Bennington High School - Catamount Yearbook (Bennington, VT)

Page 10 text:

616155 IOTQ' fcontinuedl path of knowledge in 1940, arrived to open their year as juniors, a for- gone conclusion became fact. John Howard became third term Howard and all the class settled back in anticipation to another well-run adminis- tration. They were not disappointed. The policy was sound and it was only through his untiring efforts that our nebulous class rings became reality. But the highlight of our junior year was the arrival of Broadway to Bennington, for it was in this year that the great show was born. Carleton Carpenter, who wrote and produced this show, our Junior Review, called Up and Up, showed himself to be something of an Orson Welles. Carleton won the admiration of the entire class, although of course, it is only incidental to mention that this event considerably re- imbursed our failing treasury. Through thick and thin, we ploughed ahead, and imagine our gratification and astonishment when we found ourselves - - - seniors! Seniors! no one but one knows the significance of that word. For years, we had been waiting for one moment: that of walking importantly down the aisle and, with a dignified air, seating ourselves in the front seats of the assembly hall. But fate and faculty decided - no - we must sit elsewhere. What a blow! We never recovered. Third Term Howard again found himself in the driver's seat, not only as president but as Dictator , Slowly he extends his power over the various departments in the school - the year book board, the student council, the senior cabinet, and the treasury department: all felt the weight of his inexorable will. We found ourselves considerably depleted by losses to the armed forces, and with a sad eye watched them leave to where many of us would soon follow. Towards the end of the year, confusion reigned in our ranks. Pic- tures had to be taken, gowns fitted, the year book made ready for publi- cation, and a last-ditch-stand made in an attempt to keep our financial records in black ink. ' Four years of our life have been closely connected with Ben-Hi, so that it is a little difficult to say goodbye. We have struggled through what seemed to be four oppressive years, but even at this close date, the hard work and complications seem far in the past. We are remembering now only the genuine friendships and pleasures of the last four years that too quickly come to an end. 8

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Glass Wistar 1940! and we were to start our high school odyssey. Mr. Wood stirred uneasily in his chair as his portals swallowed their annual quota of unruly freshman. We started the year, as have all classes from time immemorial, by herd- ing into the assembly hall and listening to Mr. Wood outline our diet for the forthcoming year. For some, it was the first attempt at penetrating the maze of class-rooms but for other seasoned veterans, it was old stuff. For the next two months, freshmen as well as the rest of the student body, could be seen wending their ways through the myriad halls and corridors with their eyes glued on small rectangular slips of cardboard - their schedule cards. Teachers thought nothing of seeing a lost bat- talion coming into classes fifteen minutes late, or seeing a small bewildered group of freshmen fumble their way into French lll. Back in school again and another gauntlet to run. The end of the first marking period found confused parents, confused students, and con- fused faculty, a phenomenon which we were to find repeated every year, for the marking systems had been changed again. lt seemed that as soon as one system was firmly established in our minds, the office saw fit to change it: it wouldn't do to have the students fully understand how they were being failed. This year we guinea pigs were subjected to a new whim of the powers that be, for we were introduced to home room guidance periods. From the point of view of most of us students it was a failure and we gave the enterprise little cooperation: our passive resistance seems to have suc- ceeded, for it was discontinued after our sophomore year. Merrily, we strolled through the remainder of the year, taking the hard knocks of life as they came, and studiously taking advantage of scholastic opportunities afforded us by our patient faculty. When the class, that had so perilously undertaken to tread the thorny 7

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Cgacult ,, iw' diff' K.. ' L Q 'f fi , Winn L. Taplin, Superintendent and Walter C. Wood. Principal E jr , , l fSeated, left to rightj Mrs. Bernice Hulett, Secretary: Harry Swett, Social Studies: Charles Swain, Physi- cal Education: Walter Wood, Principal: Leon Orr, Manual Training: Charles Cramer, Science: Ailene Norse, Language: Grace Barr, Music. fStanding, left to rightj Eupha Bonham, English: Sylvia McKinney, Art: Vera Drew, Business: Vilette Lawrence, Librarian: Mary Hutton, Erench: Nellie Chase, Business: Catherine Corcoran, Mathe- matics: Ava Colgan, Physical Education: Mary Pillsbury, Home Economics. Not pictured are: Edmond Edmonds, History: Grace Terry, English: Letitia Calhoun, English: Ella Brownell, Mathematics: Barbara Shepard, Chemistry. 9