Ballston Spa High School - Realms of Gold Yearbook (Ballston Spa, NY)

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PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE Very frequently when students or former students are seeking employment in industry or acceptance in the military services, we are called upon to answer this question, “Can this person be entrusted with matters concerning the security of the United States?” This question does not concern merely giving secrets away to the enemy but implies something broader than that. It means, “Can this person be depended upon?” An example of the type of responsibility this implies is illustrated on shipboard. Under emergency conditions a man receiving an order must carry it out immediately without question or argument. He must do the job thoroughly and completely because failure to do this can cause the loss of the ship and the lives of hundreds or thousands of men who are aboard. One of our principal objectives in school is to help train you to accept responsibility and to be dependable. We hope that as you, the seniors, leave us, you will recognize your responsibilities in the adult world, that you will accept these responsibilities, that you can be depended upon to carry through with the demands which society makes upon you, and that you will do the task efficiently and well. We hope that each day the underclassmen are learning these important lessons, that they are evaluating each situation in terms of what their responsibility should be, and that once this important decision is made, they will carry through to the very best of their ability. If all our students are learning these lessons well, we shall have no problem in answering the question, “Can this person be entrusted with matters concerning the security of the United States?” whether he be in the home, in the factory. or in the military service. 6

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BOARD OF EDUCATION Seated: John Zcpko, Dr. Harry Hanson, President; William Dodds, Standing: William Boyce, John Coffman, William Short. Absent: Joseph Rosch. Graduation brings you to the threshold of the great adventure living your life as you want to live it. Restrictions, other than those imposed generally by society, will soon be gone. So, too, will cease those lovingly-provided hours of counsel, those applications of balm to your wounded spirit, and those reassuring and stimulating pats-on-the-back you have been receiving from parents and teachers. Life is truly an adventure. It involves thinking for one’s self. Thinking is always attended by challenges to preconceived and imposed concepts of right and status. It involves daring. Daring action is always attended by hazard and risks particularly to one’s security. It involves evaluation. Evaluating one’s motivations, attitudes and actions will bring self-effacement more often than self-approbation but the result will be worthy of the adventurer. Each succeeding generation has had the power, with God’s help, to make this world a virtual paradise: the physical resources are here and the spiritual resources can be tapped. Each, in turn, has failed to reach this goal. Ultimately, the failure must be ascribed to the fact that so few individuals have been willing to think, to dare, and to evaluate in terms of such a noble goal Each, in failing, has brought mankind closer to chaos and destruction. A momentous question must be answered by each of you as you begin your adventure: Will I contribute to the building of a better world or to its disintegration? 5 Dr. George Osterwise Superintendent of Schools

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