Ames High School - Spirit Yearbook (Ames, IA)

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22 ‘Our schools are open то all who lon. h to obtain a higher educat WIS Se 4 ` Ьо ж v n mes Ke) T 2373 complete With auditorium, = $ e ъа d e .ҠХ classrooms, exemplified “modern education , » »- $ тр EE = P - | d т C an “ C етсе: Гһе present abode. atop іо acres - in. Loft: The Lä a HEN natural prarie. Le JL. | he ird nign SChOol, th (1937-1961) prompted considerable community discussion as to where it sheuld be located. Above: Тһе first secondary school to rise above the pioneer community, tangible evidence of - ы t- % 4 a м» CN. е » a . “2 M ке. ELDER Quse ap M Om T Y 6

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Above: Peggy Newell pulls her fingers away as 1 the neddle just misses them. Left: Volunteer [ Paul Shultz watches the smiles of mentally is retarded children as they swim. Above Left: N Showing some displays at AHS, Tammy | Edwards spends some time with new student e Pam Bower. b el H tk Volunteer Work 21

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мезі ісе: as well as hairlines, recede into dim obscurity. Venerable ivy- shrouded buildings splinter and ` crumble with age until wrecking crews arrive with their cranes and booms to condemn what once stood as a landmark of progress. Progress was inherent in the minds of those who conceived and constructed the first high school in 1881. It was a vast improvement when compared to the former four room clapboard structure used in 1876, which housed a mere 50 pupils. Nonetheless, this was the origin of Ames High today and the class of 100 years ago that we commemorate. Students from these early institutions would recall scarlet cheeked boys made to sit among the % аа girls for punishment, fires built on bleak winter days, and the spinetingling screech of misguided pencils upon writing slates, The class of 1885 contrived the motto, “Not ending, but begun,” an optimistic vision into a hazy future. But it did end in 1910 when the structure was condemned and later bowled over, leaving only rubble in its wake, however the ebullient spirit lived on, residing next in “Old” Central. In 1891, principal M.F. Morgan firmly stated, Make up your mind to what you wish to accomplish .... then submit willingly to the mental drills and discipline of your teachers. The mental drills can be likened to some exercised today, but the discipline paralleled that of the military. There was virtually no flexibility, no bending of rules and no second chances. Zac Dunlap, a 1934 graduate, remembers, “It was the same row, same seat each day of the year. The faculty had absolute control. Each student was expected to meet prescribed standards.” A cigarette in hand doomed prospective athletes as well as alienating the Above Right: A rendezvous at the malt shop is a welcome respite after a full day of classes. Above: A portion of the 1952 cheersquad rallys at a weekly pep assembly. Left: This racy jalopy provided no parking problems in 1943. individual socially. By 1937, the third high school was erected across from “Old” Central. Its recipients produced a new motto, the familiar, “Ames High, Aims Hi , the mainstay and undeclared by-law of our present niche, occupied in 1961. “More permissiveness, numerous distractions in the way of extracurricular options and diversified morals,” comprised the bulk of transition. Past teachers would most likely view our contemporary lifestyle with astonishment, awe and a touch of abhorrance at the radical changes in teaching, curriculum and student behavior. Yes, 1876 was only a beginning, a segment of the past few of us bother to reflect upon, but neither do we credit the first day of our lives with much import. In a sense it was the birth of Ames High as we know it, a model of excellence and opportunity evolved through decades of contribution from faculty and students who looked with zest upon the future and strived for its betterment. 100th Anniversary 23 on