Washington High School - Memory Lane Yearbook (South Bend, IN)

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of the fauna Two very good sets were designed and built by Mr. Chreist's dramatics classes. Accompaniment was furnished by Miss Margaret Jackson and inci- dental music was played by the school orchestra. Assembly programs during the year were many and varied. A cantata titled A'When the Christ Child Came and written by Joseph A. Clokey was presented before the Christmas vacation. In this presentation Joseph Sarka, Mary Magiera, and Clara Lewandowski sang the leads. The band, under Mr. Deans direction, played a concert as part of thi.s program. ln June a second musical program was presented. Taken from an original script prepared by Ervin Kalka and titled A'Land of Romance: Where Magnolias Bloom the piece presented old and new songs of the South in the setting of a colonial mansion. Especially effective were the negro spirituals and the duet of Victor Herbert's Land of Romance which was the theme song of the cantata. The performance closed with a review of light opera music. The English department presented a very effec- tive assembly in which student.s from Miss Mur- phy's and Miss Martindale's English classes re- viewed recently published books. The reviews were unique in that each was spoken in the first person and in the costume of a character of the book. Emery Wegh. as Chad, reviewed Walter Edmonds Chad Hanna, Casimer Koszyk was a typical Hoo- sier pioneer from The lflftlbasha, Maurice de Volder was Lem Forester from The Yearling, Anita Di- mitresku was Gneta reviewing Loom Feather, Molly Markiewicz, as Mrs. Morton, told about . is s MR. CHREIST Miss CHAPMAN Mrs. Morton of Mcrtico, and Clara Lewandow- ski reviewed Enchanting Jen.n.y Lind in the char- acter of the singer. She concluded her review by singing The Last Rose of Summer. lt is worth noting that each review was entirely the work of the person who delivered it. ln some ca.ses this entailed an exercise in creative writing. Miss Wal.sh and Mr. Armstrong's commercial students presented an assembly during the second semester which featured antique business machines, a skit contrasting new and old office practice, and a talk by Wilbur L. Pinney of the Underwood- Elliot-Fisher Company. Herr Baker staged a foreign language demon- stration in which the class was conducted in Ger- man. The affair broke up with the group singing 'ASchnitzelbank, l-leili-I-leilof' and other Cer- man songs, A home economics assembly was given on May 17 which demonstrated the work being done by the department. Students modeled dresses which they had made in class and exhibited baked goods which they had prepared. PIRATES OF PENZANCE

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DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY ASI-IINOTONS Thespians made 1940 the biggest year in things dramatic in the his- tory of the school. The year saw the pre- sentation of The Bai, Death Takes A Holidtly. and Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance. Mary Rineharts The But was staged late in October by a cast including John Bencsics, Casimer Kiemnic, Julia Riba, Bill Hack, Betty Novotni, Charles Steinhofer, Vitold Matelski, Alfonse De- meugere, and Dorothy Cholewczynski. The play, a good gri.sly murder thriller complete with a hys- terical maid, off and on the stage gunfire, secret panels, and one really masterful scream delivered by Miss Cholewczynski, was well received, This year's senior play, Deutlz Takes A Holi- day, was the most ambitious undertaking as yet done by Washington students, The senior reading committee, charged with ambition to leave the school the memory of something more mature than run of the mill liigh school comedy, chose Alberto Casellas Death Takes A Holiday for Mr. Chreist's charges. The manner in which they han- dled it was no small triumph. With Victor Cio- lubski in the title role, Maxine Dhoore playing the ethereal Ciracia, and Ervin Kalka holding the whole thing together as an extraordinarily good Baron Cesarea: the cast succeeded in creating the eerie atmosphere of the play, and vindicated the judgment of the reading committee who believed that they could do serious drama. Other members of the cast were Eleanor Staszewski, Mary Ramen- da, Isabelle Balint, Mary Jane Piechowiak, Jose- phine Collner, Alex Kovacsics, Al Klosinski, Eu- gene Oswald, Herbert DeGreve, and Ray Jankow- ski. The Senior players established what they hoped would be a precedent when they prepared a scrip of their play with pictures of the cast in costume. autographs of the cast and committees, ,and a pro- gram of the play and turned it over to the library for a permanent record of the presentation. ll Wish -Cie! Miss Chapman and Mr. J. L. Cassaday com- bined talents to present Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance in April. While Washing- ton's music department has done operettas previ- ously and done them well, this performance un- questionably ranks above any previous offering. The presentation was most notable for the very high quality of the solo voices that Miss Chapman had to work with. Joseph Sarka, playing the part of the pirates' apprentice and duty's slave, sang duets with Clara Lewandowski, as the romantic lead, and Mary Magiera, as Ruth the pirates' maid of all work, to give the performance almost pro- fessional finish. As the pirate chief Joseph Paja- kowski did an excellent job. Other leading parts were sung by John Benscics, Dorothy Czarnecki, Victor Golubski, and Richard Golba. Excellent choruses completed the cast. From the opening Pirates' Chorus to the finale the play moved rapid- ly and colorfully. The acting through the play was well done. Mary Magiera is especially to be congratulated for her interpretation of the part of Ruth. Mr. Cassaday's stage directing produced the illusion of rapid action from start to finish and the gorgeous costumes, also designed by Mr. Cassaday, gave additional life and movement to an already effective presentation. THE BAT

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, i ONHWU SYS D ,vi ii ' 'IU S .ns xvmimis tion of Miss Chapman and with the aid of Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Witucki, our alumni glee club. and the Parent Teachers Association presented the glor- ious musical cantata by Taylor, 'AHiawatha's Wed- ding Feast. Well presented and meeting with great success. it marked the completion of the ma- jor step toward the purchase of band uniforms. During the summer of l9'59, the band contin- ed its marching rehearsals and on September Zl. vMAhn0 Jlieet HE Waslzington High S Melvin Dean is complet band. It all began whe foundation of the present or ganization of only about 25 1 bers of the St. Marys Polish new organization and did ei a success. Through constan yearly and gained concert e public performances. In the man and her musicians was 1 tention of the .school board. ing an ambitious attitude, tk devote all his time to just tha And so in the fall of l9 Dean. whose musical abiiity sible, Leaving Iowa where izing school bands, Mr. Dea Wei, veloping this organization. p ance the next year. Through careful teachi marching drill, Mr. Dean f school year had the band pr September of 1939. In the which to purchase the unifor the day preceding the Washington-Central footbal game, appeared in uniform for the first time be fore the students of Washington High School. Having thus prepared themselves for their firs appearance, the band arrived at school Held on th night of September 22. nervous and excited, bu determined to make a good appearance. Ami- deafening cheers of enthusiastic students and th applause of faithful Vvfashington followers, th sf 5 l