Though it's retirement, it will be no farewell
Jeff Lawrence retires after 37 years in Ashburnham-Westminster district
By Lindsay Sauvageau JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT

Jeff Lawrence

To the man recently named Administrator of the Year by the Massachusetts Association of Student Councils for his leadership excellence in the school system and 18 years of guidance as the Oakmont Regional High School Student Council Advisor, his retirement after 37 years is no farewell.

"I may be leaving but I'll still be around, I've got three grandchildren who will be going through the high school and I want my grandkids to experience the best type of education in the same way I've wanted kids from all the other towns to have," said Oakmont High School Principal Jeff Lawrence.

Lawrence, who will be retiring in June, has been an active and dedicated member of the school system since he began his career at Oakmont almost 40 years ago. Though he did not attend high school at Oakmont, he still remembers his connections with the school during his days at Nashoba Regional in Lancaster.

"They were similar schools," said Lawrence. "I remembers coming and playing sports against Oakmont in the 1960s before I eventually started student teaching."

Lawrence says his career at Oakmont began in 1970. A biology major in college with a minor in chemistry, the Ashburnham resident said he had once wanted to become a doctor.

"The finances were not available at the time and working with kids was always something I enjoyed and I realized that I loved it enough that I made a career out of it," he said.

He began at the school teaching science for 24 years, piloting the I.P.S. (Integrated Physical Sciences) program which was used almost every year he has taught, then he added courses in organic chemistry and honors chemistry, biology, earth science and life science. He was the first dean of students at the high school, an assistant principal for 11 years and finally serving as the principal for the last two years. He says that he enjoyed the distinctions that went along with each position.

"Every day here has been unique. Each position was different, with different responsibilities which I like and I've enjoyed every single one of them. There was never a dull moment," he said.

Outside of the classroom Lawrence spent his time helping in other aspects of the school, from being a student council advisor to a basketball coach.

He says in his time at Oakmont he most enjoyed the people who have shaped his career, the students and faculty.

"We've had some of the best kids in the world and the best staff. I get former students all the time coming back and thanking me, or telling me what this school did for them and the positive experiences they have had and it makes you feel good," he said.

He says this past school year especially he is proud of the success Oakmont has seen.

"This year has been such a tremendous year of academic and activity success, I joke a lot with David Uminski, who will be principal next year, that he won't ever beat this year. It was a year to remember across the board from student behavior because of a positive environment, to athletics, academics, art and extra curricular success. It's been amazing in and out of the classroom."

He says however that he will not miss the budget wars.

"If the override isn't passed it's going to hurt the school. It's had to have to take apart what the school has worked so hard to put together, the wear and tear is tremendous," he said. "They talk about No Child Left Behind but we are leaving an entire generation behind with the financial decisions we make. In a nutshell, that's why I'm leaving. I could keep going another ten years but I just can't take it anymore."

Lawrence says he has always been proud of the school and hopes that it will still be the same warm environment in which he worked and where his two children graduated.

"My daughter, Juliet, was the class of 1989 and she taught at Overlook and now has three grandchildren and lives in Westminster and my son, Scott, was the class of 1991 and he lives in Westford with three sons, all beautiful. They are close and easy to get a hold of and I'm hoping to spend a lot more time with my grandkids [and] with my wife."

He says his wife, Rose, a school nurse at John R. Briggs in Ashburnham will retire herself in September. The couple, he says, hopes to play hard and work less in their retirement.

"We love to travel, kayak, hike and walk. I like to play and do just about everything and my grandchildren are just reaching ages where they want to play and do more so I want to be with them as much as possible," he said.

Lawrence says he is excited to see Uminski taking over and believes he will be an outstanding principal, "the school is lucky to have him." Coupled with the leadership of Greg Smith, of Ashburnham, as the assistant principal, Lawrence says that if budgetary decisions do not cripple the school, it will continue to flourish and make him proud.

This is part one of a two-part series. Look for next week's article where colleagues and students share their memories of Jeff Lawrence.