West Side High School - Lamp Yearbook (Newark, NJ)

Page 24 text:

Dear Seniors of 1989, My graduation message to you is about success . | picked this topic for two reasons. One, you have already experienced success by being in this graduating class. Sec- ond, it is something you can strive for all your life, however you wish to define it. I'm not talking about success in terms of money, power, prestige, or status. What | mean is, no matter what the job, success in doing it is the underlying factor, and it seems to me that there are four keys that are captured in the word success . These keys are competence , values , teaching , and responsibility . Let me explain what | mean. Let's begin with “competence”, each of you is com- petent. Now some of you have more competence than others and in different fields. For example, some of you are more competent in math than your friends are; others are more competent in athletics; others are more competent in art and music; some of you are very competent in mechan- ics. | have often marveled at people who can tune up or rebuild an automobile engine because | don't have this competence and it seems such a complex thing to do. You see my point? We all have our areas of competence and that should help us to be successful. But in the real world, competence is not enough. You need to complement competence with values , the sec- ond key to success. What values do | recommend? The first would be, without doubt, the value of treating others as you want to be treated. That's not preaching. Just think about it and you'll see it is a good way to go through life. The second value is being the best at what you do. No shortcuts, no goofing off, no cutting corners; do what you have to do right and do it well. The third value is to contribute to the groups you belong to. We are, as human beings, a group oriented species. Our group include families, peers, sports, clubs, organizations, to name a few. People sometimes become obsessed with the idea that there must be some deep dark secret for success, when in reality, success can be summed up in two words: I WILL! So | recommend that you start each day with the “I wills.” | will do the best | can today! | will treat people as | want to be treated! | will contribute to the groups | belong to! Now there are two keys left- “teaching” and responsi- bility”. What do | Mean by teaching? Successful people are teaching people. Give me any successful person, and | can illustrate how that person teaches. Responsibility encompasses what | call three “P's”. “Personal responsibility Professional responsibility Public responsibility Successful people are responsible for their own well-be- ing as well as the well-being of their families, friends, neigh- bors, and fellow workers. Successful people are responsible for maintaining and improving their professions. While it is too early for you to be concerned about this, it is not too early at least to think Administration MR. NATHANIEL L. POTTS PRINCIPAL about it. Successful people assume a public responsibility. Now this you can do and may have been doing already. Successful people carry out their responsi- bility by getting involved, by teaching others, by volunteering their time, by making donations, and by voting. This is no less your responsibility. Let me summarize my four keys for success, as you ready yourself for GRADUATION DA Y: -Success means being competent! ‘Success means maintaining a set of values! -Success means being a teacher! -S uccess means carrying out personal, profes- sional, and public responsibilities! So, on your key chain that you carry around with you as you leave your high school years, remember that there are at least four keys on the chain that will do more than open doors or start engines; these are the keys | have written about: competence, values, teaching, and responsibility. On behalf of your teachers, parents, relatives, and friends, | wish each of you a great deal of Success. Peace and Love, Nathaniel L. Potts, Principal.

Page 23 text:

MHM faculty There are approximately 135 faculty members at West Side High School. Many of them would like to have become engi- neers, jet pilots, lawyers, nurses, dress de- signers, medical doctors, certified public accountants or another field, but they chose the teaching career instead. We know that this is a field of dedication, and we hope that they will continue to work at West Side. In the many years to come, we will always remember most of you Faculty

Page 25 text:

MRS. CARMELLA PALLOTTA VICE PRINCIPAL MRS. CHERYL HAWK VICE PRINCIPAL MR. FRANK PELOSO VICE PRINCIPAL To Mr. Frank Peloso We, the Class of 1989, wish you the best at West Side High To Mrs. Pallotta and Mrs. Hawk We are sorry that you are not with us at this time, and wish you, Mrs. Pallotta, a speedy recovery—and to Mrs. Hawk, we wish you much success in your new venture with the Board of Education Think of us always. THE CLASS OF 1989 Administration