Saratoga Springs High School - Recorder Yearbook (Saratoga Springs, NY)

Page 8 text:

THE HIGH SCHOOL RECORDIL'R Of interest to one member of the class of 193 8, the valedictorian, is the fact that his grandfather delivered the class day oration in 1888. High honors, however, went to two ttyoung ladies7L-Susie G. Osborne, valedictorian, and Lillian M. Jenkins, salutatorian. Time marches on! Today the keynote 0f the commencement ex- ercises is sim'plicityeno flowers, no long gloves, no expensive gowns for the girls, no formal dress for the boys. The class of 1938 will number approximately 160 members, whose friends will enter Convention Hall on June 29 for exercises much shorter than those of ,88. Nevertheless, parents will be emotionally stirred 2:5 in the old days and S. H. S. will continue to make history. CLASS HISTORY By Philip J. Landry, Jr. In September, 1934, three hundred and twenty-tive students, eager for knowledge, entered the portals of S. H. S. Now, in June, 1938, :1 considerable number of these students, with their zeal for learning some- what modified by lesser interests, are pleparing to leave their alnm mater with pleasant memories of four never-to-be--f0rg0tten years. When we first entered the high school, we were somewhat be- wildered by the vastness of the place in comparison with our grammar schools. Being merely irresponsible freshmen, we were'not allowed the privilege of organizing, but we entrusted the duty of reporting our Class activities, such as they were, to Loretta Roohztn and Phil Landry. in spite of the fact that they were ttfixstwear ineth several of the class showed great promise in athletics and dramatics. In our sophomore year we began to emerge from our shell. Or- ganizing for the first time, we chose Phil Landry president, with Joanne Moody vice-president, and Ralph Millis secretary-treasurer. Mary Vaughan and Newton Cline were selected for the positions of ttRecordertt reporters, and Antoinette Scotto represented us on the Student Council, being secretary of the organization. Again class members were promi- nent in dramatics and athletics, helping the older participants uphold the honor of S. H. S. e Having attained, after two years tand, in some cases, more'i of ef- fort t Pi, the status of upper classmen, we organized for the second time, placing Phil Landry at the head of the class, with Dennis Kniery vice- presiclent, and Fred Eaton secretary-treasurer. We elected Gail Carlson and Bernard O,Neill members of the Student Council, OiNeill becoming vice-president of the group. Cassy Hofsess and Sherry Wait took over

Page 7 text:

THE HIGH SCHOOL RECORDER 5 '3: u r ' EDITORIALS On June 21 surviving members of the class of 88 will recall the occasion, fifty years ago, when they were graduated from the Saratoga Springs high school. The attic of a member of the faculty recently yielded an invitation to the class day and commencement exercises of this year, which invites comparison with the present. In the first place it was an invitation, not an announcement, which the class issued, each recipient responding not only with his presence at the exercise but also with a gift to the young man or young ulady who invited him. These gifts were presented publicly, at the commencement exercises in the old Town Hall. As the hall rang with applause after the readingof each essay-and every member of the class stood and de- livered in those old daysea corps of ushers placed the gifts on the stage, with all the solemnity of a statesman placing a wreath on the tomb of Napoleon. Saratogians who remember the occasion declare that these gifts were not all floral offerings, though bouquets and sprays and even horseshoes bearing good-luck messages filled the stage. Boxes contain- ing bracelets for the girls and cuff links for the boys; other boxes holding gauze and feathered fans for the girls, writing sets for the boys; parcels holding parasols for the Hyoung ladiesfy umbrellas for the ttyoung gentle- men;H and books-whole sets of Dickens, Eliot, and Scott; soft leather bound copies of Longfellow or Tennyson or Browning for both girls and boys. Indeed it was the wealth of spoils en;iching the class of ,88 which led the Board of Education to outlaw the public presentation of gifts and, in later years, to encourage the use of the announcement. The diplomas which the class received were large parchment rolls tied with long ribbons in the class colors, terra cotta and blue. The old invitation was an ornate affair. That of the class of t88 consisted of two cards, bound together with a silken cord. It bore the picture of an owl, the class symbol, which was also painted in oils on the class colors, and the Latin phrase Concilio et animo vincimusf the class motto. The graduates numbered fifteen, of whom only four were boys: Joseph P. Bremen, president; John J. Healy, George H. Beers, and Thomas H. Gorman.

Page 9 text:

THE HIGH SCHOOL RECORDER 7 the work of reporting our activities in the ttRecorderF During our junior year, we challenged attention with our athletes, actors and actresses printing their names indelibly upon the annals of S. H. S. Socially, the class united with the Seniors for the annual Christmas Tea Dance, a very successful affair. In the spring we became an overnight sensation when, after months of hard work under the guidance of Mr. Van Wie, we staged our Junior Prom, with music by Bernie Collins and his orchestra. The decorations, a grape arbor with trellises and great bunches of purple fruit, were generally acclaimed the most beautiful ever seen in the high school. Hlving thus finished our junior year in a blaze of glory, we entered S. H. S. in September for our final year. Seniors at last, we looked forward to a year replete with enjoyment and hard work. We selected Frank 1220 to head the class, with ttMert Dalaba viee-president, and Doris Ann Wait secretary-treasurer. Joanne Moody and Jim Roohan reported our activities in the ttRecorder, while Bernard OtNeill, as president of the Student Council, represented us in that organization, as- sited by Elinore Holland and Jane Hyde. The important task of editing the ttRecorder was entrusted to Louise Jo'hnsen, editor-in-chief; Fred Eaton, assistant editor; with Phil Landry as business manager. After the annual Christmas Tea Dance had been cleared up, preparations for the Spring Dance went apace. Instead of the customary two dances,- the Seniors and Juniors decided to cooperate on one mammoth affair. Another innovation was introduced by the radical element, 'when the HmusicH Oi of Jackie Jackson and his Cotton-pickers was obtained for the dance. Never in the memory of its oldest inhabitants had the gymnasium housed such a gathering and the school itself seemed to rock on that night. Mr, Stanley Hicks was senior adviser for this occasion. On the more serious side, several members of the class were again prominent in dramatics, the highlight of the year being the Senior Play, ttCaptain Applejack, ably presented tinder the direction of Miss Smith. The last chapter of the history of 1938 will be written on the even- ing of June 29, when the commencement exercises will be held in Con- vention Hall. Speakers representingy the class will be Philip Landry, vnledictorinn, and Elinore Holland, salutaltorian.