Forty years of learning
at Loesche

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

The folks at William H. Loesche School know that those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. That’s why they took a good look at the time capsule recently recovered from their backyard as part of the school’s 40th anniversary celebrations.
The contents were nostalgic to be sure. Sadly, much of the collection looked like it had been sitting at the bottom of a landfill for a quarter-century rather than in a sealed trash can buried in a hillside behind the school. Once-colorful Polaroid photos had faded. Early USAToday clippings and a Frank Rizzo political poster had turned black and crumbled. Multimedia recordings had become unplayable or obsolete.
"We learned our lesson this time," said teacher Susan Munafo, who headed up the school’s effort to excavate the old capsule and create a new one, which will be stashed away somewhere inside the building, away from the elements.
Though nature wrought havoc with the 1983 artifacts, it has not dampened the appreciation of the school community for Loesche’s history, its present and its future. That sentiment pervaded a multitude of activities at the school last week.
On Nov. 26, they collected memorabilia for the new time capsule. Each class in kindergarten through fifth grade in the 760-student school contributed. The objects included a yearbook, a student uniform, a miniature pumpkin decorated by a special education class, a Harry Potter book, video games, sports memorabilia and photographs of the murals lining the school’s walls.
Two days later, the school held "dress-up" day where students got to wear their favorite retro get-ups from the 1970s, 80s and 90s.
The big event was on Thursday, when the kids shared their exceptional singing, dancing and instrumental talents during two school-wide assemblies.
Principal Kári D. Hill explained that it’s important that the school celebrate its anniversary in such a grand way as a tribute to its major role in the Somerton community.
Named for William H. Loesche, a city school board member from 1932 to ’62, the school opened in 1967 at Bustleton Avenue and Tomlinson Road.
"It’s a community entity, it really is," Hill said. "A school should embrace all parties — students, parents, teachers — and for forty years, that’s what Loesche has done."
Hill has received a crash course in that history since her appointment to Loesche last summer. She is the fifth principal in the history of the school.
"In the short four or five months I’ve been here, I’ve discovered that this has been a hub in the community and that there’s a love for learning here. This staff has embraced the mission of ‘kidspiration.’"
Few know more about Loesche than longtime teachers Carolyn Barrett and Evelyn Neal. Together, they have 75 years of teaching experience, all of it at Loesche. Both arrived at the school in its formative years.
Outside of Alice Woloshin, who is the lone remaining member of the original faculty, Barrett and Neal are the longest-serving teachers.
"We were nine when we started," joked Neal, who has been a fourth-grade teacher and assistant administrator.
"We both came directly out of college," said Barrett, who has taught first, second and fifth grades.
They remember their early days vividly and with fondness. For a couple of young, energetic teachers, it was like a dream assignment with new facilities and enthusiastic learners.
"I walked right into that new wing with the brand new carpets and the smell of newness was there," said Barrett. "And of course, there were very well-behaved children."
"I went to school outside of Pittsburgh," Neal added. "This school was like a clone of the school I grew up in. There was a very strong Home and School Association. That’s why we’re such a strong school today."
At the time, they recall, educators were beginning to implement new concepts like cooperative learning with its emphasis on smaller student groups and hands-on activities. At Loesche, they found a progressive environment. It’s still that way, they say.
Over the years, that approach has helped the school embrace the changing face of the community it serves. A one-time homogenous student population has become one of the most diverse in the city with students from many other nations and ethnic backgrounds.
"Now, we’re a collection of many cultures," Barrett said. "We have some programs here that emphasize how (people) are different and do things in different ways. These children learn to respect each other’s cultures."
"Our job is to embrace the diversity and to promote cultural understanding," Hill agreed. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com