Columbia High School - Mirror Yearbook (Maplewood, NJ)

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SENIOR HISTORY Soon we shall graduate, and our three short years in Columbia High School will be over. How quickly time has passed since that day early in September, 1946, when first we entered the portals of our Alma Mater. In a few weeks our high school days will be but memories of joy and sorrow—memories never to be forgotten. In our brief stay, we have gained precious knowledge and experience. Let’s roll back the calendar three years. Remember the empty feeling in your stomach that morning when we entered the gates of the great unknown, and how we held on to our “High- lights” as the only ray of light to our thoroughly bewildered minds? Some of us enjoyed two lunch periods a day for several weeks, while others search- ed in vain for that missing period. However, we soon found ourselves, and a world of new oppor- tunities presented itself. We became a part of Columbia as we joined the various clubs and com- mittees, sat in the cheering section at Saturday's football games, cheered our baseball and basketball teams on to victory, and attended school dances and rallies. We displayed our talent in the Sopho- more Dramatic Club’s production, and assumed our part in the spring elections. In a few weeks, after taking those ever-feared final exams, we started the long awaited summer vacation. With the summer behind us, we reentered school in fall. Now, we were juniors and “in on the ground floor.” With the prospects of college in full view, school had become more serious. Still, though, there were many good times in store. That year the foot- ball games were sporting a new look. New band uniforms, twirlers, and girl cheerleaders added color and spirit to the games. Before the Christmas vaca- tion, during which we saw the greatest blizzard in the history of New Jersey, Pre-Junior Night Com- mittee plunged into the job of writing an extrava- ganza to be put on in the spring. Behind closed doors, and with a general air of secrecy, we worked diligently preparing properties and rehearsing the show'. Almost everyone in the Junior Class had a part in its production. Finally, on the Ides of March, “Thumbs Up” was presented. The show was a musical fantasy concerning the election of a Roman politician in the days of Caesar, the romance of his daughter and a Roman soldier, and the plight of five modern Americans who find themselves lost in Rome of 2000 years ago. The musical score, written by members of the class, was tops. A few weeks later we were in the midst of a closely contested election for council officers. June came, and with another graduation, we bade farewell to many friends. The summer quickly passed, and September found us “mighty seniors.” During the summer va- cation the Senior Play Reading Committee had been studying various selections under considera- tion for the senior play, and, in mid-September, the senior class made its choice. The play was the unforgettable Broadway hit, “Life With Father.” It was the first time the show had been given as a high school production, and before the curtain went up Friday night, the cast received a congrat- ulatory telegram from Howard Lindsay, co-author of the play. A thrilling success, the show ranked as one of Columbia’s best senior play productions. During our last year, we assumed the leadership of the various school organizations. However, this year we were confronted with the serious problem of college entrance. With the aid of college con- ferences we dispatched our applications and pre- pared diligently for the College Board examina- tions. Christmas and exams were soon behind us, and we found ourselves finishing our last semester in high school. Now, as we stand on the threshold of gradua- tion, we recall, with joy and solemn pride, our three years in Columbia High School. The world we enter is overburdened with fears and doubts, but as we move forward we shall never lose hope nor faith. We shall carry on high freedom’s shining torch and never forget the guiding words of our Alma Mater: “In the years of life’s hard struggle. We care not what’s in store, For thy motto is our motto, And our cry, “Excelsior!” Page Twenty