including opening the school each morning and helping with clean up in the cafeteria during lunches. After meeting with superintendent Christine Johnson and Business Director Cheryl Levesque on September 18, Walsh was, for the most part, restricted from the building during school hours and reassigned to athletics-based weekend and after school duties. Students and teachers past and present responded en masse to the recent abrupt change of Walsh’s duties within the building. The community’s passionate response to Walsh’s brief absence emphasized his value to the school because of not only his history with athletics, but also his commitment to ARHS as a whole. “I thought it [support for Walsh] was touching, it was a very nice recognition of his long, long service here, and that is nice when the community recognizes that kind of commitment and contribution to the school,” Principal Tom Mead said. After one week of restricted duties, Walsh’s role has been adjusted to allow him some responsibilities in the build-
ing during the school day. According to Walsh, he is now able to volunteer in the cafeteria before school until 8:30 and during lunch to help the custodial staff. “It feels a lot better than not being here at all,” Walsh said. “We work with our faculty to find the place where they can best make their contribution,” Mead said. “So it was in the spirit of that that this shift of his day to day contributions was made.” After Walsh’s initially restricted duties, many students and faculty members were saddened by no longer seeing Walsh throughout the building during the course of the school day. “Every time you walk the halls you just assume you are going to see him [Walsh], you assume you are going to see him having conversations with kids and faculty members,” applied arts and technology teacher Nicole Ruffo said. Faculty members shared that they value Walsh for many reasons. “He is such a selfless person, and I think, in many ways, that he is the heart and soul of this place, and it did not feel right that he could not be in the building,” social studies teacher Stephen Godbout said. “He is our identity; he is Algonquin, and to have him not in the building just did not feel right. In all my years here, you always knew he was here somewhere, but his presence was missed, although he is back now a little so that is good.” Other teachers appreciate Walsh’s outgoing and friendly personality. “His presence in the building is not only important for what happens in the cafe, but he is someone who gets to know the students and the staff,” drama teacher Maura Morrison said. “He is a real fixture in our school and it is his humor that people look forward to.” Walsh worked as a physical educa-
Photos Rafaela Coelho
Upper right: Walsh poses for picture in the cafeteria during breakfast. Bottom left: Murals painted by Michelle Sheppards art 1 class. Bottom middle: The note Mr. Walsh wrote thanking students and faculty. Bottom right: Teachers gather in front of rotunda to create video for Walsh.
tion teacher for 23 years and then became Athletic Director in 1971. He coached football for 23 years and baseball for 10 years. He has been responsible for building supervision on non-school days since 1959. Until recently, many students were unaware of Walsh’s long history at ARHS. Since his retirement in 1995, Walsh could often be seen going through the trash during lunches and picking out aluminum cans and food which led to misconceptions by some of the student body who saw his actions as peculiar. Walsh, in fact, gives the food scraps to his two beloved dogs and recycles the aluminum cans for the deposit money,
which he keeps until a new project needs funding at Algonquin. “I used to never know what Mr. Walsh was doing with the cans, but when I heard that he donated all the money that he got from them to the school I thought that was really cool and I think the cafeteria definitely felt different without him,” senior Meaghan Kane said. Many students know that the stadium field is named after Walsh, but this is not the only contribution he has made to the athletics facilities.
Walsh, page 2
“My family and I would like to thank all those who supported me during the past two weeksstudents, faculty, and staff, alumni, and friends. It is very much appreciated!!” -Dick Walsh
Did you know? Dick Walsh... 1. Is 83 years old.
6. Graduated from Boston University in 1953.
11. Coached baseball at ARHS for 10 years.
2. Has four children who have all graduated from Algonquin.
7. Played baseball at BU.
12. Was former president of the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association.
3. Has 11 grandchildren. 4. Graduated from Boston Latin in 1949.
8. Served in the US Army during the Korean War. 9. Has been a building supervisor since 1959.
13. Was a member of the committee who started the Massachusetts High School Super Bowl game.
10. Coached football at ARHS for 23 years (the 14. Was a member of the National Football Foun5. Played football, basketball, and baseball in high team won 140 games, lost 50, and tied 2 while dation Hall of Fame committee. school. Walsh was coach).
What’s INSIDE:
New members elected to SAC page 3
Drowning in alcohol page 10-11
Coach Luongo retires page 17