Annie Wright School - Shield Yearbook (Tacoma, WA)

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reaches the top of senior stairs will be the luckiest of her class. After all have suc- ceeded in the mad scramble for the top. they descend together singing their step song. composed for the occasion: each class then sings its class song, and all classes together sing the Alma Mater. Senior Traditions The life of a Seminary senior is symbolized through many more traditions than those connected with May Day and Commencement. The senior is a creature set apart throughout the year, with many privileges to accompany her many duties. She li ves on the most convenient corridor, on which, by the way. are the two coveted rooms joined by a bath and hall, known as the suite. The front hall stairs are referred to as senior stairs. and may used only by faculty and seniors. If the late privilege has not been abused, they have only to sign their names in the office in order to stay up until ten -thirty on one night a week. Perhaps the most enjoyed of all prerogatives is their walkline privilege, which permits them to go downtown unchaperoned in groups of three on Saturday and for afternoon walks in the neighborhood. Though the seniors are no longer in choir after Easter vacation, they f orm the choir on Friday mornings. Seniors have sweaters in their class color, either cardigan or pullover, which they may wear on Mondays and Fridays. In the fall they burst in upon the study hall in their new sweaters. They march through the aisles singing their class song before linking arms in the front of the room to sing iheir sweater song. The social life of the senior also adds to the glory ol tins year. On the night of the Junior F rom the boarders depart. suitcase in hand, to the homes of senior day students where they spend the night and a lazy morning. The very peak of enjoyable activity comes the week following senior examinations. This Senior Week, composed of such entertainment as cruises, picnics, and teas, is eagerly awaited by the class all year. A picture of senior class traditions is incomplete without mention of the Spade. Soon after school opens in the fall, the new senior class zealously begin their search for the Spade, which last year s graduates hide during the first week. The seniors must find it before the Hallowe en party if they are to be able to attach to it a ribbon of their class color. The Spade is so crowded with yellow, red. green, and blue ribbons — and one black, denoting failure that it is easily seen to be one of the oldest Seminary traditions. Upon finding the Spade, the seniors bear it triumphantly to study hall, where they sing their Spade Song, composed in antici- pation of the occasion. On the Monday afternoon before graduation, the class presents the senior play, on which they have been working for many weeks. It is their aim to keep the name of the play a secret. The following day is memorable for the planting of the class tree and the Lantern procession. Then only Commencement itself re- mains — the culmination of a year of achievement and of fun. It is only natural that the graduating class, looking back on all the beautiful traditions in which they have participated, should regret leaving Seminary life. 15

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On the night before Commencement all the wonderful memories of the year gather themselves to form a lump in the throat during the Lantern Procession. Carrying lighted Chinese lanterns, the girls, in pairs, walk slowly around the Seminary singing. The procession pauses now and then in its encirclement of the building to hear short messages addressed to them by faculty members. Before reentering the building, the girls join hands to sing the Alma Mater. Certain music will never fail to signify to the girls all thai the Seminary means to them. Commencement is inseparably associated with the measured rhythm of Pomp and Circumstance. It is to this march that the seniors in their caps and gowns pass between the lines of their schoolmates to seat themselves on the stage of Keator Hall. At this time the Bishop and ihe Headmistress present the scholastic awards, and the Commencement address is given by a guest speaker. The exercises are continued in the Chapel, where there is the awarding by the Bishop of the diplomas and the gold crosses which are a gift to the seniors from the school. The two hymns always sung at this service. Forward Be Our Watch- word and Ancient of Days, evoke a feeling of nostalgia whenever they are heard by a Seminary girl. From the Chapel the seniors march between a double line formed by the rest of the school to the Great Hall, where their parents and friends gather to congratulate them. In addition to these traditions which are the basis for the memorable occasions of the school year, there are many lesser traditions connected with classes and individuals. A complete portrayal of Seminary spirit through its traditions neces- sitates the inclusion of the outstanding of these. Freshman and Sophomore Traditions It is readily acknowledged that in comparison with the juniors and seniors the freshmen and sophomores do not have many traditions associated with their classes. They do present their Hop. however: and later the sophomores serve at the Junior Prom. Junior Traditions With junior standing comes the prestige so eagerly looked forward to by the underclassmen. As usual, with prestige comes responsibility. Theirs is the task of trimming the tree and arranging the greens at Christmas time and. in the spring, of entertaining the seniors at the Junior Prom. On May Day they arise very early to decorate the Queen ' s throne with Scotch broom and flowering shrubs. To insure success for this latter occasion they wind in and out of the dining-room at break- fast singing a charm to produce a rainless day. It Ain t Gonna Rain No More. After Easter vacation they take over switchboard duties, study hall proctoring. checking meal attendance, ushering in chapel, and singing in the choir. The juniors publish a magazine paper, the Junior JoumaL which is greatly enjoyed for its school news. During Senior Week the juniors are allowed senior privileges such as walk- line. After the tree planting on the day before Commencement, they rush to the biiil(lin0 to find the only door left unlocked by the seniors. The first junior who 14

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SEMINARY AWARDS TUDENT acKievement in fields of scholarship, citizenship, and athletics receive tangible recognition at the Seminary through various awards. These awards, presented either al Commencement or at the Athletic Banquet on May Day. are for the most part gifts of students, alumnae, and friends, who have chosen this nnhn nf lif winL tfieir intf re«it in the school and their affection for It. The Whiaih 1- lilt musi M min.ini ciward made by the Seminary. It is given in recognition of high character traits and was presented in 1955 by Mrs. James Munro Keen and Miss Helen Keen, of the class of 1912. in memory of Mr. James Munro Keen, secretary of the Board of Trustees at the lime of the building of the present Seminary. It is awarded at Commencement to the girl in the Upper School who is. or gives most promise of becoming: Gallant— more than courageous, meeting life ' s victories and de- feats with balance and a fine air. Steadfast— dependable and true at all times, whether the cause be for one s own interest or for the interest of others. Courteous— kind, gracious, understanding, tolerant, with a con- stant regard and respect for others. Visional— seeing life as a whole, with an ever-growing conception of one ' s boundless powers and possible accomplishments, cultivat- ing always the most important side of life, the Spiritual. The actual award is a small bronze wreath, which the holder re- tains for one year. Her name is inscribed on the scroll which hangs in the Chapel as a permanent record of those receiving this honor. The Lambeth Cup was presented by Bishop F. V. Kealor in 1920 on his return from a conference of Anglican bishops held at Lambeth Palace. London, traditional residence of the archbishops of Canterbury ' . It is given to the girl in the Upper School who attains the highest average for the year in college prepara- tory subjects and exemplifies fine citizenship qualities. On the base of the cup is a Latin inscription from the oraHons of Cicero chosen by Miss Preston, principal at the time the cup was presented: These pursuits aro nn om irii ' nt in provprritv and furnish a solace in adversity. 16