Kelly School
Please add your memories to this school.
About Shawn Gearin - Moderator
Shawn is a former NBPTMA resident from 1967-1996. He lived at 5 Walnut St in a gray Greek revival home. He was a Whittier Tech 1986 graduate and a Northern Essex Community college graduate where he wrote and photographed for both school's newspapers. Finishing his education at Hesser College and North Shore Community College, he received a BA in Business Management and a FAA Private Pilot Certification.
An aviation, photography enthusiast and telecommunications project manager, he enjoys writing history, personal memoirs, and asking lots of questions on his hosted websites.
Now a resident of North Carolina, he lives with his family in a 1930 farmhouse on a gentleman's farm surrounded by cattle from other nearby farms.
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I loved the Kelley School, Mrs. Johnston, Miss Conners, Mrs. Clarkson, and don’t forget Mr. Gadd. That was the best elementary school was a little spooky going into the basement to use the bathroom. There was no lunch room they brought our lunches in a van from another school not sure which one. We use to walk to the gym at the Immaculate Conception once a week. Another day we would walk down to the Y for swim lessons, we use to take a few of the mentally challenged kids with us, they were great, Susan, Gordon, Sorry don’t remember anyone else and I know there were a few more. If we came to school wet from the snow or if we got wet at recess we would have to remove our pants and sit in the coat room until our pants dried. The rooms were huge to us as little kids. Alot of memories still from that school and alot of friendships lasted from that school.
Mr Coffill the gym teacher making us run races around the Mall is a funny Memory. I also remember the tire swing at the playground used to fall down 2 or 3 times a week when too many kids climbed on. Kickball was a big thing at that school. The special needs kid Gordon could kick the ball half way across the Mall from the corner of Auburn and High St. Good times.
My family moved to Warren St. when I was about to start 3rd grade (before that we lived on the island and I went to the Brown school). I remember we didn’t have an auditorium so we had school assemblies on the two large staircases, all the kids sat on the stairs. I remember those bitter cold walks down to the IC gym in the middle of the winter and back from the Y my hair would turn to icicles on the way back from the pool. I remember memorial day and veterans day we would march down the street to the veterans cemetery for ceremonies. The creepy basement bathrooms always made me scared to go down there. Field day on the Mall was always a blast. Ms. Fortune was the principle she was a very kind woman. I loved my little school.
I went to the Kelly School and I knew we where lucky to grab the warm air spot when it was cold n we had to wait in line to go inside out back.We would walk to the church back then to use their gym.I belive in the 3rd grade we planted a time capsel at the church too I dont know why but I keep thinking we did.Playing marbles was always fun at the kelly school too.After school at the st.pauls school some of us would go to a reading class there.I also recall some of us could kick ball really well n kick the ball so hard it would go down the hill into the mall water.
I moved away from Newburyport in the 5th grade but I attended Kelley from K-4 and I have such wonderful memories of that special little school. As others have noted, the scary basement bathrooms terrified me, and there was no greater thrill than kicking a home run down into the Mall during kickball. I feel very lucky that Ms. Fortune was our principal – enthusiastic and energetic to the core. I remember the assemblies in the hallway – kindergarten up front, 1st grade behind them, 2nd & 3rd grades on the stairs & 4th grade in the back – receiving Student of the Week certificates & singing the K-E-doubleL-E-add a Y theme song. There was really no other school like Kelley School!
i went to kelly school for one year i remember my teacher mrs mcdonald very nice teacher and ms fortune as well