Academy of the Holy Names - JM Yearbook (Albany, NY)

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Talent Scouts Invited By Mary Ellen Rancourt 'Twas the week before Christmas and in the A.H.N. gym, the kiddies were romping with vigor and vim. The Sen- iors' little guests were enjoying them- s e lv e s wholeheartedly. To some, December 17, 1955, was just another day,but to those who had the honor of witnessing this Christmas party, it was aday tobe long-remembered, one that ended too soon. Ifa talent-scout had ventured into the hall and sighted the spectacular demonstration of showmanship, the world would have been given dozens of bright new stars. The first to have her name in lights would be Peggy Ca- vanaugh with her rendition of Kay Star's version of Are My Ears on Straight . Needless to say, the Junior's The Carol of the Drums would have merited a contract for them. We all agree that if the talent-scout saw the skit, Jeremy and Lucy, acted by Lo- retta Moore, Joanne Salamida and Ma- rianne Taffe, he would have put them on a train for Hollywood. Contributing her talent, Peggy Kearns gave a beau- tiful recitation of the Night Before Christmas , meriting one hundred per cent. Last, but by no means least, we must present orchids to the Freshmen. If you really want entertainment par excellence go to Connie Jaczynski with her accordion, to Maureen Fox with her alto sax and Harlem Nocturne , or to Freshman A with their singing of The Twelve Days of Christmas. One act that stole the show was the M.C.-ing by Nancy Scambia. Doubt- les s, that scout roaming the halls would have given this charming Senior a con- tract all wrapped up in tinsel. Long after the last crumb of cook- ie, sip of soda and bite of candy had disappeared, gaiety still lingered in the hearts of our little guests. In another week Santa Claus would be coming down the chimneys to fill their stock- ings. Meanwhile , their mommies must have had a hard time making them snug in their wee little beds as visions of sugar plums danced in their heads. Charity Lives At A.H.N By Pat Schmitz There are many annual charity drives to which people give through habit. We at A.H.N., however, have learned to see the far - reaching and long- enduring benefits of such charities. This true spirit of giv- ing was evident at A.H.N. this Christmas time when through the generosity of the high school girls the lives of many people were made brighter and happier at this joyous season. Two charitable organ- izations , the Ann Lee Home and the Little Sis- ters of the Poor once more called on the girls to do what they could. And once more the girls re- sponded wholeheartedly, bringing various types of medicine to aid the Sisters in their wonderful work and various personalized gifts to the old people at the Ann Lee Home to en- sure their remembrance. This year, however, two new groups, St. Ann's Institute and the Junior Chamber of Commerce, who had heard of the A.H. N. spirit, asked the aid of the girls. Realizing that the girls atSt. Ann's were mostly their own age, A. 25 H.N.'ers were enthusias- tic about giving individu- ally wrapped gifts to other less fortunate teenagers. Toys were the specialneed of the J.C.C. and toys they received in a large quan- tity from A.H.N. This charitable spirit not only made the lives of these people happier at Christmas,but also added to the joy felt on Christ- mas morning by all those who had given, for they had given to people who might otherwise have been for- go tten and Cfod surely blessed their efforts on His Birthday.

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their teachers . ma's for, making beautiful aprons and creating original ideas in fabric. A clever piece of work was the cute AHN change purses in the s.chool colors. Even prospective high school students purchased these to show their friends that someday they too would be at Holy Names. We are proud to say that some of the students were able to contribute some of their handiwork and we were delighted to learn that our efforts lwhich, b y t he way, were lav- ishly decorated match boxesi were in great demand by the public. The religious booth had a beau- tiful assortment of very attractive merchandise. We know for sure that it was appreciated because it was noticed that a great number of girls had new rosaries and shiny new medals and chains that spoke for themselves. We must not forget to mention the mouth watering cake and candy booth which was certainly popular with us ev e r - hung ry school girls. I just couldn't resist it , was the cry when we walked into our homes with the de- licious cakes we brought for dessert. To add to all this, there was a cof- fee shop which seemed to have a pop- ular appeal to both the weary workers and the eager people who came to ad- mire and purchase goods in the shop. Yes, the Star Shoppe was cer- tainlyamost successful adventure and a very substantial profit was made. We all enjoyed the Star Shoppe but most of all we were proud of our ta- lented mothers who worked so hard and tirelessly to help us and our school. , Something New Has Been Added Thanks Are Due by Margaret Chrisioff Good morning,girls. The voice of Sister Su- perior came from the smallbox mounted on the wall. At last our new public address system was in opera- tion. Preparation for this event had been going on for some time. For quite a few days ladders and stools of various kinds were seen around the school. The noise of the electric drill even interrupted several classes,to the delight of the girls and the dismay of by Mrs. William A. Glavln For the first time in ten years we, The Moth- ers' Auxiliary of the A- c ad emy of the Holy Names , took our courage in our hands and decided to have a Christmas Fair, to be called the Star Shoppe. It worked. It w a s a n overwhelming This public address sy s tem , donated by the Mothers' Auxiliary, was immediately put to good use. .lust before Christ- mas the Senior Class pre- s e n t e d a Nativity play, No R oom at the Inn . The whole school was able to listen to this entertain- ment without the incon- venience of an assembly. Shortly after the beginning of the New Year, Sister Anna of Mary presented a tape recording of the life ofMother Mary Rose, the foundress and first super- ior of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. Right up to the- pre- senttime the public add- ress system has saved time and eliminated the inc onvenience of sending pupils to various classes to check such things as the First Saturday at- tendance. v We have also re- ceived a gift of a press camera. This camera has already been used to take pictures of various events and moments to be remembered for the yearly paper as well as for distribution among the girls. It has already proved its worth, as you can see by glancing through these pages. So watch out, Times -Union, for some up and coming competition. 24 success. Everyone co- operated - from the Mothers who worked so hard to make it outstand- ing and original - to the students and friends who bought our wares -and to the Sisters who as- sisted us in a hundred different ways. So to all who helped so graciously we owe our sincere thanks for making our project so w onderful and so profitable. From noon 'tilnine on Decem- ber the ninth we made over three thousand dol- lars. Nice going every- body! Let's do it again.

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Christ Kept In Christmas By Carol Smania In spite of frost-tipped no S e S , the carolers hit those highest notes while eyes filled with tears. Listeners from floor uponfloor crowded in front of every window of the veterans' hospital, looking down upon the upturned faces,who sang Merry Christmas and Happy B i r thd ay to Christ. All repeated the words that were said by each beat from their heartsg hundreds felt that same Christmas Spir- it. Eyes of doctors and patients reflected the hidd en joys of Christ- mas, as groups of A.H. N'ers paraded through halls. From room to room the familiar phrase could be heard . . . and may all your Christmases be white , as a tear fell to many cheeks and seemed to freeze while more came to its rescue. 'rms' rf-f ' This is only one of the many Christmas scenes with the carolers of A.H.N. However, one of the most familiar would be a group of singer s standing under a bright lamp while snow flakes caressed each note. This merry scene was por- trayed by the Juniors and Seniors. Two days be- 26 fore the great celebra- tion, cars seemed to s low -up before they came to the corners of Madison Ave. and Robin St. Heads turned and heard the notes echoing from the crib . . . Oh, come, letus adore Him , the carolers sang as they imagined the angels themselves sang overthe Infant's manger. Yes, caroling is por- trayed in many different ways. To some, it's a beautiful way of singing Happy Birthday to the King ofKings. To others it's away of offering and showing the spirit of Christmas. Yet, to all, the joy brings tears of happiness and the heart becomes warm enough to melt frozen noses!