Agawam High School - Sachem Yearbook (Agawam, MA)

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CLASS OFFICERS PRO MERITO STUDENT COUNCIL MIRROR STAFF

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PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS The members of the class of 1937 have been in the Agawam High School for six years, but until now they have had no occasion to express publicly their apprecia- tion for all that has been done for them. I am glad to have this opportunity to represent the class and thank you the citizens of Agawam, the members of the school committee, and the faculty — for the splendid educational program you have made possible. I hope the years to come will prove to you that your efforts in our behalf were not in vain. We are happy to welcome you tonight to our Class Day Kxercises. W e hope you will enjoy them with us. CLASS SONG We, the Class of Thirty-seven. Now say our fond farewell To you, our faculty And fellow students all. We make a hearty wish For you in years to come That you will e’er be true To our dear Agawam. The path which led us on To this, our final day, Was one in which we found More joys than we can say. The friendships which we formed While here at Ag vam High, Forever will remain A pleasant memory. To our Alma Mater dear, In gratitude we say: “Thanks for your help sincere. Which serves to light our way.” Now we must bid “adieux,” And as we say the word The praises of our school Forever will be heard. Words and music by Mildred White! paze twenty-one

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CHRONIC L E S . . 1 9 3 7 THE ORATION You all know the story of the Battle of Bunker Hill. A handful of Americans with very little powder held their ground against three thousand picked British soldiers and beat them back repeatedly. The Americans finally were forced to retreat because they had run out of powder, but before they withdrew, they gave the British a taste of lighting that lingered for a long time. These men were fighting for their independence and were willing to sacrifice everything dear to them in order to attain their rights. This battle has gone down in history as one of the bravest stands ever made by a group of men against great odds. When we read of courageous acts like this, we have a desire to enact similar noble deeds, but then we turn away and excuse ourselves by saying that we haven't the op-, portunity. Now courage doesn't always mean the performing of heroic exploits. Many famous men of peace were extremely courageous although they never performed such deeds as did the men at Bunker Hill. Let us consider three men who exhibited great courage of this kind Horace Mann, Louis Pasteur, and Thomas Kdison; an educator, a scientist, and an inventor. One hundred years ago, the Massachusetts State Board of Education was founded. When this board was conceived, a man of strong character and leadership was needed to assume authority, so the committee selected a person named Horace Mann. This individual, who had been born in a poor family, had risen to a place of public prominence by means of hard work and great determination. He was president of the Massachusetts Senate and had a promising political career before him when he was asked to assume control of the Board of Education. Although his friends begged him to refuse this thank- less job, Horace Mann gave them no heed. The fact that the opportunity for a free public school education was sorely needed by the youth of Massachusetts largely influenced his decision. He resigned as president of the Senate and, in spite of the obstacles in his path, he successfully established a free public school system. It took a great deal of courage to sacrifice his easy political career and accept a position where an abundance of hard work and worry were in sight, but Horace Mann made the sacrifice. His deter- mination, will power, and courage arc qualities to be admired and coveted by everyone. Louis Pasteur, the great Fench chemist and scientist, was confronted with great difficulties in carrying out his experiments. He contended that disease was caused by invisible organisms which he called germs. This idea, fantastic at that time, was scoffed at and ridiculed by his colleagues. Month after month in his laboratory. Pasteur carried on with his experiments among deadly poisons in an endeavor to find the means of pre- venting hydrophobia. At length, his efforts met with success, but still he was not satisfied with his work. He experimented with milk and succeeded in perfecting a process by which the germs carried in milk could be destroyed. This pasteurization process has since proven to be of the greatest service to mankind and his theories about germs and mic- robes have furnished the basis for many of the later developments in the fight against disease. His courage in carrying on with his dangerous experiments in the face of extreme ridicule is deserving of the highest praise because by so doing he made some of the greatest contributions to the service of humanity. Thomas Alva Edison was a genius and yet he had very little schooling. At only twelve years of age, he was selling candy and fruit on a train running between Detroit and Port Huron. He set up a laboratory in the baggage car and, as a result, lost his job when some of his chemicals caused a fire. From this beginning he worked his way industriously until he became one of the greatest inventors of all time. He would work for days at a stretch with only three or four hours of sleep each night in order to perfect an invention. Repeatedly he failed but he started over again vigorously. Even when he realized that his death was drawing hear, he worked courageously to complete his work page twenty-three