Greenhouse School honors late founder

LYNN – With a diverse, multi-cultural staff and student body, the Greenhouse School in Salem has always taken pride in its heritage and shown it by flying the flags of every nation represented in the school on the Loring Avenue building’s roof.But with a long, harsh winter battering the flags with wind and snow and their usual care taker, school founder Patricia Jennings-Welch battling health problems that ultimately claimed her life, the once-vibrant flags had taken on a rough appearance this spring.Now, as the school begins to pick up the pieces after the death of their founder, staff members are rejoicing at the sight of a bright new set of flags glistening in the sunshine.The year-round private school serves students from both Lynn and Salem up to grade eight, boasting a diverse student family that consists of ties to several foreign countries.The flags above the school have always represented unity and optimism for everyone at the school, and given the difficult winter, it was important to staff members that they restore that hope in the form of new flags.”It has been a long, difficult winter,” said school Director Dan Welch, who is Jennings-Welch’s son. “We hadn’t had a chance to fix or change anything for months. It’s been a really tough time.”Jennings-Welch was always in charge of the flags, changing them whenever she was able to find time. In her final visit to the school just a few weeks before her death, she even voiced her displeasure at the building’s appearance to students.”She hated to see it that way, with the flags all torn and blown down,” said Welch. “She’d comment on it whenever we’d drive by. I told her we had bigger priorities at the moment – since we were on our way to her oncologist.”While Jennings-Welch’s death has been a blow to the close-knit community, restoring the flags was an important way to try and move forward in her memory.”We’re devastated,” said Assistant Director Julia Nambalirwa-Lugudde, who is also Jennings-Welch’s daughter-in-law. “It is going to take us a while to get back in the saddle. It has been such an important symbol for the school, where we came from and what we are all about. Of course we are not completely ready to move on yet, but my mom would have liked it. We’re adding more flowers and plants to brighten things up front, too.”Many felt that the death of the 80-year-old Jennings-Welch would eventually mark the end of the tiny alternative school and the appearance of the building would also suggest that the program may be in decline. Nevertheless, school officials say they are moving forward and stronger than ever with a lengthy student wait list in both Lynn and Salem and hope the new look of the school will restore optimism.”We want the kids to know, as well as those driving by, that Mima would have wanted us to keep on doing what we do,” said Nambalirwa-Lugudde, who noted that the school did close for a few days to morn their loss. “I think there were some people who thought we might close in the wake of Pat’s death, though I can’t imagine why. This is the best way to honor her legacy.”