On The Silly Side by Jimmy Del ponte

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

It’s one thing to pass by your old school and have the memories start to flow. It must be a little sad when that school has been torn down and all that is left is an empty lot, or a park.

C’mom, C’mon, C’Mon, Cmon,…. Move along, Move along, Move along…. Over to the right, over to the right, over to the right!

If those words sound familiar to you, then you probably were a student at the Southern Junior High School. The school used to stand on the plot of land at Summer Street, Putnam Street, and Vinal Avenue which is now a dog park.

My mother, who graduated from Somerville High School in 1944 went to the Southern, so I guess her brothers and sisters also attended there. We tried to pin point the actual year it closed and we have come up with around 1986.

I remember I was a substitute teacher there and Mr. Tom Silk was either the principal or vice principal. He was a tall guy who supposedly tried out for the Celtics. Many former students remember a principal named Mr. Walsh. “Line up against the wall, single file” was Mr. Walsh’s signature phrase. Someone chimes in that former Governor Volpe began his career at the Southern Jr. High School. He was the timekeeper.

The following is an amusing story that a former Southern student recalls:

I went to Southern back in 1986 . I got caught hooking school and my mom had to meet with Mr. Silk .I was so scared because I knew I was in trouble. While me and mom were waiting to meet with Mr. Silk, she started to giggle. I was appalled. I asked why she was giggling, seeing as I was in big trouble with both her and the school. That’s when Mom told me that she and her mom were sitting in the very same spot 40 years earlier doing the same thing…waiting to speak to the principal about playing hooky!

Here is a list of some of the teachers who molded the youth of our city in the old Southern days. As always, I can only print the names that have been provided to me by my friends who attended. (I was a Western boy.) Mr. Campana, Mr. Sweet, Mr. Fedele, Mr.McDonald, Miss Carol Miller (from Texas…yee ha! )Mr. Carroll, Elaine Danis, Elaine McMichaels, Mr.Silva, Miss Innes who became Mrs. Donahue, Miss McCarthy, Mrs. Collins, Mr. Collins, Mr. Sheehan, Mr.DiTullio, Mr. Mitchell(who was also the set design teacher for those wonderful Project STAR shows in the 60’s and 70’s)Miss McInernry,Mr.Sharry , Mrs. Teixiera, Mrs. Flynn, Mr. Morse, Mr. Crowley, Mr.Camelio, Mr. Piacentini, Mr. Dardano, Mr. Pabian, Mr. Galligani (now headmaster at Matignon after being headmaster at SHS), Mr. Reardon, Miss Reardon (now Mrs. Gaffey, also at Matignon now), Mr. Bonafine, Mrs. (Senora) Anesse , and Mr. Capano. As you can see, a lot of these educators did some time up at Somerville High School also.

Mr. Capano who taught the mechanical drawing class, stressed that  the architectural scale was to be  used for measuring, not just drawing lines! My friend John still has his scale from his Southern days.

The school rules were stricter back then and if our kids could go back there for one day, they would really appreciate the freedom they have now.

Thanks especially to Somerville’s unofficial master of all things historical, John Roderick for his input. He recalls seeing the smoke from the Bargain Center fire in Davis Square, while in a class at The Southern.  John has three bricks, one for each of the years that he and his siblings attended the Southern. They span the years 1956  through 1974. Thanks to Jerry, Frank, Rick, Lisa Roseann, Linda and all my other friends for their memories also.

Thanks also to “Moose.” I am glad to say Moose was my friend back in the old days, and still is today. You can’t go wrong with a friend named Moose!

So when you drive by the dog park that is now on the grounds of the old Southern Junior High School, remember those special  days  when you were a teenager. And when you recall those words, “C’mom, C’mon, C’Mon, Cmon,…. Move along, Move along, Move along….”, as you are moving on through your busy day, I hope you have pleasant memories the old Southern Junior High School.