Wakefield High School - Oracle Yearbook (Wakefield, MA)

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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.

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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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PEESENT HIGH SCHOOL HISTORICAL 1872 1922 The Building and Dedication of the Wakefield High School How many pupils in our school realize that our (lospisctl, old high school Iniikling was oDco fresh and now, and tlie pride of the town? The story of the beginnings and the dedication of the present building forms an iiitpresting bit of history. At the town meeting of April 3, 1871, Hon- orable B. H. Sweetser, Chairman of the 8cliool Board, introduced an article under which action might be taken towards the pur- chasing of land as a site for a new high school l)nilding. A committee of five, con- sisting of Mr. Cyrus Wakefield, Honorable Lucius Beebe, Mr. Oliver Perkins, Honorable Richard Britton, and Mr. George Packard, was appointed to act in the matter. The result was the buying of a tract of land at the corner of Common and Lafayette Streets, containing 28,754 square feet, and costing .$9,854. John Stevens, Esquire, a citi- zen of Wakefield, who had charge of the building of the town hall and the Wakefield mansion, was chosen architect and Mr. George Packard was builder. The ground was broken September IC, 1871. Great care was taken in constructing the Imilding, and the choicest materials were used. The woodwork both inside and out is excellent and is seldom equalled in modern public l)uildings. The doors of bird ' s-eye maple are remarkal)le for their massiveness and beauty of grain. The doors in Rooms . ? and 4 are especially lieautiful. It is doubt- ful if tliey can be equalled for beauty in any buililing in town. Tlie high school was com- pleted at a cost of approximately forty-three thousand dollars. On Tiiursday afternoon, October 10, 1872, a large audience assembled to dedicate the new High School. Honorable Ricliard Brit- ton, Oliairman of the building committee, ])iea( ' iited the keys to Mr. John S. Eaton, who in turn presented them to the Reverend Mr. Bliss, pastor of the Baptist Church, who made a brief address and then gave the keys to Mr. M. J. Hill, principal of the High School. Professor B. F. Tweed of Charlestown, deliv- ered the address of tlie day. Sacli in brief was the dedication of the High Scliool fifty years ago. Tlie new High School liuihling, mucli larger than tlie old 6