Chester High School - Flamstead Challenge Yearbook (Chester, VT)

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18 FLAMSTEAD CHALLENGE roses, one autumn of gold and crimson sped by and left their gifts at the feet of an eager and delighted child. Then, in the dreary month of February, came the illness which closed my eyes and ears and plunged me into the unconsciousness of a new-born baby. She was like a' little animal as she tugged all day long at her mother's skirts. You ought to put her away, said Helen's uncle, she is mentally defective. Mrs. Keller never gave up hope that there would be a way to help Helen. When Helen was seven years old Anne Sullivan became her teacher. With great patience and courage she taught Helen to read and to speak. Thus Helen Keller penetrated the barriers that stood in her way and reached her personal goal. -- Our own personal goals are swallowed up by a greater goal-you might call it the aim of our generation. Perhaps the greatest purpose of our generation is for all the nations of the world 'to live together in harmony. We know that another war will mean drafting both men and women into the armed forces. Great losses in material things will weigh us down with taxes, our cities will be demolished by 'atomic bombs, much suffering will be incurred, and many lives will be lost. Our personal adversities seem unimportant compared to the obstacles that stand in the way of peace. Is it possible for all the nations of the world to live together tranquilly? Fear and distrust are two seemingly insurmountable obstacles. With each neighbor country searching constantly for improved weap- ons, and planning always for defenses, 'how can the nations feel safe unless they occupy themselves with the same race for armaments? Or is the neighbor country arming? How do we know what to believe, or how can we trust them? One hope for cooperation among the countries of the world lies in the United Nations. The United Nations was not designed to make peace but to keep it. We must not expect too much of this comparatively new organization, but we must have faith in it and support it, if it is to be the fulfillment of our goal. The last war was almost lost at Dunkirk but our cause was saved by the unexpected power of the Royal Air Force, a relatively small group. This motto of ours was also the motto of the Royal Air Force. It may have helped them to achieve what they did. We hope that it will help us not only to arrive at our personal goals but to make the dream of our generation come true-that we may live with the people of other lands in peace. Class History Jean Webb The September of 1945 holds a very special place in the minds of this grad- uating class. That was when we began our four years' journey, a journey which has brought us to this milestone which is even more important. As we look back and recall early memories we find that things have not changed so very much. We had thirty-four members when we began but some have left us and a few have joined our ranks. A much dreaded event took place that fall-none other than the freshman initiation. But didn't we hav 'fliftll With our books in bransacks, skirts upside down and pants wrong-side-out, we enjoyed it more than the seniors to whom we had to bow. That evening, still very rosy after scrubbing off the lipstick with which we were smeared, we appeared at the dance given in our honor.

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FLAMSTEAD CHALLENGE 17 from some hunters, captures the wolf, and places him in a zoo for everyone to behold. The bird is represented by the flute, the duck by the oboe, the cat by a clarinet playing in a low register, the wolf by the three French horns, and Peter by the strings. Each character has a special theme. These themes are played by the instruments before the performance of the music, so that children can associate them with the characters. There are also the recordings, Tubby the Tuba and Pee-Wee the Piccolo, which have the same purpose in mind. The instruments actually introduce them- selves to us. A story is told about those particular instruments to acquaint chil- dren, especially, with them. For the listener's enjoyment, once again, take Morton Gould's arrangement of Surrey With the Fringe on Top. The percussion section of the orchestra inter- prets the part of a horse jogging along. Then a crack of the whip is effected by the sharp impact of a percussion instrument simply adapted from wooden blocks. Here is another way in which an instrument is effective in playing its role. We should not forget the greatyinspiring church music. Although the organ is most important, the voices of a choir are instruments-in an exact sense of the word. Here is something more important than enjoyment of the music, the instruments-organ or choir or any other-touch us more deeply. An organ prelude and a chorale are what we like to hear, are important in worshipping Godg above all, they give us a real spiritual experience. From the simplest of enjoyment to a great experience-the instrument has carried us all this way. Perhaps the instrument senses its importance in appealing to our fancies, in providing enjoyment of music. An instrument deserves more than recognition as a man-made thing of wood and metall Music itself is a crea- tion of man. Without the instrument, music's deep and wonderful message could not be conveyed. Through Adversity to the Stars THIRD HONOR ESSAY Phyllis Whitcomb We have chosen as our motto, Through Adversity to the Stars. To us this means that we will try to overcome the things that stand in our way and reach our aims, our stars. Each of us has some aim in life-maybe it is high, maybe it seems quite in- significant. If nothing more or less, each of us aims to lead a happy and useful life. Next year some of us are going on to school, some of us are stepping out into the world on our own. In either case we shall meet adversities. Like everyone who has gone 'before us we shall find the going hard at times. Our plans will be upset, our dreams crushed by some unforeseen obstacle, some unexpected crises. To have for the aim of our life just to be able to speak and understand seems very meager to us, who take such powers for granted. Yet this was the case of Helen Keller. When she was 19 months old she was stricken with a fever which left her blind, deaf and dumb. In her autobiography she says, One brief spring, musical with the song of robin and mocking bird, one summer rich in fruit and

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FLAMSTEAD CHALLENGE 19 When we had become better acquainted with our classmates we elected officers and Cecil Waldo was our first president. Harold Gardner was vice president. Joyce Stowell kept our records and Jean Webb our money. We undertook a business venture that winter. We sold refreshments at the ski tow and netted the astounding sum of ten dollars in one day. Our sophomore year found us fewer in number. Our executives this year were Cecil Waldo, president, Jean Webb, vice president, Mary Bentley, secretaryg and Carl Brooks, treasurer. We tried our hands at a similar project at the ski -tow with poor results.. Because of the lack of opportunity to earn money during our sophomore year, Mrs. Belknap, our class advisor, found for us the opportunity to sell programs at the horseshow in July, a project for which we were indeed grateful. Our Junior year saw two more major successes. We had a dance that fall, Li'l Abner's Birthday Party, our first big success, with a turkey raffle on the side. Then in February we started making plans for that all-important Junior Prom. When it was decided that it was to be a Dutch Prom we went into action, posters, windmills, tulips and a picket fence-those wouldn't be a prom unless the juniors reiinished the gym floor. With mops, pails, then paint and finisher the juniors completed the job. Had the gym ever looked lovelier than it did that day when the last streamer was hung and the last tulip in place? We didn't think so and we hoped others thought the same. Those who transacted our business this year were Jean Webb as president, Harold Gardner as vice president, Mary Bentley as secretary, and Carl Brooks as treasurer. According to our annual town meeting of Chester High School we were taxed one book for the library and we chose Together, the story of the Marshalls. Our senior year found us the smallest class in the high school with a mere handful of twenty-one members. We hadnit realized before how little time there was left. Why hadn't we studied harder, what should we do after graduation, how could we best use this one remaining year? These were some of the questions for each of us to think about. We elected class officers this year with Jean Webb as president, Lois Mansur as vice president, Barbara Laselle as secretary and Carl Brooks as treasurer. We had many important class meetings this year. We now began to realize the importance of a substantial amount in the treasury if we were to have a class trip to New York and all projects were undertaken with this view in mind. We had a card sale, the annual Christmas formal, a food sale and the senior play entitled All American Family. Soon after mid-years we got underway on our year book and plans for New York. On April ll at 4 oiclock in the morning we boarded the chartered bus and were soon on our way to a thrilling four days in New York City. Several new ideas were developed during our four years. Our class helped to elect the first officers for the town of Chester High School and the school paper, Chester Chatter, came into being. E We have met many new students since that memorable September when we first entered these halls as pupils of Chester High School. We have come to treasure the friendships which have developed during the years in which we have worked and played together. We realize now, when it is too late, that perhaps we have not worked quite hard enough and played a little too much. Soon we will leave these classrooms. Perhaps some of us will never see each other again but we will always have happy memories of our years together at Chester High School.