Bedford High School - Torch Yearbook (Bedford, IA)

Page 58 text:

UNIOR CLASS PLAY HDOUBLE DOOR Back row, from left to right: Delbert Rogers, Paul Clark, Lavonne Hamilton, Dean Davidson, Junior Spencer, Howard Cox, Mr. Flick. Front row, left to right: Donald Walkup, Opal Goff, Doris Rimel, Martha Smalley, Jeannette Lucas, Everett Sharp. ln November, 1940, the present 'senior class produced and presented as their junior class play the psychological melodrama, Double Door, by Elizabeth MaclFadden. As an experiment in the more difficult fields of drama, and as an attempt to give the school audience a variety in the usual theatrical fare, the play was an outstanding success. The plot of Double Door revolves around Victoria Van Brett's maniac firmness over her sister, Caroline, and her half-brother, Ripg andhow she tried to prevent the 'marriage of Rip to a young lady of lower social position by an attempted murder. The cast gave a serious and inspired perfo rmance, ably 'backed by a technical staff of fel- low juniors.

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DRAMA Since the disappearance of declamation three years ago from the Bedford scene, dramat- ic productions have become a vital entertainment and educa- tional activity in Bedford High school. In these theatrical pro- ductions the class of 1942 has been not only active but also out- standing and proficient. From their freshman debut in Never- thelessi' to the rapid sophistica- tion of Page Miss Glory, the seniors have demonstrated their keen interest in the drama. The high school season of 1941-42 opened in late Septem- ber with three public performan- ces of Purple Doorknobf' a one-act comedy ably acted by Jeannette Lucas, Lavonne Ham- ilton and Charlotte Kennedy. In mid-November the Junior class presented the recent Broad- way thriller, Ladies in Retire- ment, to a large and responsive audience. The difficult roles were ably handled by Martha Ulmer, Suzanne Wetmore, Lola Klopp, Helen Hamilton, Vivian Hunter, Katharine Johnson, Dean Baxter and Bob Morris, as- sisted by a technical staff of fel- low juniors. In December the Junior High gave an enjoyable performance of Tom Sawyer, followed in January and February by per- formances of a one-act play, Sauce for the Goslingsfl and choral reading. In the spring, as a practical application of play production study, the senior speech class prepared and presented to the student assemblies a series of one-act plays: What Fools These Mortals Be, an April fool comedy, A Slice of Melon, an old Chinese pantomime, The Monkeyfs Paw, a familiar hor- ror play, and The Subsequent History of Mr. Jonah, a Biblical satire. bil The year's activity ended with the senior play, Page Miss Glory.

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COMMERCIAL Bedford High school offers a commercial course consisting of Shorthand I, Shorthand II, Typ- ing I, Typing II, and Bookkeep- ing. Shorthand and Typewriting have been taught 'in our high school for several years, but be- cause of the demand for addi- tional commercial training, a new course was added to our curriculum. Twelve senior boys are enrolled in bookkeeping, which teaches the fundamental principle of double entry book- keeping. This course is planned for the purpose of teaching how to keep personal records. The Shorthand II class con- sists of 15 girls who take new material dictation at an average of 120 words per minute and transcrlibe at an average rate of 50 Words per minute. Most of these girls are ready to accept positions as stenographers. Typewriting II is offered for the purpose of developing the skill of typing to as high a stan- dard as possible. Eighteen girls have ventured into this course and have attained an aivjerage of 60 words per minute on speed with a very high rate of accuracy. The following awards have been earned so far: Lois Lacy, 60, Jeannette Lucas, 60. VVe offer two classes of Type- writing I to a total of 54 stu- dents. This group has been di- vided into two sections, one for the development of stenographic skfills, the other for the purpose of personal typing. The group of stenographic skill are required to take the course in Shorthand. The average rate of speed for all Typing I students is between 35 and 40 words per minute. The following alwlards have been earned: Doris Rimel, 50, Rob- ert Nelson, 403 Suzanne Wet- more, 40. Shorthand I consists of 20 girls, Who are developing short- hand penmanship and accuracy in writing shorthand characters. They are taking new material at an average of 80 Words a min- ute.