Letter to the Editor: Norwood High School Nostalgia

Change is good, so the saying goes, but I found it hard to wrap my arms around that sentiment as I drove by my old high school yesterday. My alma mater is being torn down, making room for a brand new “state-of-the-art” facility. As the demolition continues, the building that once represented my teenage years in academia looks more like the landscape seen during the early stages of the Baghdad invasion. 

My memories of high school — although slightly different — are much the same of those who attended high school in small suburban towns in the late 70s. The friendships made there are ones I treasure to this day. I lettered in the one sport I could actually perform in without looking stupid. And my high school sweetheart... later became my wife. When high school ended and college began, like many, I found myself drifting further and further from my hometown. Starting careers and raising families took front stage and hometown Friday nights with friends were things of the past.

With age comes wisdom, not the type of wisdom intellects pontificate on, but the kind that makes one realize how truly special something was. My time spent in that school on the hill, although brief, will always hold a cherished place in my heart.

Today, I make a point to stay in touch with my high school crowd and although juggling individual schedules isn’t easy… the time spent with these guys who knew me when, is to coin a phrase… “Priceless.”

It has been said, you can’t go home but as our world continues to change — on an almost daily basis — I find myself looking more and more for my old home, for my old neighborhood, for my old Norwood. I moved to North Attleboro in 1992, but I never left Norwood. My reunion is this fall… and I wouldn’t miss it for the world!

John O’Neill
Norwood High Class of ‘81