When former Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School Superintendent David Ferreira was offered his first job teaching at Diman Tech in Fall River, he had little knowledge of the school, and in fact, he hadn’t even inquired about a position there.
“I said, ‘I never applied there. Why would I get called for a job?’” Ferreira said recently before a large crowd gathered at Old Colony in his honor.
Ferreira, who had just recently gone on military leave, learned that Diman had heard about him from Case, where he had recently applied. At Diman, a teacher was being deployed, and they wanted someone coming off of deployment to replace him.
“It worked out perfectly, and I got to teach what I loved—science and physics,” said Ferreira.
After a career that spanned over 40 years as both a science teacher and Superintendent of Old Colony, where he served from 1992 until 2007, it was only fitting that Old Colony dedicated the new “David J. Ferreira Science Center” at the school to him in a ceremony Monday afternoon at the school.
Ferreira, who currently serves as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Technical Administrators, was instrumental in the process of acquiring the accreditation that eventually led to funding for the recently completed $2.5 million capital improvement project through the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which funded 54.6 percent of it.
That project included the construction of a new roof on the school, as well as a renovation for the new science lab, which was the original lab from the school’s initial construction in 1975.
Not only did those in attendance thank Ferreira for his work in this particular instance, but they also commended him for his hard work and high aspirations for the school’s students and faculty in particular.
“David is probably one of the most hardworking people that I’ve ever met,” said current Superintendent Gary Brown, who noted that Ferriera is still a mentor to this day, spending time with aspiring teachers and administrators. “David was always coming up with new ideas. He was an innovator and an educator.”
Ferreira said that he was honored to have the newly remodeled room – which is equipped with a new chemical storage closet and new gas and plumbing fixtures, among many other changes – named for him.
“I’m certainly humbled to have the new Science Center named after me,” said Ferreira. “It’s also an honor to be recognized by the Administration, in particular Gary Brown, the School Committee, the rest of the Administrative team, my friends in the faculty…all of you have created the special place that we call Old Colony.”
By Nick Walecka
