Bellmawr: The Final Bell

By Lois Staas

NEWS Correspondent

  August — everyone remembers the eighth month in childhood memories.

  August is the last month of summer vacation. It is shorter days with less time to play outside.

  It is cramming for that three-month reading assignment that not yet started over the summer, filling out school supply lists, stocking new backpacks (or book bags), saving lunch money or planning brown bags, visiting the barber or beauty salon for that "in" cut, and, at the end of the month, "practicing" to get up early for the first day of school September 4.

   But this year, after 50 years, the halls of Annunciation BVM Regional School will be silent.

  No bells will ring.

  No children will chatter about "what they did during their summer vacations."

   No one will "line up at the flag pole."

  And no one will play "Jail Break,"  "Double Dutch,"  "Keep Away," "Dodge Ball," or "Hop Scotch" at recess.

  Annunciation Regional in Bellmawr was one of the elementary schools recently closed by the Camden Diocese.

  Even so, many town residents leave a legacy of successful learning from their school years at this parochial school, first dedicated in August of 1957.

  Then, Mother General of the Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart, Mother

Marie Alma had consented to send Sr. Michael Raphael, Sr. Francoise Therese, Sr. Vincent Mary, and Mother Regina De Lourdes to the newly established school and convent in Bellmawr.

  In September 1957, these dedicated sisters, along with Miss Barbara Krimson, opened the doors to grades 1- 5. An additional grade was added each year for the next three years.  By 1960, eight new classrooms had been added.

  In one family, the Driscolls — all six siblings attended and graduated from Annunciation. Susan (nee Driscoll) Leonchuck not only graduated Annunciation, but also returned as a teacher.

  After her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Driscoll, were married in St. Mary's Church, Gloucester City, they moved to Bellmawr and sent Denise (Driscoll) Glassman, Nancy (Driscoll) Gartland, Joe Driscoll, Susan (Driscoll) Leonchuck, John Driscoll, and Colleen (Driscoll) Long to Annunciation.

  Mrs. Driscoll (Olive) is a graduate of St. Mary's School in Gloucester City and a member of the Diocesan Jubilate Deo Choir.

  Some of Mrs. Leonchuck's fond student memories are being in the talent show with her friends, acting in school plays — especially the musicals, helping with the school carnival, the Holy Thursday Procession, Sr. Regina Carmel's teaching Susan's classmates and her to sing the Holy Week hymns in Latin, and assisting Mrs. Rose Aspen with parish arts and environment.

  After graduating from Annunciation, Mrs. Leonchuck was destined to return as a teacher of 7^th and 8^th grade Language Arts, 5^th and 6^th grade Science, and grades 5 through 8 - Advanced Math. Her children, too, would attend Annunciation.

  New experiences created new memories, and Mrs. Leonchuck's former teacher and friend, Mrs. Petrowski, now became her mentor and colleague.

  In addition to her student memories, Susan recalls the ice cream socials, Mrs. O'Brien's colorful Pre-K graduation exercises; her siblings who received and celebrated the sacraments while parochial students, and all of Annunciation alumni who grew in many capacities.

  These included raising families, becoming law enforcement, medical, fire, emergency, financial, communications, and educational specialists, caring for the spiritual well-being of others as priests, deacons, religious, and lay ministers, volunteering, and in all the work of the world "we are uniquely called to do."

  Even with Mrs. Leonchuck's dense history with Annunciation School, her view of circumstances is that, "The Catholic schools in the Camden Diocese are not closing, but changing."

  Just as the Sacred Heart School family of students and some teachers merged with Annunciation, the Annunciation family will merge with the Catholic school community.

  The Driscoll legacy has come full circle. In September Mrs. Leonchuck will be teaching 4^th Grade at St. Mary's, Gloucester City, and her children and the children of her siblings will be among the members of the St. Mary student body.

  Mrs. Leonchuck expressed the hope that, "The closeness and the family atmosphere will be the same as when Sacred Heart School joined with Annunciation School. In school the students will see the friends they see every day, and the teachers will be the neighbors and role models they see every day."

  At Annunciation Regional School, the roll call has been taken for the last time.

  Thanks and farewell to the Sister Servants of the I. H. M. and to the lay teachers, who gave so much of themselves (and their lives) to the children they taught.

  Thanks to the pastors and priests, who were teachers and administrators of the school.

  Thanks to the parents, who sacrificed so much to send their children to the neighborhood Catholic school.

  Goodbye to the opening bell, goodbye to class pictures, goodbye to assigned seats (boys up front—girls in back!), goodbye to "Spelling Test on Friday," goodbye to the new math, goodbye to the Dewy Decimal System, goodbye to Nancy Drew and classroom libraries, goodbye to Campbell's labels, goodbye to school paper, goodbye to the "supply closet," goodbye to "Ginsberg and O'Hara uniforms," goodbye to "beanies" and "blazers," goodbye to "the old church basement," goodbye to the 7 o'clock siren for snow days, goodbye to the Glee Club, goodbye to the Christmas wrapping paper sale, goodbye to the school Christmas tree lighting ceremony, goodbye to Friday afternoon Stations of the Cross, goodbye to the Easter candy sale, goodbye to the World's Famous Chocolate sale,  goodbye to the "Departmental System," goodbye to the school May Procession, goodbye to the many things that "we remember and cherish in our hearts."

  "Goodbye and thank you for a great 50 years," said Kathleen Fields, former principal of Annunciation School, whose two adult children attended and graduated from the school.

  This September Mrs. Fields will be the principal of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Barrington — comprised of the recently merged Annunciation Regional School and St. Francis de Sales.

  And a final, personal note from this reporter:

  "We're so great; we're so fine — we're the Class of '69! Thank you for a great 50 years — they are Golden."

source Gloucester City News

Comments

[Jack Daniels]

Great article. I dont live in New Jersey any longer so I was surprised to hear Annunciation had closed. It is funny how many of these things I forgot about until read the article. I truly miss all the people in my graduating class of 78. They were all decent people and I am sure they turned out to positive influences in their communities. I can only assume that Annunciation had something to do with it.

Thanks