Marking the present and the historic on new calendar
By Karen Mann Journal Correspondent

The Upton Building (left) and Westminster Elementary School (right) serve as the town's schools for many years. The picture from the Historical Society is one of the pictures included in the new calendar feature education in Westminster. Courtesy Photo

For those that wonder how school-aged children have changed over the years, the Historical Society may have the answer.

The group has produced a calendar for 2007 featuring vintage views of schools in Westminster. The pictures chosen for the calendar are not just of buildings, they also include pictures of the children that attended those schools.

E i l e e n Goguen, the cochairwoman of the calendar committee, said the idea of doing a vintage school calendar didn't receive that much interest at first.

"As we looked at the pictures, we looked at things in the pictures that were interesting, like the costumes," said Goguen.

It soon became about figuring out what the story was behind each picture, she said.

"There is a picture from 1911 of a boy with his dog in the classroom. What is the story behind that?"

Goguen said it was hard to chose what pictures to use, because the historical society has so many.

Goguen has heard people say they enjoy looking at the clothes in the pictures,

since the photographs range through 100 years - the 1880s to the 1980s.

"(People) also like looking for people they know in the pictures," said Goguen.

There is also a brief history of the Westminster schools inside the calendar.

The calendar mark the dates of town events as well as community events. Organizations were invited to submit their schedules to the calendar committee to be put on the calendar. The schedule for the Ashburnham-Westminster School District is on the calendar, as well as the Lion's Club.

"It is a community service - letting events be put on the schedule," said Goguen.

The society plans on putting out a calendar in future years. They have already brainstormed ideas for the next one, such as vehicles or historical buildings that have been torn down.

Goguen said the idea to produce a calendar has been talked about for awhile and that a lot of historical societies do them.

The Westminster Historical Society wants to duplicate the success of the calendar that was put out for the town's 200th Anniversary.

The calendar is on sale at 12 different businesses throughout town including Vincent's Country Store, the Westminster Pharmacy, the Wachusett Brewery gift shop and the Old Mill Restaurant gift shop.

Calendars are $10 and all proceeds go to the Historical Society.

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Karen Mann is a 2006 graduate of Emerson College, in Boston, where she studied journalism. She resides in Townsend.