Black River High School - Echo Yearbook (Sullivan, OH)

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Charge to the Senior Class 1969 As each of you approach Graduation Day 1969, you do so with a feeling of pride in yourself for having at- tained the first important milestone in your life, the completion of high school. It is right and just you should feel this pride, for in this great land of ours where an education is available to everyone who wants it, you have made the first important choice on your climb to success by taking advantage of the high school education offered to you. For twelve years your parents, teachers and I, as your friend, have stood on the sidelines and watched you grow from eager little tousle headed boys and girls to young men and women. We have attempted to guide and direct you so that the decisions you have made were right and correct ones. Many times you were confused and faltered but in the end came through with a smile on your face. As you leave Black River High School, I challenge each of you to become dedicated young people. Dedicate yourself to the principle of usefulness which will give many people the benefit of your efforts. Enjoy life yourself, and help others to do likewise. Dedicate yourself to always give your best to your community, your state, and your nation in peace as well as in war. Dedicate yourself to be true to your families, your church, your friends, and your own good name. Dedication such as this builds that something in an individual which lasts and gives each a feeling of deep satisfac tion. With such dedication at the end of your life here on this earth you may hear the words, “Well done my true and trusted servant.” Donald E. Larabee Superintendent

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Mr. Bert Rollin Mrs. Treva Kirkpatrick, Clerk Mr. Lawrence Scheck Mr. Carl Owen Mr. Don Wandel

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The Six R’s I read the other day a poem by John Donne, a 17th century English poet. No man is an island, entire of itself. Every man is a piece of the continent A part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less; As if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s Or of they own were; Andy Man’s death diminishes me, because Iam involved in mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. Probably no one has put into sharper focus the idea of what man owes to his fellow-man and what his fellow-man means to the individual, than John Donne. If man is responsible for his fellow man, if what happens to his fellow man does influence him, as we know it does, what should this school have done for you the graduates; and what should it be doing to help its present students succeed, find happiness, and build a better world? In making some suggestions to that end, I would like first to state a thesis on which the proposals are based: it is impossible to succeed, it is impossible to find happiness, it is impossible to sustain a strong society and by other means than to develop good individuals. If these individuals are inconsiderate or undis- ciplined or unaffected by the values of others, then that society will make impossible success, happiness, or a self-perpetuating society. I think, then, that our school system is obligated to help individuals find success and happiness and to help individuals to advance society in an orderly manner. How d o we do this? I submit that our school, an integral part of all education, must continue to carry on the task of transmitting knowledge and skills; but it must also carry on the job of transmitting knowledge and skills; but it must also carry on the job of engendering and enlarging certain specific attitudes on the part of the students. The time-honored and time-tested and traditional three R’s. One of these is Respect. If our students are to find success, any real measure of success, they must show respect for authority. Whether or not it be right whether or not it be ethical, a young man’s success will repeatedly depend on his showing respect for authority. The very nature of authority dictates in no uncertain terms that it w7 command respect. To find happiness, our students must learn to respect the rights of others. Only in this way do we ourselves gain respect. Only if we ourselves are respected can we find real and lasting happiness. This doesn’t mean that we must always agree with what others do; but so long, and only so long, as others are operat- ing within the limits agreed upon by society, then they should be permitted to carry on without being badgered or bullied or banned by others. If our students are to help keep our society an on-going thing, they must learn to respect themselves. Alexander Dubcek, then asked by student demon- strators, in Prague, what guarantees there were that the old “Russian” days would not be back, replied, ‘You yourselves are that guarantee. . .” “You, the young.” Only you can be the guarantee to make democracy work better, but you must live your life in such a way that you can respect yourself first then build that on-going, lasting society. Unless you have lived your life so that you can respect yourself, you will not have time to think about, nor to help society. The second R is Restraint. Restraint is, of course, the necessary corollary of the respect I mentioned earlier. Without restraint society becomes license. We as citizens of our society must realize that we must restrain ourselves; we must not always use any available means to gain our own ends; we must realize that we do not always get a full and accurate picture the first time and we must, therefore, not act rashly; we must think alternatives through carefully before we act. The young child who wants to throw a hammer at his baby sister because he has hit his finger, is not using restraint. If we, as adults, do not use restraint, then we are behaving on a level with the infant. Daniel Webster at a speech in Charleston, stated very succinctly what I’m saying, “Liberty exists in proportion to wholesome restraint.” The third R is Responsibility. If we are happy living in a free society, we must take some responsibility to see that society continues to exist. To do this, we must be responsible for our actions. I read a story the other day which illustrated what I’m trying to say. A vicious gossip passed on a story about her neighbor which caused great anguish to her neighbor. In genuine remorse she confessed her error to her priest. For penance the priest told her to buy two ducks at the market, then pluck them as she walked home, and then return to him. When she returned, the priest said, “To complete the penance, you must retrieve all the feathers and the down that you plucked from the birds.” Then did the woman realize that she could mot undo what she had done. Students must learn that their actions and utterances have consequences for others. If I do some rash thing, I must realize that I am not the only one who will suffer. My family will, my friends will, and so will any person who cares about me, suffer for what I have done. The young person who seeks success, hap- piness, and a good society must learn to accept responsibility for his behavior. The three R’s, respect, restraint, and responsibility, along with the traditional three R’s are what we here at the school are seeking and have sought to teach you. Whether or not you the map; you yourself must follow the correct path.