North Shore Country Day School - Mirror Yearbook (Winnetka, IL)

Page 33 text:

MAY DAY Each year during the second week in May the school celebrates May Day. The event takes place on the east lawn of the campus unless the weather is bad; in that case, it is held in the gym. On this festive occasion the lawn, with the throne of the May Queen as the seat of honor, is decorated with lilacs, tulips, and apple blossoms. The entire male population is decked out in white while each of the girls ' grades has a special class color. The ceremony usually starts at about 11:00, and at this time the parents arrive from far and near to witness the gala occasion. The procession forms in grades, with each carrying its own hand-painted banner, and journeys from the auditorium steps up over the hill to the east lawn. The last to arrive is the beautiful Queen of May and her lovely attendants. They make their way to the throne where the May Queen is crowned with a garland of fiowers. At this point the Master of Ceremonies calls for each grade to dance for the May Queen. The music starts up and the folk dances begin, usually starting with the seventh or eighth grades and ending in a brilliant finale (or fiasco) with the Seniors ' Maypole dance. Following the dancing come the poems written and read by the various members of the school in honor of spring. Then the May Queen rises and proceeds with her attendants from the green, and one realizes that this is the signal for the picnic lunch to begin. Each grade has its own select picnic spot marked by its festive banner, and the Settlement guests, invited out for the day, have as their hostesses the junior and sophomore girls. The spirit of spring found in May Day has become a happy occasion at North Shore. May the weather be just as bright and warm for this year ' s May Queen as it was last year. 29

Page 32 text:

THE HARVEST FESTIVAL Again this year the whole school laid down its books for a day and donned its oldest clothes to get busy and make the Harvest Festival a success. There were a great many different committees, each with its Senior foreman. The wood-choppers got busy and split up a large pile of firewood which ought to fill the fireplaces of the school and Leicester for the winter. The canners, undaunted by bushels of garden produce, canned pints and quarts of fruit and vegetables. Several teams went out to nearby farms to help the farmers get their crops in, and in return received a part of the food. From this generous supply of fruit and vegetables we sent to Chicago Commons squash,- to St. Francis Hospital squash, pears, apples, cabbages, carrots, and beets, to Evanston Hospital cabbages and squash; while to Benton House went beets, squash, green tomatoes, three eggplants, a few pears and apples, and one lone pumpkin. The school kept some tomatoes and applesauce. Altogether it was a very successful day and supplied the school and various charities with a great deal of both fresh and canned food. 28

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LEICESTER About five years ago, five to be exact, the institution known as Leicester (Lester to you) was created. This domicile was established for boys who weren ' t able to live at home. To give you an idea of what Leicester, the House, is like, I shall give you the story of each morning. At precisely seven o ' clock various sounding alarms are to be heard. Groans and grumbling sounds are in evidence. At seven five more snoring is in evidence. Finally, at seven ten, most of the boys are up. There is singing and washing and bits of snoring still. Two people take a shower at the same time, and the object seems to be to find out who can get the most water on the outside of the shower. At seven thirty the bell for breakfast rings. After the dust has subsided, it is evident that most of the bunch is at the table. Soon the stragglers come downstairs with, My alarm didn ' t go off, or My clock is slow. After the proper glances have been administered from both ends of the festive board, the straggler is permitted to sit down. A delicious repast then ensues. After the last course the table is cleared, the crowd moves to the upper part of the House. There are three main forms of enjoyment after breakfast. The first is the piano. Lilting melodies come out thereof, such things as the Moonlight Sinatra and Super Suds, which are more or less prevalent. The second thing is the ping-pong table. The third is explained by the sentence, How do you translate this last Latin sentence? I believe this explains our existence at the House somewhat adequately. I now close with the thought that if bigger and better shortsheeting is done, we will do it. 30