Jim Kalperis & Otis Porter on Falmouth Schools

"The day the school opened, the students all assembled in the old high school, and whatever they could bring and carry by hand, they all marched from that school over to the new Lawrence School - it was quite an adventure."

Jim Kalperis, former Falmouth High School faculty member, and Otis Porter, former history teacher, share stories and memories from Falmouth's public schools. This oral history interview was conducted by Barbara Kanellopoulos on March 11, 2022, at Falmouth Community Television.

The (old) Village Grammar School, opened in 1904 and torn down in 1966, stood on what is now Town Hall Square.

The (new) Village School was renamed the Mullen School in honor of Principal Margaret Mullen, and merged with the Henry W. Hall School to form the current-day Mullen-Hall.

Ready to learn more? Explore our community resources:

From CLAMS:

Lawrencian (periodical), Lawrence High School
The Broadcaster (periodical), Falmouth Junior High School
Clipper Compact (yearbook), Falmouth High School
Falmouth School Committee Minutes
The Book of Falmouth: a Tricentennial Celebration, 1686-1986, edited by Mary Lou Smith

From the Web:

FPL Historic Postcard Collection: The Anita Gunning and Robert C. Hunt Postcard collections, archived on the Digital Commonwealth. Search by topic, location, or the card identifiers provided in the video transcript below.
Falmouth Public Schools website
Lawrencian digital editions
Clipper Compact digital editions

From the Falmouth Enterprise:

"'Kalpy' Honored - He Knew Very Little About Track, But He Learned Fast," from the Student Intelligencer/FHS Intelligencer, published as an Enterprise insert 2/23/1979 (pg.12)
"Life At FHS Without Mr. Kalperis Will Be Like Salt Without Pepper," from the Student Intelligencer/FHS Intelligencer, published as an Enterprise insert 12/24/1993 (pg.19)
"WITH THE SCHOOLS," 9/19/1925 (pg.10)
"Long-Used Locust Street School Bus Stop Eliminated," 9/24/1948 (pg.1)

The first Falmouth Academy was incorporated as a private school in 1835. It was reopened as the public Lawrence Academy in 1842. Lawrence Academy later became Lawrence High School, while the building it outgrew now houses the Chamber of Commerce.
When Lawrence High School outgrew the building on Academy Lane, it moved to this building on the library lawn.
The Junior High School was later renamed the Henry W. Hall School, and then merged with the Village/Mullen School.

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