Marblehead students propose quotes to place at high school entrance

MARBLEHEAD – Six years after the removal of controversial relief sculptures from the entrance to Marblehead High, the MHS Class of 2009 is ready to fill the empty spaces with two inspiring quotations, as their class gift to the school.Artist Dan Zampino’s relief sculptures of local historical figures Joseph “Black Joe” Brown and Wilmot “Mammy” Redd were removed after the high school opened in 2002 because Zampino’s primitive style evoked what many felt to be stereotypes. Today the sculptures are in a garden behind the Hooper Mansion.Class President Patrick Trout, Vice President Wes York, Secretary Amy Finn-Welch and Jessica Robbins visited the School Committee Thursday night to present a list of 10 quotations that high school students and faculty were ready to vote on at the school’s mock election Nov. 4.The quotes were chosen from a field of 20. Cautioned by School Committee Chairman Amy Drinker that “If there are any quotations that the School Committee does not feel are appropriate for consideration, Thursday night’s meeting will be the time to say so,” committee members seemed to like all the quotations nominated – but not necessarily in an official capacity.The committee finally removed one quotation from the list: H.G. Wells’s statement that “History is a race between education and catastrophe,” after Drinker said she liked it but not at the entrance to the high school.Committee member Jonathan Lederman questioned the process used to select the quotations. “This is our flagship school,” he said. “We’re putting something on here for our lifetime.””I’m sure you’ll spread the word about how serious a thing this is,” Superintendent of Schools Paul Dulac told the students.Drinker said she did not want the School Committee to select the quotations. She assured Lederman and the other committee members that the quotations would be arranged in two groups and the high school will select the best from each group.As the committee members weighed in on the quotations, member Dick Nohelty told his colleagues, “We sound old.” Nohelty went on to explain that the schools want to develop critical spirit and creativity but when students wanted to do something involving those qualities the committee was balking.The committee voted unanimously to approve the list of nominated quotations, minus the Wells quote.