Marshfield Superintendent of Schools, Jeffrey Granatino, announced that three individuals have been selected to the district’s 2022/2023 class of the MPSD Wall of Honor. The three inductees are Dr. Susan Dupuis, Mr. Warren Searfoss and Mr. Lou Silva.
All three inductees have made a major impact on the educational landscape of Marshfield over the past 50 years. They were longtime educators and coaches in the district. Dr. Dupuis served as the Assistant Superintendent for Special Education & Pupil Personnel for 14 years. Mr. Searfoss was a Science Teacher at MHS for 35 years and Mr. Silva was a teacher, coach and Athletic Director for 45 years.
Dr. Dupuis began her career in education 1981. Over the years before coming to Marshfield, she taught at the North River Collaborative and Silver Lake Special Needs Preschool before becoming the Director of Plymouth’s Inclusive Preschool. From there, Dr. Dupuis served as the Director of Special Education Programs for the Falmouth Public schools.
In August of 2004, Dr. Dupuis joined the team at the MPSD as the Director of Special Education & Pupil Personnel. She was a tremendous advocate for students with special needs and their families. She was highly regarded among her peers across the Commonwealth and was instrumental in creating the Post Program for students between the ages of 18-22. She was an expert in the field of special education and did all she could, with her team of talented teachers, to create the optimal learning environment for all students in the MPSD. She retired in 2018 and when looking back on her career, she made an indelible impact on the students of Marshfield and her legacy will carry on for years.
Mr. Warren Searfoss began teaching Biology at Marshfield High School in 1959. Over his 35 years of service to the students of Marshfield, he impacted thousands of students in and out of the classroom. He created generations of lifelong learners and he made science fun for his students. During those years he also had a positive impact on the children of Marshfield through his work as a coach in the football, basketball and tennis programs. He was also noted as a mentor for new teachers in the MHS science department and his legacy lived on through the talented teachers he helped develop.
Moreover, Mr. Searfoss worked for years as a summer counselor and athletic instructor at Camp Daniel Webster in Marshfield. He also spent a great deal of time over the years mentoring new science teachers at the high schools. He retired in 1994 and the students who had him in class still talk about the impact he had on them many years ago.
Mr. Lou Silva began his career in the Marshfield Public Schools in 1972. His initial impact on students in the classroom was at the elementary level where he taught for twenty years. In 1992, he moved on to teach math at the middle schools (both Martinson & the FBMS) for the next 11 years. He then moved on to become the Athletic Director at MHS in 2003 and served in that role until 2013. During that time, and across those three levels, Mr. Silva made a positive impact on thousands of MPSD students and their families.
In the fall of 1980, Mr. Silva became the Head Football Coach at MHS and over the next 37 years, after reaching 254 wins, Coach Silva became the winningest Football Coach in school history and the 24th winningest coach in Massachusetts. Under his leadership, his teams amassed 18 league championships, 10 Super Bowl Appearances and 5 Super Bowl Wins. He was also a two-time Boston Globe Coach of the Year and a four-time WATD Coach of the Year. He had countless players go on play at the highest levels of college football and even had students reach the NFL.
Mr. Silva was also a renowned track & field coach and some of his athletes went on to win state championships in their events. He is a member of the Massachusetts Football Coaches Hall of Fame, the MHS Hall of Fame and, in 2018, the District honored him by naming the road adjacent to the James G. Anderson Field, “Coach Lou Silva Drive”.
In the fall of 2017, the Marshfield School Committee voted on the creation of the Wall of Honor, to “foster pride in our system through recognition of individual achievement of former students, teachers, coaches/advisors, administrators, school committee members and friends of the Marshfield Public Schools.”
While all of the nominees brought forth were tremendous individuals, who made positive impacts on the school community over the years, the Search Committee selected three who they felt best fit criteria for the Wall of Honor and who scored the highest on their rubric. All nominees who were not selected this year will continue to be considered by the MPSD Wall of Honor Subcommittee for up to four years from the date of their initial nomination.
The Subcommittee consists of two parents, two school committee members, two teachers, a school principal and the Superintendent. They will be working with volunteers over the next few months on setting up the induction ceremony.
