Technical High School - Tech Tiger Yearbook (Springfield, MA)

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CLOTHING ‘Miss Swenson, where are the common pins?” “Miss Swenson, does this dress hang evenly?’’ ‘Miss Swenson, would light green go with my eyes?” These questions and a hundred more greet Miss Sadie Swenson and all clothing teachers each day as girls enter clothing classes. No, these girls are not trying to bother the teacher. They want her honest opinion on their projects. They want to make and to be able to wear smart clothes. Everyone knows that it is not easy these days to get smart looking clothes from the materials that are being made in war time. Therefore, the selection and construction of problems is largely determined by the durability of the material and the amount that it costs. Each girl learns to make selections of patterns that will fit her personal needs and abilities. She considers style and fabric, becomingness of colors and textures, and, of course, economy. To help the girls, trips are made to downtown stores to study the new fabric qualities and fashion trends before purchases are made. Now, each girl knows that no matter how nice her garment may be, she cannot look really smart if she walks with a debutante slouch. She, therefore, applies the fundamentals of good posture to give her a better appearance. A girl gets little satisfaction out of her problem if she cannot exhibit it. Show- cases, and style shows, therefore, are provided that each girl may have some recogni- tion for her handiwork. 27

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26 FOODS When twenty freshmen girls pour into Room 324 to learn how to cook, Miss Ruth Gabler has more than a job on her hands! First, these eager students must have a firm foundation on which to base their work in ‘home ec.’’ Most important for making good cooks is providing good recipes. They are given practical, mouth-watering. recipes that are guaranteed to make anyone sit up and say ‘‘more’’. Of course, war times make things a lot different from the steak and butter days. So, the would-be chefs learn how to use rationed foods economically. Non-rationed foods come into their own in the field of culinary art when the girls are shown how to make them appe- tizing. Our freshmen girls will never have an untidy table after Foods I! All details of service and dining-room courtesy are fully explained, demonstrated and employed. With very little space in which to work, as compared with actual kitchens, it takes some imagination and skill to turn the unit into a home. By having a special place for each spoon and pan and by keeping everything immaculate, Miss Techite becomes an efficient, neat housewife. Further household habits are developed to make each freshman girl practically perfect in the kitchen. Dishwashing is not drudgery; it is an art which, once mastered, is invalua ble to busy people. We might call our freshman girls ‘twenty week wonders! ’ After this course, they'll be queens in any kitchen.

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28 a % ASUS pew jempend tue Puke. Ispik ation HOME NURSING “Oh! I’m so———sick!”” ‘Now, now, just lie down and rest.” “But, I’m so———sick!”” “Here, let me see your tongue.” ‘What's wrong with me?” Lying prone in bed is a girl, her tongue hanging out and her eyes feverish. Above her is grouped approximately fifteen members of a home nursing course. These girls are about to give their comments on what illness they think the sufferer has. After diagnosing the case, they proceed to make the patient comfortable in bed. Carefully, they bathe the patient, and, just as carefully, they put clean linen on the bed. Miss Ann Paradise, R.N., who has charge of the class, begins a discussion on how to promote good health and a pleasing appearance. The girls listen attentively — seeking clues and directions for personal improvement. Then the discussion turns to common emergencies in the home. Incidents taken from real life are related by the girls. Each tries to outdo the others. Changing from the light to the serious, each girl repeats the rules for preventing accidents in the home. At another meeting of the class, we find our friends swathed in bandages. In each corner three girls are working earnestly. One holds the regulation home nursing book and reads the directions. The second is expertly tying knots and doing reversive bandaging on the third, who is just commenting on the progress. The girls then simulate the signs of illness such as a rashy skin, heavy and unusually bright eyes, and dry, cracking, coated tongue. Each of the girls leaves the class positive that she has symptoms of some serious disease.