Final days at Aldrich Junior High

June 17, 2016 5:50 pm

By: Rebecca Turco

Email: rturco@abc6.com

WARWICK, R.I. – A final celebration at Aldrich Junior High, as the Warwick school prepares to close its doors for good.

Students and faculty celebrated Field Day, wearing blue tee-shirts labeled “The Last School of Baracudas.”

"This is our big goodbye ceremony today so we’re hopefully going out on a positive note today," explained Principal John Livsey.

Aldrich and Gorton Junior High Schools are closing, under the city’s consolidation plan, and Warwick Veterans Memorial High School will be converted into a junior high school. Dozens of teachers will be laid off in the process.
"It’s really hard to say goodbye," said Brenda Aspelund, who has taught at Aldrich for 15 years. "It’s sad. It’s been hard these last couple of weeks."

Aspelund is fortunate – she will be working at the new Veterans Junior High.

Many students feel bittersweet about the move – even nervous. "It’s sad,” said 7th grader Allyson Rafferty. She is the youngest in her family, and all of her siblings went to Aldrich.

Rafferty, though, is focusing on the positives. "It’s just going to be fun because I’m going to get to reunite with a lot of my old friends,” she said.

The final day of classes is Wednesday.