Assumption High School - Assumption Yearbook (Davenport, IA)

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Student Council In honor of Dennis Vozikus, the student council established the “Den- nis Vozikus Award” at its last reg- ular meeting, Wed., Sept. 23. This award will be given to the underclass- man, boy or girl student council mem- ber, who manifests outstanding serv- ice during the year. This award will be in addition to the student council awards given each year to the boy and girl who have contributed most to council activity. (A story on Den- nis Vozikus appears on page 4.) On Wed., Sept. 30, a committee will see Fr. J. O. McAuliffe, regarding the social activities which may be per- mitted by freshmen. This project was brought to the attention of the coun- cil by two non-student council mem- bers, Jim Miller and Les Bickford. All students are urged to feel free to bring suggestions to meetings, Fr. W. Dawson, moderator, observed. In the interest of promoting school spirit, a committee has been assigned to look into the possibilities of the formation of a pep club. A report on this should be ready by the next meet- ing. Though not appearing in this issue, the student council will again spon- sor a “Youth of the Month,” though the policies under which it will be selected will be altered. The student council will again be in charge of programs sold at the football games. Ads are being solicited and information readied for programs for the Wahlert-Assumption game, Oct. 9. Considers Award, Pep, Activities Preparing for the state student council convention, Judy Eggers points out Ames. Ia., to Mike Cuervorst. Pat Deluhery types as Kathy Kehoe suggests an idea. Jeanne Myers contacts area schools for comparisons. Greg Cusack is absent for the picture. KB Survey Says Jazz is Crazy, Man by Jim Johnson Jeanne Meyer, Judy Egger, Kathy Kehoe, Pat Deluhery, Mike Ceurvorst, and Greg Cusack are preparing a pan- el for the state student council con- vention to be held in Ames, Oct. 19. Kathy Kehoe will also present to the convention a report on the State Workshop held in Cedar Falls, July 12-17. Scholars Vie A flurry of tests with highly-valued scholarships as possible rewards are seen for juniors and seniors. The deadline for entry into the Iowa- Illinois Gas and Electric Company Scholarship Program was Friday, Sept. 25. Three four-year college scholar- ships will be awarded on this program. The first step in pursuing these awards will be the Preliminary Scholastic Ap- titude Tests, given by the College En- trance Examination Board on Oct. 24. The PSAT tests will be given to juniors on that date as a means of guidance. Approximately 80 students will be taking this test at Assumption. “Jazz music is crazy and classical is long hair,” one student thought. An- other said jazz was fast and classical slow. Neither was right. These and 30,000 other answers were given in the Knight Beacon survey taken as a poll of student opinion to serve as a guide for publication. The survey revealed many things; such as, only 10% of the students didn’t know who the director of As- sumption High School was. The 10% was comprised mostly of freshmen. Oddly enough, many boys did not even recognize the change in the habits worn by the B.V.M.’s but most of those who noticed the change liked it. Many of the students thought the new habits looked more comfortable on the nuns. Most students, bored with the sum- mer routine, were glad to get back to school. A few capitalists, neverthe- less, were sorry to give up that sum- mer job. The summer was not com- plete boredom, however, for the aver- age student saw five movies and did some reading. Tolstoy’s War and Peace was on one boys list of books. According to the survey the majority of Assumption students are college- bound; moreover, 20% more boys than girls plan to attend. Most of the stu- dents had not determined the college they planned to attend. School spirit was considered by 45% of the girls and 31% of the boys as the school’s biggest problem this year. Several girls cited the boys’ reluctance to dance as the greatest problem. Few had solutions to offer. About 60% of the student body dates; 25% of these have gone steady. Approximately 95% of those who date have done so in a group. Through the year the results of this survey will be utilized and seen in the pages of the Knight Beacon. 6

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Bishop Bespeaks Progress When Bishop Hayes officially opened school with Mass in the auditorium, he cautioned us to be “phy- sically, mentally and spiritually fit.” So far, we have followed his advice. The physical plant is gleaming. Sidewalks are a great help. We seldom see mud tracks. Many shrubs add life to our roomy campus. A new flagpole shows our patriotism, and the statue of the Assumption dedi- cates us to Mary. Mentally, too, there is a better attitude. Most stu- dents are happy with the shorter lunch periods which allow dismissal at 3:00 P.M. sharp. It also relieves congestion between the two lunch periods. The home- room system has also been successfully initiated on the boys’ side. During the Bishop’s Mass at AHS, students dis- played maturity by paying strict attention to both the Mass and the sermon. Attendance at daily Mass has been slowly picking up. Faculty members of both divisions have commented on the spirit of cooperation displayed by students. There is still room for improvement. Student support at the Cedar Rapids Regis game was pitiful. Enthus- iasm should increase for the coming home games. Remember Bishop Hayes’ advice. We have a good school and it’s getting better. If each student improves physicially, mentally and morally, we will continue this progress. P. D. Sr. Mary Ernestine, BVM, points to her painting of Bishop Hayes, which is outside the chapel. Lite Flashes What do seniors expect from their senior year? The answers that follow are typical of upperclassmen’s thought. As a senior I expect proper respect from the lower classmen and a certain amount of trust and respon sibility from my teachers. I do not think that these two wishes are unfounded or founded on foolish pride. I believe that by now most seniors have attained certain knowledge and skills which deserve respect of those around me. I also expect the faculty to put a certain amount of responsibility in my hands. This responsibility in different lines will futher my feeling of being on the top of the ladder. Tom Atzen — ’60 I guess I could name many desires that I would like to have filled during my senior year. However, I would like my senior year to give me a picture of what my freshman year in college will be like — well, as closely as possible. 1 chose this reason because the step from high school to college will be one of the greatest jumps we can make in life. I hope that my senior year will build up my courage to face col- lege with the idea that I am going to try to make the best of it. My future largely depends on what I do in college. Joe Ross — ’60 I hope to gain a knowledge that will help me to make a success of my life. I expect to get the expe- rience in making my own decision, and fulfilling the responsibility given to me by those over me. Above all I intend to make my final decision about my fu- ture. Mary Sue Schwieters — ’60 Liturgy and Laity Use 'Kemo Sabay' at Mass? by Jerry Kane Remember our first pep rally — the faculty was impressed by the spirit of the students, as shown by the noise they made. Recall, too, how people were impressed with the quietude at the school’s opening Mass. Now, stop and think. If noise showed real spirit at the pep rally, why is it that people were impressed by silence at the Mass? Of course you’re not expected to holler “kemo sabay” or “first and ten, do it again” at Mass. However, a little noise in the form of responding to the priest, as is done in the dialogue Mass, would not only show spirit, but would give the students a chance to par- ticipate in the Mass. Dialogue Masses are being held in other places, why not here at Assumption? There are daily Masses in the chapel, and this would provide an excellent opportunity to inaugurate “noisy Masses.” At the pep meeting we had cheerleaders who led us through the cheers. Some one will have to lead the way toward the dialogue Mass. How about you? 5

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Chuck Skelley ’61, amuses the student council and the freshmen class with his widely acclaimed impersonations during the Student Council program on Freshmen Get-Acquainted Day, Sept. 10. The program also included a mock Student Coun- cil meeting. Diocesan YCS Federates at Year's First Study Day; Parents Ponder Teen Problems in Christian Family by Mike Ceurvorst To form a diocesan federation, 230 Young Christian Students of the Dav- enport diocese gathered at Assumption high school Sunday, Sept. 27. At this Study Day they covered topics to be acted on by the YCS during the next three years. These include the fam- ily, human relations, and parish life. Highlights of the day included work- shops on such topics as the liturgy, labor, and the social inquiry. Focal point of the day was the Mass cele- brated by Fr. Marvin Mottet, YCS moderator. Led by Fr. William F. Wiebler the YCS’ers sang the Mass and participated in an offertory pro- cession. Fr. Louis Colonnese gave the ser- mon. He pointed out that the burden of reChristianizing the teenage society must be done by the members of that society, the YCS. Elected president of the federation was George Tibbets of Hayes high school, Muscatine. Sharon Rose, Our Lady of Lourdes, Bettendorf, was named vice-president. Art Johnson, lo- cal president of YCS, a parishioner of St. Mary’s, Davenport, was chosen national YCS representative. One of the events considered most interesting by the mixed teenage aud- ience was a panel discussion of par- ents who were in some way connected to YCS, either as CFM couples or as parents to YCS’ers. Controversial ques- tions were discussed. For instance, should the father ex- ercise his authority? The panel de- cided that the father must be the dis- ciplinarian but he should work with the mother. Parents should work on discipline that is understood by all. In regard to teens and rules made for them parents often forget that the teens think like adults while other younger members of the family don’t. But if a rule is restrictive to a teen he must be willing to make the nec- essary sacrifice if it will help the fam- ily. Some teens wondered why parents don’t explain the facts of life to their children. Panel members thought that often the parents don’t know when to talk about these things to their children. Either the children don’t ask or the parents don’t know how or what to say. The teens are often more ready to approach this subjects than are the adults. Advice to teens who have these questions is: pick the right time and place to ask. Remember that even if you know all there is to know about these facts you must have the proper moral perspective for that knowledge to have any worth. Parents should regulate their teens’ social life, the panel observed. The parents must set definite and strictly enforced rules concerning the tele- phone, television, study, dating (who- where-how long), nights out, what the teens read and don’t read. All of these rules must be elastic enough to adjust to a given situation but not so elastic that they become a farce. Students should put themselves in their parents’ boots if they can’t understand a rule. There should be mutual discussion of problems. Many and varied are the sources of irritation between parents and teens. Major problem is discipline. Discipline, respected discipline, is missing in many, many homes. It’s hard to give the kids what they want. Younger children are big problems. Few problems exist af- ter understanding is accomplished. Teens should think about this, panel members commented. Moreover, the parents must set an example of obed- ience to all lawful authority. Study habits should be regulated by parents. The primary burden of edu- cation rests on the parents, not the school. Parents must provide the right time and place for studying. Prayer life is difficult in the mod- ern home according to the experts on the panel. The busy trend of today keeps the family apart. It is difficult to get the family all home at one time. Everyone has “a lot to do.” If the cus- tom of family prayer has been hand- ed down, prayer is easy; if the custom has not been handed down, prayer is almost impossible. Parents must in- sure that the children receive the sac- raments and that they say at least the morning offering. They should en- courage their children to pray ejacu- lations during the day. Family prayers establish a close bond of unity that is hard to break. Making these observations were 3 sets of parents, each couple of which has a total of 7 children. They were: Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Walter; Mr. and Mrs. Francis Leonard, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Rossmiller. 7