Alexandria High School - Alexian Yearbook (Alexandria, MN)

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1936 TH1zA1.Ex1AN 1936 Phi Alpha Front Row--James Daily, Robert Elness. Oscar Gustafson, Robert Drummond, Melvin S-tumm. Sidney Carlson, Rodney Backlin, Eldo Falk, Eaton Olson, Christian Back- aus, Orris Gran. Back Row--Robert Weed, Lester Nelson. Paul Anderson, Clarence Dobberpuhl, Keith Godfrey, William Schaefer, Orville Eiden, Thorvald Lillevik. Phi Alpha, the honorary society for boys, has had a member- ship of 21 senior and junior boys during the past year. Officers of the organization were president, Robert Weedg vice president, Paul Ander- song secretary-treasurer, Orris Gran, and sergeant-at-arms, Clarence Dobberpuhl. K. Otto Logan acted as adviser for the organization. Twelve new members were taken into the club this year, only those boys who had earned seven honor points in at least two major ex- tra-curricular activities being eligible to join. An initiation was con- duced late in the fall at which the neophytes were formally and force- fully inducted into the society. No members were taken into Phi Alpha at mid-year. The aim of this organization is to raise the intellectual and cul- tural standards of its members as well as to promote good fellowship among the boys. Because of the numerous other activities during the past school year, the Alphas were somewhat inactive. Early in the sec- ond semester, the Phi Alplias were the guests of the Sigma Beta Phi at a leap year party. Twenty-one

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1936 THE ALEXIAN 1936 Sigma Beta Phi Front Row--Doris Larson, Carol Knutson, Eileen Hubbell, Dona DuBeau, Frances Griffith, Marian Knauf, Wilma Myers. Second Row--Lois Studlien, Evangeline Helseth, Agnes Johnson, Anna Johnson, Mary Burnquist, Malinda Jerome. Knitting, etiquette, dancing lessons, and gay parties were among the outstanding activities which kept the 12 members of the Sig- ma Beta Phi occupied during the past school year. The first two meetings of the year were held with Mrs. H. N. Peterson who, with much patience, taught the girls how to knit and purlg and as a result of the teaching, many of the Betas succeeded in knitting sweaters, skirts, caps, and scarfs. A leap-year party was given to the Phi Alphas by the girls in January. A theatre session, dancing, and refreshments composed the program of entertainment for the party which served as sort of a labor- atory experiment for the practical use of information on dancing and parties which the Beta members had received at earlier meetings of che club. With Mrs. G. Fitzgerald as guest speaker, a program on Fash- ions was given on May 16, under the direction of Eileen Hubbell. A breakfast at which officers were elected for the next school year wrote finis to the year's activities of the Sigma Beta Phi on May 24. Officers for the year 1935-36 were Frances Griffith, presi- dent, Dona DuBeau, vice-president, Eileen Hubbell, secretary, and Mar- ian Knauf, treasurer. Other seniors in the organization were Juliette Hareid, Malinda Jerome, Agnes Johnson, Anna Johnson, and Wilma Myers. Twenty

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1936 THE ALEXIAN 1936 Music ORCHESTRA With an increase in member- . ship of 15 students, the high school or- chestra, like the band, has had one of its most successful seasons. Directed by Har- old Arentsen, it has been very prominent in musical activities during the year. This year the orchestra accom- panied the operetta Naughty Marieffa and the annual production of Handel's Messiah and furnished incidental music for both junior and senior class plays. In addition to these regular performances, the orchestra gave two special concerts during the year. The first of these was a public affair given in December and the other a closed performance for the Eu- terpean Club in March. Because of the heightened in- terest of the students in music this year, the membership in this organization rose to 6 S. Seniors who are members of the orchestra are Rodney Backlin, Donald Brown, Robert Elness, Eileen Hubbell, Alma Keipe, Burl Kraf- thefer, Elaine McArdell, Wilma Meyers, and LaVerne Schmidt. Harold W. Arentsen MUSIC POINT SYSTEM This year the music department of the Alexandria High School adopted a new system of comparative rating whereby any student mem- ber of a musical organization is credited with a certain number of honor points for each musical activity in which he participated. According to this system, each student's points are totaled up at the end of the school year, and the individual is given an A, B, C, or D rating in ratio to the number of points he has earned. Those persons maintaining an A average in this system during their high school years will be given a special award when they graduate. Honor points are credited for attendance, co-operation, con- dition of instrument, and membership in chamber groups. Likewise, points are deducted from each student's total for poor attitude, slow progress, untidy uniform and unexcused absence. The new point system is proving to be very satisfactory in that it has created greater interest in music by setting up a definite goal for each student. Twenty-two