Ames High School - Spirit Yearbook (Ames, IA)

Page 9 text:

The Auditorium Students Use New Equipment MES HIGH has one of the most complete high school auditoriums in the country. It was not designed ina few minutes, but required hours of re- search and planning by Superintendent Jordan Larson, Speech Director L. Wayne Smith, and the architects. The main floor of the auditorium seats over (00, and the baleony almost 400, the combined seating capacity providing for an audience of 1,100. The seats themselves are an outstand- ing feature, the backs being finished with the highest grade of mohair, the seats of imitation leather with box springs. Every seat in the auditorium faces the rear center of the stage, so that all may see equally well. There are no beams from the floor to support the bal- cony, thus eliminating all obstructions. Slightly curved walls of the acoustic stone seemingly bring the stage closer to the audience, and acoustic ceilings 1m- sure perfect hearing in all sections of the auditorium. The auditorium is provided with an excellent lighting system. Hlimuinating the use of footliehts, twelve 1,000-watt spotlights, all on dimmers, are located 1n the ceiling above the stage. ‘These can be set beforehand, and provide a great deal of variety in color effects. The switeh board and curtain ropes are on a baleony, 10 feet above the stage, to allow more room for the stage crews and actors. A three-way telephone con- nects the switchboard, projection booth and box office.

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New Surroundings HE shining modern cafeteria pro- vides warm, thrifty lunches for noon stayers. Complete with heating table, dish-washer, refrigerator unit, and range units, the cafeteria has facili- ties to serve 130 people in 20 minutes, ac- cording to Mrs. Annabelle Danskin, cafeteria manager. Hverything from m ashed potatoes to ham salad sand- wiches is served each noon to hungry students, as they discuss the day’s events. Assisting Mrs. Danskin is Mrs. Grace Hunter, who manages the heating table during the noon hour. The high-ceilinged, quiet library is presided over by Miss Alice Thutt, Miss Hleanor MckKlyea, and library club members. Oak paneling and high book- cases add dignity to the atmosphere. Conference rooms, oak tables, and com- fortable chairs make the library a popu- lar place for reference work, reading, and consultation. Built-in trophy house the school’s collection of medals and athletic awards in the east lobby. Eye strain in the classrooms is at a minimum with venetian blinds curtaining the windows. An electric eye regulates lighting in the study hall. The auditorium, with its spacious lob- bies, comfortably upholstered seats, and acoustically treated walls and ceiling, is the high hght of the new building. A massive switchboard backstage operates the 12 spotlights in the top of the audi- torium, and the smaller spots on the The graceful beauty of the pros- cenium arch framing the stage is only one of the architectural triumphs 1n the auditorium. CASES stage. Library

Page 10 text:

Prof. W. H, Meeker, member for 29 years Dr. R. D. Feldman, president School Board Members See Progress OW the comfort and convenience of the student is one of the vital factors in the new modern high school . . then, in 1912 when the old building was built, this was not taken into con- sideration. The student’s general health is consid- ered 1n that the air 1s heated to the cor- rect temperature and the proper amount of moisture is circulated. Although thermostats have since been installed, this was not a feature of the former high school when it was first constructed. Twenty-five years ago an auditorium such as ours wouldn’t have appeared in a dream. Also unthought of were the green blackboards, an eye-saver, and the Inter-communication system. lo protect the eyes of students, a pho- to-electric cell turns the lights in the study hall on or off as they are needed. To further promote good lighting, all classrooms are equipped with semi-indi- rect lighting and venetian blinds. In the old building the lighting in some cases was insufficient. At a time when physieal education wasn't even a part of the regular cur- riculum, the old gym, in which all bas- ketball games were played, provided room for only 100 people in the balcony. There were no seats and everyone had to lean over the edge of the baleony in order to view the game. According to the rules of the game then, the referee was required to announce the score at the half and at the end of the game. In contrast to this, the new gym has a seat- ing capacity of 1,700, including the new type of folding bleachers. Other fea- tures of the gym are the electric score- board and the acoustically treated fold- ing partition, electrically operated, which divides the gym into two separate entities. The two school buildings offer as oreat a contrast as do the old two-eylin- der, open door, phaeton type car and the modern, stream-lined, 1940 model.