Rhode Island School of Design - Portfolio Yearbook (Providence, RI)

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Sophomore Year On September 29 a meeting of the Sophomore class was held. Plans were made for the new school year and the following class officers were elected: President, John Armstrong; Vice-President, Marjorie Lang; Secretary, David Duncan; and Treasurer, William Mahoney. The class was further divided this year as each student entered the department for which he had been preparing throughout the freshman year. ‘This same autumn a series of Defense courses, designed to train defense industry workers, were begun and there was a large enrollment in each. The Thorne Collection of Miniature Rooms, shown by the Mu- seum from October 1 to November 30, was of great interest to the students, particularly to those in the architectural, interior design and textile departments. On October 18 the “Trek’’ Club was organized. ‘This club planned and sponsored most of the school’s social events and was very popular with the entire student body. ‘This year there were two Hallowe’en dances; one a formal dance in the new dormitory and the other a “Vic” dance in Memorial Hall with service men from Hills- grove as guests. On November 8, “Sadie Hawkins Day” was held at Cranberry Hill Farm. ‘The girls invited the boys, who even now were becoming scarce and if their invitations were accepted, they tagged the boys with baggage checks on which both their names were painted in large letters. Picnic lunches and vegetable boutonnieres were supplied by the girls. On November 27, the Chinese Play, “Lady Precious Stream” opened the series of plays sponsored by the museum and entitled “Some- thing Old—Something New.” Beautiful and accurate Chinese cos- tumes were designed and executed by the costume department. During this month , because of impending war conditions, the Museum stored most of its treasures in a bomb-proof underground vault. On Sunday, December 7, Pearl Harbor was attacked and the fol- lowing morning an assembly was immediately called. ‘The entire school listened to President Roosevelt’s speech in which he formally declared war upon Japan and Germany. ‘This was followed by a brief message from Doctor Farnum and the singing of the Star Spangled Banner by the entire assembly. ‘This assembly was the turning point in the history of both the class and the whole school. ‘The boys began to enlist, both 30

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partments of the school contributed specialized talent to this extrava- ganza “A School of Design in the Making.” Several days later the student body gave an informal dance on the stage of the new auditorium. Each student invited a guest and dancing was to the music of Les Brown’s Orchestra. On May 13 members of the Costume Department presented “Floating Fashions,” a fashion show on the Colonial Lines “Comet.” The performers sailed to New York and back and the production took place while the boat was tied up at the New York pier. ‘This show, the first performance of its kind, modeled the latest fashions before a large assembly which was honored by the presence of Mayor LaGuardia . A Student Picnic was held at the school Farm on May 14. Everyone brought a picnic lunch. Free “cokes’’ and ice cream were served. ‘There was informal dancing. Baseball, volley ball and numerous other games were played and the events were climaxed by a treasure hunt in which everyone participated. On June 12, the Arnold House at 42 Waterman Street was pur- chased by the school for an additional girls’ dormitory. ‘This pleasant house was filled with occupants the following fall and is still popular with the girls, although it is now one of three. During the month of June the Freshman Exhibition, made up of the best work done in the Freshman Foundation Course during the cur- rent year, was shown in the lobby of the Waterman Street Building. 4

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as individuals and in groups. Programs were changed. Subjects were dropped and subjects added and war activities began to occupy the spare time of the remaining students, now largely feminine. A Christmas play, ‘““The Juggler of Notre Dame,” was presented by the Museum and shortly before Christmas recess the school again assembled around a large Christmas tree, this time in Memorial Hall, to sing carols. On Sunday, January 25, “Trek” club held a “Sketch and Ski” party at the school farm, Cranberry Hill. Equipped with sketching pads, water colors and even oil paints, everyone had to ski and when anyone of the party happened to fall in the snow, he was requested to “hold that pose, please.” On February 26, “Footpoints,” another in the series of plays, was given in the auditorium before a large assembly. Costumes and sets for this play were also designed and executed by the students. On April 9, “Fiesta Festival,” the Sophomore Class dance, was held in Memorial Hall. The hall was decorated in night club style, South American in theme, and a novel “floor show” was the feature of the evening. The purchase of a war stamp was necessary to gain admit- tance and half the proceeds of the dance was given to the War Fund. Another play, ““The Queen’s Enemies,” a fantasy by Lord Dunsany, was presented in the auditorium on April 26. On May Day the dormitory girls entertained the other girl students at a May Breakfast in the Waterman Street dormitory and this same evening the annual Junior-Senior Prom was held at the Agawam Hunt Club. On May 11, another one act play, ‘““The Red Velvet Coat,’ was presented at assembly for the students and again in the evening for the public. “Fashion Alert,” a fashion show depicting the role of the cos- tume designed for a world at war, was presented May 20 in the school auditorium. 31