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

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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 -

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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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IIHllllEllliE With the Annex days a hazy recollection, the horrid Y and Z period classes behind us now, and two long summers etched into our past, we were ready to face what seemed, almost ominously, our most challenging year at Madison. We were Juniors! For the first time we could rise with the sun and trudge home before it set. Suddenly came the first of many long, tedious, and nerve racking examination, the P.S.A.T. With fear in our hearts we all arrived that Saturday morning, to find the temper- ature near zero and the wind howling. With frozen ears, toes and fingers, we boldly marched into Madison to face our first college test. Three hours later our rosy-colored world changed. Our eagerness melted into bewildered disappoint- ment, our bright hopes faded. The test seemed an impossible battery of questions. College became very real to us and we worked with increased determination. We got home a little earlier and went to bed a little later, and in between we studied harder, watched television a little less and prayed a lot more consistently. The S.A.T. and Merit Scholarship tests crept up on us, but without the initial shock that accompanied the P.S.A.T. We were ready. The number of high scorers was adequate proof of what we had already begun to believe-that we had grown with the challenge of Madison. However, the iunior year was filled with wonderful ad- ventures in addition to academic achievement. There was also Sing! Once again the long meetings after school com- menced. Enemies turned slowly into companions and rivalry