By Tabitha Spinney and Shannon Quirk
On Patrick O'Conor
By Tabitha Spinney and Shannon Quirk
On George Peabody
By Tabitha Spinney and Shannon Quirk
Appendices
The 58,000 square foot school, the design of which was modeled after the John E. Burke school, was built for $2.4 million on 15 acres. It was designed for a capacity of 670 pupils with 22 classrooms and two large rooms for kindergarten.
The dedication of the Welch was held in the autumn of 1973 but finishing touches delayed the arrival of students until after the February 1974 vacation. Students from the Daniel Keefe and Wallis schools moved to the Welch. (Source: Looking Back by Edward McMahon, Assistant Principal Welch School, 1994).
Eugenie McCarthy, a teacher at the school when it opened and in 1998, recalled, "We came from the city's oldest school to the city's newest school. I was at the Wallis School and it was the most exciting thing because we packed everything from our desks in brown paper bags and came by bus to the new school."
She remembers walking over to the see the school while it was under construction. "It was so exciting to come and to have a brand new school. Especially where I was at the Wallis School, there was no playground area, to be able to look out on the grounds. It was just wonderful. But, we did bring all our old furniture from the Wallis School and we didn't get new desks till the next year." (Source: Interview with McCarthy, March 19, 1998).
Principals of the William A. Welch Senior School: William Callahan, 1973-1992; Helen Apostolides, 1992-present
The source of information for student reports, unless
otherwise indicated, is from Peabody School Committee Records.