James Madison High School - Log Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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IHIIllEllGE Camps and hotels were evacuated, summer iobs were quit, bonfires and hikes became memories, new wardrobes were purchased and school supplies were bought. We all awaited the start of our Sophomore year. We were determined to make a success of the new year. So, even if some of us had to climb five long flights of stairs to reach our destinations, or had trouble finding out that room 409 was directly across from room 416, we all man- aged to find our official classes and ready ourselves to face the challenge. The pressures of trying to receive good grades were hard enough, but this year we found another obstacle in facing the upperclassmen. Those who had been running their previous schools now had to succumb to the rulings of their senior Student Government officers. When the eighth period bell sounded, the halls became mobbed with reioicing, screaming iuniors and seniors who were on their way home, and school became unbearable for us. The ninth period crawled by, the O period dragged on even longer, and during period Y the sun slowly began to set. Z period arrived as the moonlight danced through the fourth floor windows. The rest of the city was eating supper or watching television while we were laboring over similar triangles, the digestive system and the causes of feudalism. However, we took the late hours in stride and in a few short weeks the 5:30 classes became routine and even almost tolerable. We were ready to face the year ahead. Synonomous with the months of October and November was Sing. So, once or twice a week we all stayed until 7 P.M.

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Our gym was also used for several other activities.'Mr. Terezano, the Annex gym teacher, had co-ed gym classes for several weeks until Miss Mirsky arrived to give him a hand. We were quite amused as we watched him try to ex- plain why girls could not play the same sports as boys! Most of the free periods were spent in the gym, but those spent in the assembly ran a very close second. Annex assem- blies were quite unusual, although not always successful. We won't forget our music class or that wonderful talent show we had to endure. It was in that very auditorium where we first heard the words, Don't reach for your books until you are told to do so! , words we would hear countless times during the next three years. We also enioyed several very serious and important assemblies. We elected our officers, a necessary activity that had long been missing in the Annex. Toward the end of the year at the dear Annex we began to sense the changes that would soon be upon us. We an- ticipated meeting our counterparts from the iunior high schools, who, after two years in isolation were as eager as we to find new comrades with whom they could share the coming challenges. Yet, we were confident that we had gotten the upper hand . We had experienced Madison life and we knew its standards, its traditions, and its strong, proud spirit. We, of that freshman class, have since evolved into the Senior Class of '68, after undergoing many additions to our ranks, but, we will never forget the wonderful, little world we had at the Annex. BILLY BLANK All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today. Chinese proverb gh is

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to practice. It was Tuesday, November 9, about ten minutes past tive and the meeting was in full swing when . . . BLACK- OUT! One of the most modern and intricate electric power networks had suddenly and inexplicably failed. We struggled out of the building and fought our way home in the dark. Out came the flashlights, candles, matches and lanterns. Transistor radios became our only connection with civiliza- tion. Homework and studying, impossible to do by candle- light, were forgotten, and we had a well deserved night of rest. Soon after, Sing arrived, and we prided ourselves in a great performance. The new year, I966, was accompanied by Mike Quill and the ominous, paralyzing transit strike. Our Christmas vaca- tion came to a swift end and we had no way of getting to our dear, beloved James Madison. Of course, we assume, if .there had been a will to go to school we all would have found a way. But instead of searching out that way, we gratefully accepted a day off and shorter periods. We marched home early the entire week and eagerly watched news reports, hoping for the strike to continue. Unfortunately, an agreement was reached and we had no more excuses for not working! Despite all the obstacles we somehow survived. Slowly the days became longer and we were able to arrive at our homes before sunset, iust in time to study for our Regents exams. And with the sun came summer and, then in Septem- ber, the challenge of the Junior Year. MITCH LITWAK We are born to quest and seek after truth, to possess it belongs to a greater being. Michel de Montaigne Ab -