Alumni help St. Bridget celebrate 50 years

Two alumni who have been highly successful in their careers returned to their alma mater to help celebrate St. Bridget’s 50th anniversary last week, reminiscing about long-ago days spent at the parochial school and fielding some tough questions from seventh- and eighth-graders enrolled there now.

Massachusetts Democratic Party chairman John Walsh, a 1972 graduate of St. Bridget School, is perhaps best known for managing Governor Deval Patrick’s political campaign in 2005-2006. State Auditor Suzanne Bump, a member of St. Bridget’s first eighth-grade graduating class in 1969, went on to have a private law practice and an active political career.

Walsh barely got settled in his front-and-center seat before being pressed by an eighth-grader for his opinion on abortion and same-sex marriage. “My party doesn’t believe in restricting choice or limiting marriage,’’ Walsh said, adding the party promotes equal rights and opportunities for all.

From there, it did get easier. Asked whether he backed President Barack Obama for a second term, Walsh toed the party line, saying “I think he’s the best candidate running for president.’’

When it came to school memories, he recalled his seventh-grade foray into the world of theater.

“We had to stand on stage and sing a song,’’ he said of the tryout. “I was intimidated but determined to be in the play, so I sang my heart out.’’ The nun in charge of the musical called Walsh in afterward and appointed him director, saying he was a good leader.

“I think she was saying that I was a better leader than a singer,’’ Walsh quipped.

Looking around the cafeteria that provides students with seating but no lunches, Walsh, who went to Princeton University for his bachelor’s degree, said the school essentially looked the same as it had in the 1960s.

“It’s also the same in that it’s filled with teachers working their hearts out and young students eager to learn,’’ he said.

In Walsh’s day, students were buttoned up in shirt and tie, rather than the more casual polo shirts and navy pants worn today. One thing hadn’t changed, however. “Can you wear sneakers to school?’’ Walsh asked the youngsters. The answer was still no.

Bump was next for questions and later conceded she got pretty nervous when the student launched the abortion question at Walsh. Her press secretary, Christopher Thompson, later said Bump supports reproductive rights and marriage equality, and simply found it humorous Walsh was so quickly put on the spot.

Luckily for her, the queries sent her way were fairly straightforward. Bump talked about her long career in politics, from state representative and secretary of labor to her current auditor’s position.

Bump recalled piling into a minibus with her brother and sister to carpool from Whitman to school each day, while the mother driving sang, “You are my sunshine.’’ Asked what she learned at St. Bridget, Bump responded, “I received a set of values and a moral compass that have guided me throughout my life.’’

A recently opened time capsule from the 25th anniversary celebration in 1986 was on display in the school library. Items ranged from Cabbage Patch figurines and a Rainbow Brite sticker book to a cassette tape of favorite songs and an empty Burger King Whopper box.

A newspaper photo of the New England Patriots made the capsule, because the team was going to the Super Bowl that year, although they ultimately lost. Cyndi Lauper topped the list of favorite entertainers, along with Twisted Sister. Top movies cited by the students then were “Ghostbusters,’’ “Police Academy,’’ and “Back to the Future.’’ Also included was a very youthful photo of Madonna with Sean Penn.

Current students had worked with teachers on a “Then and Now’’ exhibit, comparing items from the 1960s with today. Among those were a slide rule next to a 21st-century calculator, a bulky rotary phone aside a cellphone, a Three Stooges lunch box next to a brown bag, and a photo album aside a digital frame.

St. Bridget School initially opened adjacent to the parish church in 1961, with the congregation committing more than $400,000 in pledges and donations to the building project. The first year the school had 92 first-graders, split into two classes. A grade level was added each year until it was a full system of grades 1 to 8. The Sisters of Divine Providence taught the students for several years before gradually being replaced by lay teachers.

Now, the school spans prekindergarten through eighth grade, with an enrollment of 240 and an after-school program to help working parents, school officials said.

St. Bridget’s carries the New England Association of Schools and Colleges seal of approval, sought by most public school systems in the region.

There are no MCAS tests at the parochial school, but principal Joseph Cirigliano quickly added that students do have to take the Stanford tests, which offer a similar measurement of subject mastery.

Abington resident and eighth-grader Krista Delane said she enjoys St. Bridget’s.

“I even like the uniforms,’’ she said. “It makes it easier and makes us look nice.’’ She was looking forward to a variety show at school later in the week.

“I want to be a performer, so I like it that I can do plays here,’’ she said.

Christine Legere can be reached at christinelegere@yahoo.com.