Wakefield High School - Oracle Yearbook (Wakefield, MA)

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SCHOOL SPIRIT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Much has been said and written about the lack of school spirit in the W. H. S. jjupils, but recent developments have suggested an explanation for this seeming lack of spirit. The blame for the lack of interest in our sports has been placed on the pupils. But do not the students merely reflect the atti- tude of the townspeople? If you attend a football game, a baseball game,, a track meet, what do you find? Where the cheering squads of the other schools number about one hundred, Wakefield has ten or fifteen regular followers. Last year, during the football season, an attempt was made to organize a cheering squad. While the effort was not wholly suc- cessful, it brought the idea forward and left it ready for this year. During the football season of this year, repeated attempts were made to form a, cheering squad, but nothing came of them. At the Lexington game, an injured player acted as an impromptu cheer- leader, and had a group of alumni and pu- pils working in perfect harmony. The last track season has seen a wonder- ful development in the cheering squad. The High School Club of tlie Y. M. C. A. fos- tered tlie squad, and the afore-mentioned football man, together with one of his fel- low players, has led the squad. Whether the team won or lost, the cheers were given. A sportsmanlike attitude was shown by the cheers given for our opponents. Not a home meet started without a long cheer for the opposing team. Many people have remarked about this fact. With sucli a good beginning, the cheering squad should continue to do good work. Dur- ing the baseball season there will be plenty of opportunities to clicer, and they should not be overlooked. When the new high school is finished, there should be no reason why the spirit shown this last year should not continue, and the townspeople should have no reason to remark about the lack of school spirit. The coach of one of the visiting teams said, You made a good start, you hit the first bank well, but you sloAved up on the straightaway. Do not give anyone the chance to say that about us, but let us tear down the straightaway, and take the second corner at the same speed. Wakefield at last has a live wire, an up- to-date civic association. The Chamber of Commerce is an outgrowth of the Merchants and Business Men ' s Association, and what used to be the old-time Board of Trade. Last October a member drive for a Chamber of Commerce was started, and 577 people joined. To quote from the By-Laws, The object of tliis Chamber shall be to protect and ad- vance the public welfare of the Town of Wakefield, and to aid in the development of all legitimate enterprises which would tend to increase its prosperity. An example of what the Chamber of Commerce means to Wakefield is the $3,000 appropriation for the Fourth of July celebration, instead of the six or eight hundred dollars the town usually ap- propriates. The Chamber of Commerce de- serves the support of all public-spirited citi- zens, and the Debater hopes it will succeed. OUR EASTER OFFERING An Easter offering of $100 was sent by the students of the High School to the children of devastated France. During Lent the stu- dents abstained from the purchase of candy at tlie lunch counter and contributed the money to the cause of France. The money was sent to Mrs. B. Armstrong Whitney, 11 Rue Auber, Paris, a prominent member of the American Women ' s Club in Paris. Mrs. Whitney has charge of four can- teen schools in the district of Fresnes en Woevrc, Mouse, caring for 118 undernour- ished, sickly children. The cost of food for one month is about $100, or 1,000 to 1,200 francs at the present rate of exchange, and it is this amount that our school has contributed. All four classes contributed to the fund and all offerings were voluntary. No record was k( ' i)t of those who made contributions, the spirit being that the gift was from the school as a Iwdy rather than from individ- uals. MEMORIAL LIBRARY At a meeting of tlie Wakefield High School Parent-Teacher Association it was voted to request tlie School Committee to name the library in the new High School The Cliarles II. Howe Memorial Library , in memory of Mr. Howe, who was for almost a quarter of

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EDITORIALS o5v i FIFTY YEARS A fiftieth Mimiversary is au imxiortaut milestone in the history of an individual or an institution. To have completed half a century of honest work whether or not that work culminates in some noteworthy achieve- ment gives dignity to the struggle of life. There is a unity, a beginning and an end, as it were, in fifty years of effort. The span of human life is short at best, and the plan of it often seems kaleidoscopic, but in look- ing back over fifty years we become con- scious of a perspective in life. It is a happy coincidence, therefore, that the change from the old High School to the new building will take place soon after the fiftieth anniversary of the dedication of the old building. For fifty years sunshine and shadow have fallen on the old school walls. For fifty years the boys and girls of Wake- field have gone in and out of the old school, have laughed and talked and studied and caught visions of the things that shall be. Teachers have come and had their day and gone, and others have appeared in their places, but the work of character building has gone steadily on. Who can estimate the influence that our high schools exert upon the life of the com- munity and the state? They are like great beacon lights throwing out rays of thought and faith into the dark places of ignorance and vulgarity. To stimulate young minds to high think- ing; to teach that there is truth and beauty in the world and that they are more to be desired than the Almighty dollar ; to in- spire in young people a respect for law; and to train them to honor those in authority and to be loyal to their friendships is a work of no small importance. It is this work that the Wakefield High School has been trying to do for the last fifty years. Let us have faith that the good work will go on for another fifty years. CO-OPERATION How many of the boys and girls in high school put the good of the school before tJieir own pleasures? If the question were answered honestly, I fear the number would be small. The desire for pleasure has such a hold upon people that few stop to ask whether a thing is right or wrong; but they have always time to ask, How much fun is there in it? Arc we fair to the teachers? Do we give them enough courtesy and respect for their trouble to stuff knowledge into our heads? Tlie answer again is no . We try to have all the fun we can during the school session. We make it harder for the teachers instead of uniting with them and learning all they are willing to teach us. Do we give the school enough support? Again the answer remains in the negative. It is seldom that all or even most of the pupils get together at track meets, baseball games, football games, and other school ac- tivities. At class meetings we think the nuitters discussed too dry to listen to and we do not stay.. When our new high school is completed there will ))e more opportunity for pupils and teachers to come together and compare views and to suggest different ways of im- proving the work of the school. Let us hope that in the future teachers and pupils will unite with the citizens of the town to make the Wakefield High School the best high school in the State.

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a century principal of the school. It Was also voted to raise, if possible, a thousand dollais for the jiurchase of books for the library. The members of the association be- lieve that the alumni will welcome this op- portunity to express tlieir appreciation of Mr. Howe and of his faithful service to the town. SWEETSER LECTURE COURSE Tlie Swectscr Lecture Course was founded in 1S87 l)y the late Cornelius Sweetser. The course is endowed by a bequest of $10,000 made by Mr. Sweetser, the interest of which is used to bring the best lecturers in the country to our town. Five lectures are g ven every year, and the admission fee Is 50e for the entire course. The net proceeds of each year ' s income and lecture receipts are turned over to local charitable work, administered l)y tlie Sweetser Charitable Committee. • The sympathy of the entire school goes out to Carleton R. Thresher, whose mother died during the winter term, and to Miss Margaret L. Laburn, whose sister died as the result of a distressing street car accident. The Class of 1922 extend their cordial greeting to the Class of 1925, and congratu- late them that tlirce years of their high school course will be si:)ent in the new build- ing. We are glad to note an increase in school spirit. Now that the new high school is no longer a dream, we shall look for an awaken- ing of interest in all the sports of the school. The Debater Staff wishes to thank Miss Laughton and all those who have worked hard to make this issue a success. More cliangcs occurred in the faculty last year than is usual. Five members of the faculty resigned to accept positions in other schools. Miss Bigelow, commercial teacher, went to Stamford, (Conn.) High; Miss Elmer went to Hartford (Conn.) High; Miss Butler, teacher of French, accepted a position in New Jersey; Miss Cushing, Latin teacher, went to the West for her health; Mr. Pur- rington, teacher of American History, went to the Commercial High School, Springfield. Their places were filled by new teachers, who already have won the respect of the pu- pils. Miss Constance G. Schwab came here from Tilton Seminary, N. H.; Miss Gladys Frost came from Walpole (N. H.) High ; Miss Euth Hiatt came from Plainsville (Mass.) High; Miss Marie M. Menard came from Bates College; Miss Harriett L. Sweetser came from Bangor (Me.) High; Mrs. Elvira C. Cosnian, a graduate of Boston University, is supervisor of the Freshman study hall; Mr. R. Edgar Fisher came from Punchard High School, Andover. Miss Irene F. Laughton was appointed sec- rotary in place of Miss Mildred Ashley, who resigned in June. OUR TOWN Fair Wiikefichl, best of towns in all the land, First settled by a true and loyal band. They loved thy lakes and hills as we now do; IMay we live up to standards kept so true. Our birthplace, home,, the town of all most dear, Roloved alike by friends both far and near. If fate decree that we shall wander far. Thee, we still will love; thy name we ' ll never mar. GERTRUDE McKIE, ' 25. THE SEASONS First of all the seasons Comes gay and joyous spring. When flowers begin to blossom And l)irds begin to sing. After spring comes summer, Time of sunshine and flowers; Ijaughter fills our hearts and minds Pleasure fills our hours. Next comes gorgeous autumn, Harvest time is here; Time of joy and plenty. Time of song and cheer. Last of all comes winter. With gales and storms and snows; Nature mourns a daughter, A year is at its close. FLORENCE BUTLER, ' 24.