Abington High School - Oracle Yearbook (Abington, PA)

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BUD GOODWIN, '51 Student Government Day had arrived at last. Pupils of Abington High School were to be given a chance to demonstrate their ability as teachers and administra- tors of school affairs. To make the sit- uation realistic, the faculty volunteered to act as pupils. Terrified by the re- sponsibility confronting them, student teachers appealed to acting principal Joe Butch, to declare a holiday. Doubtful as to his authority, Joe nervously telephoned Dr. English, school superintendent, re- questing permission to have radio station WFIL announce cancellation of school because snow had been forecast for the day. Joe's request was courteously re- fused, and Dr. English quoted the state law which recommended cancellation of school only when snow reached a depth of nine feet. Fast-thinking Joe then called a special assembly, which, he thought, would take up quite a bit of time and automatically shorten the periods for the rest of the day. As assembly was about to begin, Wally' Carroll asked permission to make an announcement. He ascended the plat- form and said, Will the owner of the 1914 Stanley Steamer which is hidden STUDENT DAY behind the cottage please move it so that the United Parcel truck can make a de- livery? Mr. Tate sheepishly tried to leave the auditorium unnoticed, but his squeaking shoes gave him away and he was revealed as the owner of the four- wheeled monstrosity. For entertainment, a men's sextet com- posed of Messrs Grun, Cole, Kreider, Snodgrass, Glatthorn, and Burlington, ac- companied by Mr. Gernert, sang two selections: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer , and Spike J ones' arrangement of All I want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth . Following these delight- ful musical renditions, Principal Butch appointed the student teachers for the day, and Mr. Gernert gave a few pointers to the faculty as to their behavior in classrooms. Joan Suplee took over as school secre- tary and was busily handling a group of tar-dy pupils, the first of whom was Mr. Davison. He hung his head in shame as Joan read this excuse: Dear Teacher: Please excuse John for being late as he refused to take his cod liver oil pill, and I could not let him leave until he had his vitamins. I found that he had been hiding the capsules under the rug, and I fear that he has been led astray by some of his schoolmates.-Signed, Mrs. Davison . In the gym, Dot Rapp tried to be an eflicient athletic director. Mrs. Thomp- son, who was energetically practicing on the face-vault, put a little too much oomph into her jump and went hea cl-first through an open window. No one could remember any first-aid so a rush call was sent out for Nancy Kerr, who was substituting as

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Mary and Joseph had found it hard go- ing, too, she recalled. There had always been tyrants and strife, but Mary and Joseph had believed in Godfs promises and through their faith had brought hope and light to mankind. Meg picked up the little figure and gazed into its peaceful face. She would try to have faith, but she felt so alone. Mary and Joseph had had each other on that far-off Christmas Eve. It had been weeks since she had heard from Ted. Carefully she locked the bungalow door, and as she trudged through the new fallen snow, she wept softly. When her parents had retired for the night, Meg went quietly to her mother 's kitchen cabinet. She knew her mother had a box of tiny pellets there. Yes, it was still there on the orderly shelf. She poured the little pills into the pahn of her hand and looked at them. One of these tiny pills had allowed her mother to get a night's needed sleep when she had been ill. Would several A faint rustling sound Disturbed the still night, Q And in the soft glow Of the yellow street light I saw snowflakes swirl, All shimmering white, In a dance of mad ecstasy. give Meg release from loneliness and worry? How very, very tiny they were- as tiny as-What was it that was the tiniest of seeds? Suddenly Meg remember- ed. It was a mustard seed. In the quiet kitchen she seemed to hear the words, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this moun- tain, remove hence to yonder placeg and it shall removeg and nothing shall be impos- sible unto you. Little homes would grow and Christmas candles would glow in them on other Christmases. The spirit of Christ was not to be down-trodden while His followers had faith in God's promises. Meg put the box of pills back and quietly closed the closet door, - Softly across the night she heard the Christmas chimes ring out their song of hope for peace on earth. LOIS WRIGLEY, '53 Snow Dance The 'voice of the snowflakes Became a long sigh- Come dance 5 dance in splendor, Tomorrow we die. But tonight in perfection Descend from the sky, In a dance of sweet ecstasy. 'rr LX P IE, . Yes, tonight we must dance For tomorrow we dkie, Gray and despondent On earth we shall lie, But tonight let us dance In farewell to the sky, . A dance of sad ecstasy. BARBARA FLOWER, '51

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school doctor. Following her examination, Nancy advised that the unconscious athlete be taken home immediately. As the limp body was carried out, Nancy helpfully said, See that she is given one of three little green pills every hour until she wakes up, and if she hasn't regained consciousness by Sunday, have the family call me. She is very lucky because, if that window hadn't been open, she might have been decapitatedn. History class was an ordeal for Elizabeth fBetsyJ Finney, who was pain- fully aware that her pupils knew a lot more about the subject than she did. When she found that Mr. Pawling had signed Charlie on his test paper, Betsy gleefully announced that he could write Charles F. Pawling five thousand times so that he would remember nicknames were never tolerated in class. Betsy was exasperated when two women teachers were seen putting on makeup, saying that they just had to keep up with their map- work. Lunchtime was a welcome respite. In the cafeteria Mr. Smiley was caught sneaking into line ahead of Miss Halde- man. For this oifense he was given four hours' detention. On the counters were generous platters of food, and Managers Ruth Emerich and Pat Rot-h oiered a 352.00 prize to the lucky person suggesting the most appropriate name for the dish being served that day. Some of the sug- gestions handed in sent Ruth and Pat sob- bing to the girls' locker rooms. During second lunch period, Byron Smith attempted to repair the defective bell system. By mistake he rang the 'fire alarm, sending everyone dashing out into the cold. A couple of extremely hungry teachers remained in the cafeteria, and when the managers returned, three blue- berry pies had disappeared. The culprits were easily detected when Pop Smith and Miss Cathell were found guiltily trying to remove berry stains from their lips. Detention for a week was their punish- ment. Library work nearly drove Nancy Stanert insane. In a very short time, his- tory books were on the science reference shelves. Later she discovered Mr. Burl- ington had borrowed all the science books to write a biology report on the life his- tory of a groundhog. It seems he and Mr. Rauch were competing for the best grades, and Mr. Burlington was deter- mined to get all the material. Any that he would not need he hid from Mr. Rauch. In the corridors, art instructors Elli 1 ff OU , BUD GOODWIN, '51