Agawam High School - Sachem Yearbook (Agawam, MA)

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CLASS HISTORY Setting: A garden in the Jackson home. Scene: hour children playing in garden. Date: 1950. Characters Arthur Blaine Robert Jackson Patricia Jackson Alice Green Mrs. Jackson Mr. Jackson {Four children are seen playing in the garden.) Bob. Aw, come on, Art, let’s play a boy’s game. Them girls don’t know anything about playing ball. Pat. You think we don’t. We’ll show you, won’t we, Alice? We’ll go and play school. Alice. All right, I’ll be the teacher, though. Don’t you boys want to play, too? Art. Aw, no, we don’t want to play school. That’s a girl’s game. Anyhow, we have to go to school in two weeks. Pat. {To Alice). Oh, that’s right! I almost forgot about school. We’ll have some fun this year. We’ll be way in the sixth grade. Bob. Gee, that’ll be let me see. {Stops to figure on fingers.) If I’m smart 'nough and skip that special grade they have up there, it’ll make only three more years before we’re in High School. Art. Me, too. Gee! It must be fun in High School, with all their football games, and baseball and everything else. I’m going to be the captain of the baseball team. You wait and see. Boy! I just can’t wait. Bob. Yeah, Daddy was talking about what swell times they had. He was on all the teams in the school. And was he smart, or was lie smart! I’ll bet he was captain on almost all the teams. Alice. How could be be? My daddy was just as good as that and better, too. I Ic was captian of the football team, the baseball team and everything. Pat. All right, I’ll see who’s right. I’ll get Mother and she’ll tell us all about it. {Exit.) {Children resume playing.) {Mrs. Jackson and Patricia come out hand in hand.) Pat. Well, here she is. See who’s right now. Mrs. Jackson. Well, well, what’s all the arguing about? Pat tells me that you want to know all that happened at Agawam High School when 1 went there. {Sits dozen on reed chair and lays dozen books that she has. Children sit around at her feet.) I'll start it for you, and when Daddy comes, he might be able to help us. I’ll tell you all that I remember. I’ve brought some of the books that I saved. {Lays books on grass beside her.) Bob. {Puzzled.) I never saw those books before, Mother. Mrs. Jackson. No, I’ve had these put away. I don’t believe I’ve looked at them since I finished school, either. {Looks thoughtful, as if remembering the happy times she had during school career.) We did have some wonderful times in High School. Now,I’ll tell you some of the things we used to do when we went to school. {Picks up one of the books.) I.et me see, what’s this? Well, it seems that everything is coming right in order. Here arc the class officers for 1929. I'll read them to you. {Reads.) President, Charles Ardizoni; Vice-President, Ida Ricci; Secretary, Eunice Bitgood; Treas- urer, Francis O’Connor. We had a Student Council, also. Dorothy Geoffrion and Robert I Icnncsscy were elected. Page Tzeenty

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The only logical explanation for the existence of this high school is to train the younger generations so that they may be better able to serve the community, nation and the world. The truthfulness of this explanation for the existence of a high school becomes clearer when we understand the reason for the existence of the business world for which it trains us. Business exists to serve society- its customer. It was not many years ago when the business world thought that it existed to exploit the customer and the employee while making huge profits for the owners. Today we witness one good result of this depression it has sped the belief in the law of the survival of the most serviceable. Big business tried this basic law as a last resort, and it brought such good results that today, banks, insurance companies, transportation companies, and other institutions advertise the services rendered at no additional cost to the customer. It seems that business institutions have started on a race to see which one is capable of rendering the most and best service to the public. Another good result of the depression has been that the managers of businesses have learned that the group having incomes less than five thousand dollars annually, which buys five-sixths of all goods produced in the country, cannot continue to buy at an ever increasing rate and at the same time carry increasing tax burdens without a corresponding increase in earnings. Capital is beginning to realize that it is good business to consider the employee as well as the customer. Each wishes to win happiness, whether consciously and scientifically striving for it, or ignor- antly and unconsciously groping after it. The kind of happiness which includes love of fellow men and conscience as well as material wealth. There is but one path to all three and that is service, for he profits most in material gain as well as in spiritual values, who renders the best service to those with whom he deals. The reason why we today have suffered economic and social disruption is that the world has been trying to reverse the basic law of human relationships. Yc have been trying to reap large profits without first rendering a service, and service precedes profit just as certainly as the sowing of the seeds precedes the harvest. Calvin Coolidge said, “No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he'gave.” With returning confidence stimulated by the “New Deal’' and this truer philosophy of service it seems we can not be far from material and spiritual prosperity. The Principle of Service is nothing new. It has been practised by all truly successful men for centuries. The reason that there are such a great number of unsuccessful people today is that they have not found and put this basic natural law to work. The number of unsuccessful people would be materially reduced by teaching in the public schools the Principle of Service and the natural laws related to it. Some high schools have already adopted the idea. The teaching of the Principle of Service would provide the pupils with a logical reason for attending school and suggest a goal to strive for. 'This in turn would increase the appreciation of the students for the society in which they live. The voice of selfishness is loud, the disease of indifference to duty is widespread. Both arc the result of ignorance of natural laws. The cure rests in eliminating such ignorance by teaching the natural laws of human relationships. You, the citizens of the town have done your part by establishing and maintaining one of the finest of schools, and in electing a school committee which, with Mr. Phelps, has selected so wisely the principal and teachers of this school. That the principal and teachers have conscientiously co-operated is shown by the quality of the academic side of the school life and also in the success of the extra-curricula activities. The teachers also deserve warm praise for having successfully dealt with their larger classes. This is a severe test for the most efficient and patient administration. I et neither the students nor the citizens impair the schools rapid progress, l et us, rather, insure its permanency with this truer philosophy to guide us through the years yet to come The Philosophy of Service. ROBERT JOHNSTON Page Nineteen

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Pat. What was the Student Council, Mother? Mrs. Jackson. The Student Council, clear, was a group of students elected to assist in school management. Arthur. Boy! I’ll be the President of our class when Pm there. Maybe Pll get to be the President of the United States some day. (Looks pleased with himself.) (ice! W ouldn’t that be swell. Alice. Mrs. Jackson, did you have many parties when you were in High School: Mrs. Jackson. Oh, yes, we had quite a few parties The first year we had a Hallowe’en Party and a St. Patrick’s Day Party. We were supposed to have been initiated by the Sophomore class of that year, but I’ll never forget the surprise that they had when they found that there were so many of us Freshmen. Bob. What’s initiate, Mother? (Footsteps arc heard.) (.Father appears.) Mr. Jackson. Well, well, what’s all this excitement about? Mrs. Jackson. Oh, I’m just showing the children a few of the things that we did while we were in High School. Bob was just asking what it means to be initiated. Perhaps you can explain better than I can. Mr. Jackson. W ell, I’ll tell you what it's like. They usually do something very unpleasant, for instance, use a paddle on you. Mrs. Jackson. I was telling them of the Hallowe’en party we had while were Freshmen, and the Sophomores were afraid of us. Mr. Jackson. Lucky for us they were. Bob. Father, weren’t you captain of the basketball team that year? Mr. Jackson No, there was only one Freshman on the basketball team that year. That was Clark Jones. That squad won the tournament at Mass. State. ■ Mrs. Jackson. (Picks up another book.) Didn’t we have any members on the Agawam Mirror Staff when we were Freshmen. Mr. Jackson. Haven’t you got the Mirror for 1929? (Mrs. Jackson looks through books and picks one out.) Mrs. Jackson. Oh, yes. Here it is. Marcel Rioux and Frank Goss. By the time we were Seniors we had a great many more members. They were Justine Mealy, Robert Johnston, Ida Ricci, Elsie Schultz, and Alfred Davis. Art. What was the “Mirror,” Mrs. Jackson? (Mrs. Jackson hands one of the “Mirrors” to Art.) (He looks it through and then hands it back to her.) Mrs. Jackson. The “Mirror” was published four times a year and whenever any of the stud- ents had a good poem or story, it was put in the “Mirror.” The events of the school year were also kept in it. (Puts down book and takes up another.) Here arc our class officers for 1930. (Reads.) Richard Shields, President; Ida Ricci, Secretary; Francis O’Connor, Treasurer; Marcel Rioux and Anita Cacsan, Student Council. (Replaces book.) Didn’t we have a picnic that year? Mr. Jackson. Oh, yes, that’s right. We went to Congomond for a picnic at the end of the year, but it wasn’t much of a success because half of the class didn’t go. Mrs. Jackson. That same year Ida Ricci and Francis O’Connor won prizes at the Typewriting Contest. Ida got first place and Francis O’Connor got second place. Mr. Jackson. What members of our class played in the orchestra that received first prize that year? Mrs. Jackson. (Turns pages of book.) Here’s a picture of them. (Children stand around to look at it.) Here’s Francis O’Connor, and Arthur Johnson, Robert Raymond, and Margrethe Jensen. Mr. Jackson. And here’s Frank Goss and Doris Morrison. 1 guess that’s all. Page Twenty-one