High-resolution, full color images available online
Search, browse, read, and print yearbook pages
View college, high school, and military yearbooks
Browse our digital annual library spanning centuries
Support the schools in our program by subscribing
Privacy, as we do not track users or sell information
Page 26 text:
“
HISTORY OF THE CLASS OF 1946 On September 9, 1942, 120 members of the Class of ’46 registered at Berlin High School. As Fresh- men, we were not required to go through the customary period of initiation. As a substitute, however, the Seniors required us to provide enter- tainment at the reception they held in our honor early in October. We all had fun entertaining the rest of the students at the reception and enjoyed the dancing that followed. We had at last become full-fledged members of the student body at the Berlin High School. During the year, there was a bowling and roller- skating get-together at the Bowl-O-Rink in New Britain, under the supervision of our class adviser, Miss Spangenberg. We had a very good time and the fact that it was raining when we were ready to leave did not dampen our spirits. Our class was the first to enter high school after the war had begun. Because of this, many of the extra-curricular activities were curtailed, but new functions were added to the regtdar school sched- ule. The principal sport hindered by the war was basketball, in which the only games played at the school were between the classes. Incidentally, among the girls’ teams, the Freshmen came in second. The most important change in the school program was the introduction of the Victory Corps. Every Friday, all regtdar classes were sus- pended and the day was devoted to classes in first aid, pre-flight training, model airplane building, motor corps, air raid warden training and physical education. All in all, our Freshman year was fun. And some of our members even made the honor roll. Though we all worked hard, we want to give recognition to our class officers that year; President, Sam Raymond, Vice-President, Dick Spring; Secretary, Peggy Pickett; Treasurer, Marjorie Dehan. We very bravely entered the Sophomore year, thinking that we knew quite a bit about running a class. A square dance that we sponsored early in the fall turned out to be a decided success. Later in the year, we gave a semi-formal dance which brought out a fair size group of students. Gas and meat rationing were at their height this year and many school activities were still curtailed and we had no football team. However, we did have a basketball team and a few games were again played with other schools. We ordered our class rings in the spring and we were beginning to feel our place in the high school. With the many woman’s organizations coming into the news every day, the girls in our class weren’t to be outdone. They organized into the GEMS, (Girls Emergency Mop-Up Squad). The principal reason for this was the shortage of male help due to the many war jobs open to high school boys. They cleaned and scoured until the school literally glowed. We think Carol Holmes, Jean Venturo, Dolores Margnelli, Lorraine Scotti, Ethel Wolf, Lorraine Rakowski and Frances Skinner deserve some recognition for their excellent work. They were quite a sight as they marched around the building with their pails and brooms. One day early in June we went to classes with radios blaring in every room and the word D-Day on everyone’s lips. Yes, the big day that we had all been waiting for had arrived at last. For some members of our class, it was a sad day, knowing that older brothers and relatives were taking part in the big invasion. Mr. Kope acted as our advisor this year and we re-elected the same slate of officers with the excep- tion of the secretary. Doris Gottlin was elected to that post. As our Junior year rolled around, we strode importantly through the corridors, lending a help- ing hand to the bewildered Freshmen. We also cast many glances at the Senior walk and thought, “Just one more year.” Further changes were made in the school program during the course of the summer. Home rooms were omitted at noon and for a while it was hard getting used to the different lunch periods. A seventh period was added to the day to give more time for clubs and class meetings. That meant no more periods would be omitted for assemblies. The class this year made a clean sweep of the officers. Art Ventres became President; Norman Brousseau, Vice-President; Lou Splettstoeszer, Secretary; Jean Fagan, Treasurer. Mr. Goding was our class adviser and he did a wonderful job. He left at the end of the year to teach in East Hart- ford. Mr. Kope left at the end of the previous year to teach in New Britain. I wonder if we were responsible for their leaving? Funny, both left after serving a year as our class adviser. We gave two dances that year, a barn dance and the Junior Prom, and both dances were very successful. The decorations at the Prom were said to be the nicest ever to have been put up in our school. The gym was decorated to resemble a 22
”
Page 27 text:
“
garden in Spring. A white picket fence separated the dance floor from the tables where refreshments were served and crocuses were placed around the floor near the fence. To reach the dance floor, the couples had to pass through an arch that was part of the fence. Lorraine Rakowski and Virginia Niedzialkowski were responsible for these novel decorations. Our Junior year was marked by two world- shattering events; namely, the death of President Roosevelt in April and the declaration of V-E Day. in May. Very impressive assemblies were held in the auditorium on both occasions. It was a com- pletely subdued student body that witnessed these services. School was dismissed early both days, with many students making straight for their churches. The girls planning to join the Motif Club removed their rouge and lipstick for one day late in May and endured the pains of irritations. This gave the boys a chance to see what the g irls really looked like. 1 ' hey all took it like real sports and were amply repaid at the end of the day when they were officially made members of the Motif Club. September 5, 1945 was a big day for the 49 seniors who registered as a class for the last time. We entered the building through the front door and proudly marched up to Room 8, our home room for this year. For the first time we were all to be together in one room. Everything seemed very bright that day, the war was over and we were Seniors at last. We really helped to “put Berlin High on the map” and, for us, it was a truly mem- orable year, one that we shall look back upon with fond memories. The first thing most of us thought about was initiating the Freshmen. Mr. MacLaughlin gave his permission and a committee was chosen to plan the initiation and also the barn ' dance that we gave in honor of the Freshmen that night in the auditorium. The boys stole the show that day and were cjuite a handsome lot with their faces made up with lipstick and rouge and wearing bibs. The girls wore their hair in pig tails and placed their rouge on the end of their noses rather than on their cheeks for this day. The reception in the evening was a social as well as a financial success and with ii the Seniors officially launched their year. In November, the editors of the BEACON, Jimmy Sokoloski, Elizabeth Vigra and Jean Fagan, accompained by Miss McBrien and Miss Lynch, attended a newspaper conference at N. Y. Univer- sity. I hey were later awarded certificates of merit for their participation in the conference. We participated in a stirring Thanksgiving assembly under the direction of Miss LeVan, our English instructor. The program was in the form of a choral reading and it had for its theme, “Current Racial Problems.” Our Christmas dance, which was a sport dance, was the first to be given in the school on a Satur- day night. The auditorium was decorated with evergreens and large red bells and a gaily-lighted Christmas tree stood in the middle of the floor. Our next social affair, “The Stork Club Dance,” a unique affair, was given in March. Everything was done to give the hall the appearance and air of the famous New York night club. There were cigarette girls and waitresses and the floor show, which was exceptionally good, presented chosen students representing Hollywood celebrities visit- ing the famous nightclub for an evening of fun and entertainment. Betty Hutton was there as well as Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Durante, Dolores DelRio, Veronica Lake, Alan Ladd and the hit of the evening, the four piece orchestra made up of Frankie Carle, Charlie Barnet, Harry James and Buddy Rich. The annual Magazine Drive was held in Febru- ary and the Seniors walked off with top honors. Peggy Pickett was in charge of the drive and Jimmy Sokoloski was the top salesman with Room 8 coming in second. Mary Ducll, our captain, did a fine job in getting every member to sell at least one subscription. March proved to be an exciting month for it was then that the Seniors held their first court ses- sion. The purpose of this was to penalize under- classmen found on the “Senior Walk”. The accused wore big signs for a few days prior to “The Stork Club Dance” and gave the Seniors excellent publicity for their dance. That was part of their punishment and, of course, the Senior Walk looked mighty clean after it had received a good scrubbing. It was in March, also, that the girls from the Motif Club spent a memorable week-end in New York City. They were accom- panied by Miss LeVan and Mrs. McNickle and for days before and after the trip the girls could talk about nothing but New York. The only sad part of the trip was that Frances Skinner, Presi- dent of the club, Peggy Pickett and Harolvene Esberg were unable to attend, confined to their homes because of the measles. On March 20, the Junior Meeting of the Air was broadcast from our auditorium. Graham Hall, a Junior, was the school’s representative and did a fine job. Marjorie Dehan, Senior representative, acted as guide to the visiting students. The entire school attended the broadcast. It was the first time our school had played host to students from other 23
Are you trying to find old school friends, old classmates, fellow servicemen or shipmates? Do you want to see past girlfriends or boyfriends? Relive homecoming, prom, graduation, and other moments on campus captured in yearbook pictures. Revisit your fraternity or sorority and see familiar places. See members of old school clubs and relive old times. Start your search today!
Looking for old family members and relatives? Do you want to find pictures of parents or grandparents when they were in school? Want to find out what hairstyle was popular in the 1920s? E-Yearbook.com has a wealth of genealogy information spanning over a century for many schools with full text search. Use our online Genealogy Resource to uncover history quickly!
Are you planning a reunion and need assistance? E-Yearbook.com can help you with scanning and providing access to yearbook images for promotional materials and activities. We can provide you with an electronic version of your yearbook that can assist you with reunion planning. E-Yearbook.com will also publish the yearbook images online for people to share and enjoy.
