Mansfield High School - Hornet / Green Years Yearbook (Mansfield, MA)

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beating Westport 87-64. Salachi scored a school record 45 points in that game. The school budget rose above 2 million dollars , at $2,081,611, in 1970-71. In February of 1971 the custodians went on strike over a contractual dispute, as did the cafeteria work- ers and clerks. The Hornets Hoopsters broke their Hockomock League losing streak with a 71-67 win over the King Philip Warriors. Alex “The Fox” Salachi netted 32 points. Salachi also made All-Hockomock in basket- ball. The MHS Band held an exchange concert with a band from Amherst Central High School in Snyder, NY. The new Hornet track was dedicated to James J. Kelly. The first annual Kelly relays also took place that year. Harold Qualters passed away on April 25, 1971, —and the old high school, which was being used as the Mansfield Middle School, was named after him. In 1971-72 the Math team went to the finals in the State. The school budget stood at $2,348,154, and the Middle School principal Dr. Gerald Bourgeois named supervisor in charge of secondary school cur- riculum. In 1972-73 season, Tony Day took over at the helm for MHS football. He guided the team to its first win in 27 games, a state record for losing streaks, as Paul Ferrara and Paul Pedini scored in a 13-0 win over Norton. Later in the year the Hornets picked up their first Hockomock League win since 1968, a 15-7 win over Oliver Ames. Bernard O'Malley was elected Chairman of the School Committee. Jack Auld placed his name on the top ten scoring listin MHS history by scoring 244 points in the 72-73 basketball season. He had a career total of 645 tallies. Ray Lively scored 295 in the 72-73 campaign. Avery resigned from the superintendent’s position, ending a time span in which he made MHS the “envy of area communities.” The Hornet band picked up a first place in the Southeastern Massachusetts District Music Festival. At the outset of the 1973-74 school year, a Houston educator, Dr. John Collins, was appointed as superin- tendent. The major highlight of this year was the band’s trip to Disney World in Florida. The band Mansfield High School 1978 : De Centennial Class Graduates also won first prize in the State Marching contest. On Homecoming Day, 1974, the Hornets sent the town of Mansfield into a continuous three day cele- bration as Mark Wood scored a list minute T.D. ona long end run to give MHS a 19-14 win over the Franklin Panthers. The Hornets ended that season on a down note, losing to Foxboro 39-27 on Thanksgiving Day in the snow and mud. Steven Corey led the 14-2 boys tennis team to the Hockomock League title. The Hornets also won the J.J. Kelly Relays for the first time. In October, 1975, a student’s suspension caused 150 students to boycott classes. The student dress code also received a face lift, as moustaches and beards were allowed for the first ttme. The MHS boys track team won the Hockomock League Title with an untainted 11-0 showing. The 1976-77 version of the Mansfield Hornets foot- ball team won its first Hockomock League champion- ship since 1968. The team lost only one game, that being a 21-20 decision to North Attleboro, and that loss kept the team from the state championship. Elmars Reks was the team’s leading rusher with 1,013 yards, and he made All-State defensive end. Steve Lively and Joe Nett, both juniors, were among the six Hornet players to be named to the All-Hocko- mock team. The winter of 1976 saw sophomore Paul Souza become the first MHS sophomore to score 300 points in a season. Souza also enjoyed a successful spring, as he leaped to a height of 6-10” in the high jump.

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Front Row: Dr. Collins, Mr. Blandori, Ms. Cotton. Sec- ond Row: Mr. Hindman, Mr. Day, Mr. Guerini, Mr. Breen. a vote of confidence, saying that he should be able to handle the tough financial burdens that the new school would bring. Several students at the school were dismissed on opening day, at the order of Supt. Murphy, to either get a haircut or change their wearing apparel. On the gridiron, the Hornets snapped the Franklin Panthers’ 22 game win streak with a decisive 34-13 win. Captain David DeGirolamo was the game’s leading scorer and rusher. The cost of the new high school had risen to 3.7 million dollars, until School Building Committee Chairman James A. Garland finalized the figure at $4,428,732. The town voted on that school, but the 275-206 vote in favor of it was not a two-thirds majority, ther efore voting the proposal down. The town later reversed the decision and ground breaking ceremo- nies were held on April 28, 1968. A former athlete and MHS alumnus, James Alber- tini, was killed in action in Vietnam. Corporal Alber- tini was the first Mansfield victim of the war. 133 graduated, with Mary Durant as valedictorian and Betsy McCoy rendering the salutatory speech. 710 were recorded on the MHS attendance sheets as two new members were added to the faculty. Superintendent Murphy was replaced by Lyman C. Avery. Supt. Avery announced that the schedule in the new high school would be a rotating one. This was done to get away from the strict day to day rigors of the old schedule. The Mansfield High School football team was the tri-champions of the Hockomock League in 1968. The MHS band held their annual exchange with a band from Pennsylvania. Westcott Construction Company, the business hired to build the new high school, notified Mr. DeStefano that the facility would not be completed at the scheduled time, forcing the grades 6-12 to go on double sessions. The opening of the school was delayed longer at the outset of the 1969-70 school year because of a contract.dispute with the custodians. The argument arose when the School Committee cut $25,311 off the custodians’ salary. The dispute was later resolved. A fight arose when there was a question over the length of dresses in the high school. The question was “How short was too short?” October 20-21 were the days when the students packed up and moved into the new high school build- ing, but the school was still not finished. Problems soon arose after the move. The new gym surface in the massive gym was deemed unacceptable. During the winter months three science rooms and the home economics suite began to leak. Raymond F. Federici was appointed to the chair- man seat on the school board. The school budget stood at $1,830,291. Through basketball season, in which the varsity lost 13 straight, no MHS varsity team had won a sporting event. There was one bright spot on the court though; Junior Alex Salachi was the league’s leading scorer with 279 points (21.5 per game). A rash of bomb scares greeted Mansfield High School in the spring. The longest one lasted two hours. The school was dedicated on March 15, 1970 in the 648 seat auditorium. The gym was honored to James C. Albertini, who gave his life in his country’s service. Hundreds praised the structure as they toured it. A study by the superintendent’s office showed that 40% to 50% of the students at MHS were either addicted or had experimented with some form of nar- colic. At the close of the year the band exchanged con- certs with Pequea Valley, Pennsylvania, and the base- ball team dropped five straight to lose a shot at the pennant. 569 was the number of students as the new high school was used in its first full year. The Foxboro Warriors defeated the Hornets 33-0 in the Turkey Day classic that game was the 40th annual, and was played at Schaefer Stadium in Fox- boro. That loss also marked the 48th consecutive set- back for the MHS grid team. Miss Emma Shapleigh, a Mansfield teacher for 47 years, retired May 21, 1970. Mansfield broke a 17 game tailspin in basketball. + “ “oa $ a ix e ode f 5 ‘3 5a) Action during 1976 Mansfield football championship

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16 Mr. Tighe, Mr. O'Malley, Mr. Guerrini. The Mansfield baseball team, under first year coach Dave Law, finished third in the League with a 10-7 record. Bruce MacPhee was the leading pitcher with an 8-2 record. In the summer of °77 the Mansfield High School Hornet Band realized a dream it had had since March of 1976. On August 3, 1977, a little after mid- night, a TWA chartered jet lifted off the runway at Logan Airport, Boston, taking over a hundred happy students to the Emerald Isle. The Band stayed there for 17 days touring Limerick, Dublin, and Galway, among other towns. Some of the eighth grade band members accompanied the band. The 1977 football team, after suffering the lose of Scott Carpenter, lost three games and did not repeat as league champs. After Carpenter’s return the team went On a Six game winning streak though, which saw the emergence of runningback Chris Gonsalves. Gonsalves, though only starting five games was the team’s leading rusher. Souza scored 342 points in the 1977-78 basketball campaign, but a 12 game losing streak hurt the team, and dropped it from contention. Paul also was voted to the Boston Globe All-State track team as a high jumper. He and runners Danny and Dirk Lamagno, and pole vaulters Dennis and Jay Buckley, led the track team to a high finish, and in the winter, six first place finishes gave the Hornets the crown for Indoor Track. That leaves us with the biggest moment of the Mr. William DeStefano Ist Row: Dr. Ptaschnik, Dr. Collins, Mr. Day, Mr. Hindman, Ms. Gi a Ibert, Mr. Gearhart. 2nd Row: school year. On June 4, 1978, 171 seniors were at Memorial Park under blue skies, and received their diplomas, which were handed by Vincent Guerrini and principal DeStefano. Dr. Joon Collins announced his resignation that year. ; This class was the highest ranking academic class in years, led by valedictorian Kathryn Sue Harsch and salutatorian Stephanie Girard. The group also received a school record of $85,000 in scholarships. This class was deemed one of the most versatile and talented in the school’s history. So ends the first century of Mansfield High School. It outgrew five buildings and countless administra- tors and faculty but never outgrew the strong educa- tional talents that it gave to its students. May those who enter the doors in the next one hundred years find the same success and happiness that Mansfield High School gave in the last one hundred. kK We are deeply indebted to Mrs. Warren Chapman and Miss M ary Halliday for pictures and invaluable information. Mr. Spencer Kelley