Mansfield High School - Hornet / Green Years Yearbook (Mansfield, MA)

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Class of 1916 at SOth reunion (1966) school year opened with 497 in the senior wing. Ralph DePillo, and Gentili received All-Hockomock football honors, though MHS did not repeat as champs. The budget of $667,571 showed a $45,000 increase Over previous operating costs. The Alumni Association announced that it had $633.57 in its scholarship fund by January, ’61. Gentili led the team to the State Class ‘C’ basket- ball finals, where MHS upset Grafton High 53-40. Diane Cleary was valedictorian and Kathleen Houghton was salutatorian as 96 seniors graduated. The band highlight of the year was an exchange trip with Agawan, a town no band member had ever vis- ited. Mr. Murphy announced that some improvements were in order for the 1961-62 school year. Among his suggestions was a 10,000 volume library, and a lan- guage lab, better lighting, and overall curricula improvement. Murphy’s motives for this were to strengthen the students for college entrance exams. The history, math, and foreign language curricula were all improved. In the high school enrollment of 647 there were ten sets of twins, which assistant principal John F. Maloney said was a record for a high school of Mansfield’s size. The Mansfield Hornet band conducted an exchange with a band from Burlington, Vermont. School Committee Chairman Melchiorri announced that he would not run for re-election, as he had pur- chased the Central Market. All out support was given to the Citizens’ Scholar- ship Fund drive. A road block on route 140 raised a grand total of $4321. Superintendent Murphy announced that the High School had dropped Driver Education as a course because excessive student interest had driven the cost high. Jane Cronin was valedictorian, and Barbara Kudd- zol was the student who rendered the salutatory speech as 111 seniors graduated. The 1962-63 school year was greeted with another mandate from Superintendent Murphy, who stated, “Parents should not encourage children who persist in defying reasonable rules and regulations.” Disobedience of this order was soon to follow, as six students were expelled for vandalism. The offen- ses that Murphy termed vandalism were such things as wrapping toilet paper around the front trees of the high school and pulling out the north goalposts at Memorial Park. Hornet band director James Gallo asked the school committee to permit the entry of more children into the band, but the administrators upheld the previous limit, which said that 72 could participate in the band, and ten in the color guard. Gallo backed up his plea with the fact that there was a surplus of band uniforms, but to no avail. The new elementary school to be built opposite the high school was named in honor of Everett W. Rob- inson, who gave of his life diligently in the forty years of his service to Mansfield High School. Midway through the school year the valedictorian and salutatorian were announced. They were, respec- tively, Diane Marshall and Elaine Maxwell. The MHS basketball team traveled to the Tech Tourney, but bowed out in the first round to a power- ful Rockland team, 65-59. $60,000 was allocated for the purpose of repairing the high school. The area of most concern was the brick wall of the school, which needed to be repained and waterproofed. The original building errors which caused this were said to be “just faulty workman- ship.” The boys tennis team won the Hockomock League title for the second consecutive campaign. The MHS band, drill team, and color guard won the first prize in the city of Quincy’s annual Christ- mas parade in 1963. A Statistic from the superintendent’s office noted that the salaries of the teachers accounted for 7 % of the school system’s operating budget. The band had another exchange, this time with the Princeton (N.J.) High School. The Hornets also gave their annual concert on April 17. 12 students, a mixture of seniors and underclass- men, were accepted into the National Honor Society during candlelight ceremonies in the school audito- rium. $9000 in scholarships was awarded to 117 sen- iors, the largest group ever, on Class Day. The Hornet baseball team, behind winning pitcher James Albertini, captured the Hockomock League title with a 6-3 dousing of the King Philip Warriors. 652 students were present at the outset of the 1964- 65 school year. The valedictorian was Miss Wilma Farinella and the salutatorian was David Ingram. The difference in the averages of the two was .001. A study by the administrative offices showed that 47% of the student body ate school lunches. “We are really moving along,” said Mr. Gallo as the band of 115, color guard of 10, and drill team of 24 prepared to set off an exchange to Newton, New Jersey. Teachers and administrators in the elementary school level were not invited to attend the Com- mencement exercises. Donald Sweet held a pre-class rally in the school parking lot. 300 students were on hand to hear Sweet ask for support of the MHS athletic teams. The boys tennis team won the Hockomock again, this time led by Bob Annese in singles and Dick Dutton and Don Maxwell in doubles.

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Two new members gained posts on the school com- mittee in the fall elections. Mrs. Elmer Watts and Mr. John J. Langdon. The band gave its annual concert on May 19, at the same time that Superintendent Anderson received a $400 raise. Sixty-four students traversed the school for the last time as June arrived. Hurricane ‘Carol’ rudely interrupted the grand opening of the newly completed high school in Sep- tember, 1954. Following the dedication in the new 600 seat auditorium, 522 students flooded the build- ing. The breakdown in the senior wing of the six year school was: 94 Freshmen, 95 Sophomores. 66 Juniors, and 62 Seniors. Many of the parents banded together to form the Mansfield High School P.T.A. By December only $1200 remained of the cost of the high school. Mr. Robinson returned to Mansfield High in December to dedicate the new gymnasium. In the game that followed the MHS Varsity netted 34 free throws en route to a 60-47 win over the alumni. 175 faithful Hornet fans turned out at the Boosters’ banquet for the boys and girls basketball teams. Mr. Anthony P. Melchiorri was named to chair- man of the School Committee, which was then meet- ing in the new auditorium. Now that the new high school had a complete library, many students, according to a Mansfield News’ interview, were planning to study there instead of the Public Library. 1600 students crowded the high school as the doors opened for the 1955-56 school year. Adult Education, a new program funded by the town, was holding its sessions in the new high school. High school students had three days sawed off April vacation because of an earlier polio epidemic. Two days later twin blizzards tied up the town with 28 inches of snow. Warm days soon followed, and the fifties’ teenage rediscovery of youth had an effect on clothing styles. Superintendent Anderson noticed this and issued a ban on all tight jeans, “Duck” haircuts, Garrison belts, flashy shirts, and other conspicuous clothing. The class of “11, known as the attic class, held its reunion at MHS. The baseball team ended its season on a sour note, bowing out to Milford in the State Tourney, 2-0. On opening day of the football season in 1956-57, Tino DiGiovanni and John Pomfret scored to give MHS a 13-0 win over Canton. DiGiovanni scored thrice against Case in a 26-24 win, and led the team to a 33-23 win over Dartmouth. Harold L. Qualters, a former Park Row principal, was appointed to assist H. Lea Mushroe, MHS prin- cipal, on New Year's, 1957. Administrative raises upped the budget to a high of $502,000. MHS started a new honor roll, and the school com- mittee announced that it cost $300 to educate one pupil in Mansfield. John Pomfret scored a record 377 points in basketball, and the band earned a spot in New York City’s Saint Patrick’s Day parade. Two administrative changes took place as the 1957- 58 school year opened. Theron Thompson was Super- intendent, and Mr. Qualters was named principal. The Hornets ranked 7th in Class ‘D’ football after a win over North Attleboro. On Thanksgiving Day MHS won 52-7, a record. The band went to the South Eastern music festival, and a choir of 130 performed a concert in late May. 75 seniors graduated. Late in 1957 the MHS gym was named in honor of Don Currivan, a former professional football player and alumni of MHS. who died on the Cape in the spring of °56. 1958-59 saw the school establish a National Honor Society. following in the footsteps of Foxboro High. Another relatively new MHS feature, the Alumni Scholarship Fund, raised $395 by mid-December. As a part of the $574,784 budget, the teachers received a $200 raise. Mr. Qualters announced that the valedictory and Salutatory addresses would once again be given by the top two seniors in the class. Previous to this the four essayists had rendered the speeches. Senior Basketball player Geoff Stearns scored a whopping 552 points in tha 1959 season (19.7 points per game), a new record. Stearns also became the first player to score 1,000 points in a Varsity career. Also led by freshman Ron Gentili, the team was Bay State Champions. 1959 marked the first time that Boys’ Golf became a sport, and tennis was on the schedules for the first time in 14 years. MHS also announced that North Attleboro would not be on the grid schedule for the fall of °69. That particular fall turned up roses for the Hor- nets. The squad, led by Gentili, and Tony Day, went undefeated for the campaign and was State Class ‘D’ champions. The results appear below: Mansfield 16, Somerset0 Mansfield 8, Dartmouth 6 Mansfield 32, Franklin 6 Mansfield 26, Case 0 Mansfield 26, O.A. 6 Mansfield 24, North 0 Mansfield 28, Canton 6 Mansfield 14, Foxboro 6 Gentili scored thrice in the Franklin game, and 3000 fans were on hand for the North contest. The 1960 school budget stood at $621,717. The English Department announced that the school paper, the “Tatler,” was to be revised. Boston College football coach Ernest E. Hefferle spoke at the Foot- ball Banquet. Before the class of °69 graduates Supt. Barker resigned. Albert J. Murphy succeeded Barker as the 1960-61 4 EPID ok cee yer citll | eee er ee Graduation Class of 1955

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690 was the attendance for 1965-66 and as usual, Supt. Murphy greeted the students with his senti- ments on obedience and the student dress code. “We have no time to take from our busy academic programs for students who choose not to obey school regulations on conduct,” said Murphy. Murphy sup- pressed persistent complaints by refusing to talk with parents of the offending students. In fall sports action, the Hornets downed Hol- brook 20-14 with some pretty passing, and a touch- down sprint by George Costanza. Principal Qualters approved the construction of an $11,000 language laboratory at the high school. For the first time the school’s budget rose above the one million dollar mark. The cost of running the schools in °66 was $1,021,244. Mr. Gallo announced that the band would travel to Boston to play at a December 18 football game between the Patriots and the Houston Oilers. MHS football captain Kevin Fallon was named to the All-Hockomock squad at the coaches seminar in Canton. John Flammia secured the Don Currivan Memorial Trophy with a Thanksgiving Day jaunt of 90 yards as the Hornets edged Foxboro, 14-13. There were many a close call for the basketball team, as the squad came out on the short end of four overtime games in the first part of the year. All 20 of the Mansfield Hornet cheerleading squad were suspended and the sport ceased after the girls made unbecoming gestures on the basketball court in a game against the King Philip Warriors. The main reason of the suspension was that the girls disobeyed the orders of their faculty advisor, Mrs. Edward Mar- cheselli, Supt. Murphy gave the cold shoulder to com- plaining parents. Wheaton College president William Prentice was the speaker at the graduation ceremonies. The enrollment in Mansfield schools tipped the books at 2007, the first time that the 2000 mark had been passed. The School Building Committee, along with Mr. Qualters, discussed with an architect, the possibility of a “terminal” school facility, holding as many as 1000 pupils. The site of this structure as the adjacent wooded area on the east side of the present high school. Supt. Murphy and Mr. Qualters dis- cussed the educational aspects of the new building. The band went to Boston to greet the President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson. Bill Parsons’ football squad dropped the Thanksgiving Day con- test to Foxboro 21-0. The two teams split the gate receipts, each receiving $1292. Combined raises to teachers totaled $100,000 and the school budget was $1,172,000. The two story new high school building that was to be constructed had the approval of Supt. Murphy, and later the plans were set before the voters. A mar- gin of 342-26 approved the $2,400,000 building as long as the state paid 40% of the bill. Jean M. Farquharson was valedictorian and James F. Durant was salutatorian as 109 seniors graduated. Mr. William DeStefano was principal as 800 stu- dents showed up on the first day of school in 1967. DeStefano was a graduate of Dartmouth University, a navy reserve lieutenant, and a former principal at Taunton High School. Supt. Murphy gave DeStefano