Borough of Etna - Centennial Festivities Yearbook (Etna, PA)

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Qs 'JUN six years teaching Etna children. During the ensuing time, the peak of enrollment in the High School had been reached in 1940 with a stu- dent body of close to 900. From then on, other school districts, formerly dependent on Etna, became finan- FIRST ROW: Randy Nuzum, Georgene Currin, Curtis Rometo, Patricia Spelic, Dan Anzack, Jacqueline Radick, Lynn Trapani, Katrinka Christine Leech. SECOND ROW: Linda Stephenson, William Pollock, Jane Lorkovic, Mike Craswick, Darlene Rodgers, Lynn Beggs, Linda Ritter, Barbara Straw, Frank Robich, Karen Repp, THIRD ROW: Mrs. Catherine Lange, Cary Clever, Sandra Myros, Charles Burnell, Cynthia Grynie- wicz, Paul Barkley, Mary Lou Monroe, Leslie Ott, Duane Heckman. ially able to offer four years of high school training to heir own young people, some with government assist- tnce by way of Vl7.P.A. .1 In September of 1948, the two upper grades fseventh Hand eighthb were moved from the High School back be Wilson Street and remained there until they were vinally returned to the High School in the fall of 1957. ' In the years from 1925 to the present, 1969, as in itll the early years of her history, Etna has been for- 'iunate in her choice of loyal and skilled teachers. Space fu-'loes not allow naming each one, and only the lives if their students can measure their influence, but a lil ampling of names is dedicated to the HONOR ROLL in UU lu 'JF THEM ALL. 3 Miss Kathleen French served for forty-two years as eacher and grade school principal. During those years .he was accorded among other honors the title of l Teacher of the Yearl' by the Sharpsburg-Etna Junior ,fttfhamber of Commerce, awarded at her retirement in dit 965 honorary State Life Membership in the P.T.A., Ivllllfld named First Lady of the Day on February 1, 1965, ,Slim radio station fr entlp 9 Miss Susan Justice spent nianyWyETs5as Hlgh School 3 I he Librarian until illness made it imperative for her to resign. A few years later she was succeeded in this capacity by Miss Louise Walder, who was also teacher and original sponsor of 'lSmoke.'l Mr. Raymond Stephens and scores of students struggled to translate Americanese into the King's English. Mrs. Catherine Lange fEtna forty-one yearsl will be remembered by Etnaites all over the world as their first beloved teacher. Others will accord that honor to Mrs. Alice Martin fstill in the systemj who has STANDING: Ned Lee, Ida Schor McCready, Ruth Seitz, Ethel Will Hunter, .lean Derry, Lyle Lee, Hugo Puntereri. SEATED: Lulu Irvine, Florence Irvine. FIRST ROW: Jack Mintn, Gary Wise, Kerry Malone, Rosemary Miller. SECOND ROW: Candace Cessar, Terry Huston, Nataline Sanchez, James Milcic, Leslie Dukes, Mcrilyn Spahn, James Elrick. THIRD ROW: Ruth Thompson, Jack Andrews, Shirley Bigley. Jane Knsonovich, Mary Gannon, Thomas Taslov, Thomas Mecder. 35

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l , .. . 9 SCIENCE CLUB OF 1928 STANDING: Everett Girty, Frederick Hicher, William Girty Paul Nolan Albert Jones, Mr. A. E. Jack. SEATED: Arvid Westland. Lezter Strohm Loui.e Kleeber Ruth Bliel, Laura Pfaub, Harold Braun nlichael Dra anjac. FRONT: Charles Prager, Rocco Damiano. 1930 SENIOR PLAY CAPPY RlCKS STANDING: George Blackham, Dorothy Stoll, Florence Dunn, Marie Besdek, Louis Beiswinger, Joseph Lutz. KNEELING: Irvine Calvert, Maurer Arnold. FLAT: David Fletcher. i, v? ,Ya Sw Y W ir.. - v :SE gd gyg .fy To T 2 j lf ' 4 fs f -el-t..4 . I ' I H ia-f -h- 1 A . , Pl I. ' ': . ' 5 A . J. Q 19 . ,, .a it :,::: 'f f g r A V X ' at i tll X i . 5 cp ,I -t. -qi, ' gb 9 ff . 74 'Q-H -f w 2,j7 .n i fs 7 . tt . -tl+ll-altf t.- .t .::' We ' - 2 FACULTY OF 1938 FIRST HOW: Ilt-len Kane-, Susan Justice, Florence Yerkins, Helen Hassenlritn, ,le-an Illav-kwnod, Ircnr- Coulter, Virginia Reiter, Violet Nlusselmar, H:-lt-n Hot-, Mabel Sawyer, Ida Schor, Martha Gardner, Blanfhf- Campln-ll. Ida llurnitv-, Laura l'laulm, Nlllflllll Lytlc. SECOND HOW: Donald fllf-zinfl, Virginia Smith, Sara Seitz, Malicl Lewis, Alma Kltfcla, fltttln-rinc Intrigue, lflfirt-riw Dunn, Sarah Clark, Esthcr Ilairrl, Nlarir-lla llit-triwli, Sara Wie.-, Evelyn Armstrong, Il:-lt-n Wirth, Ilan-'I SI'-igllt, lfrantis Hamlin-s, Myrtle lloflt-l, ,lr-un IJ:-rfy, ltglymnmi Nlvtngyr, l'4tul Nl:-Klillvn. Tlllltlt liflwli llivlittrrl Nrtliurs, Ne-rle Spanulwr, fflurv-nt 1- Nl'-tzgivr. .l'YSt'IJlI Stiwyv-r, littymond Ste-pln-ns, Paul llttrk, Xlztry lit-tlilcf, Mi-s Kidnt-r, I.m1isv Wziltlr-r, Kathleen Ifrcncli, Lulu Irxint-, Nlatrit-tttt Ilml-'I, lflore-nw Irxinc, ftnn In-pus-, Lyle Im-. .loscplt Kit-Clyrnontls, Nlr. I.:-wis, Olan Mtthzincy, llohcrt llztrdrr. I-'OIilt'I'l'I ROW' Ki-itll ftrnoltl I-larry Wllitvliill Virl Ilnsti' lluuli lxclly. burg the sweet sinoers began to pelt each other' with mud balls. In those first years in the High School outstandinv Phelau pupil of Miss Helen Dodson, won the gold medal as Pennsylvanias Short Hand Champion for three years. Then under the tutelace of Miss Wilverda Hodel Martha Strohm in 1926 Grace Phelau in 1928 and Elmira Hubhes in 1929 were named Pennsylvania State Championship typists. Grace Phelau went on to further honors. In 1931 she became World Hich School Champion and in 1939 and 1942 after Draduation from Duquesne University she won the Vllorld Amateur Championship. And durinr those early years extracurricular activi- ties of diverse natures vtere whettino the interests of the students and their parents. 'Championships were won in several sports and schemes to earn money for various projects were entered into with a will. One of these projects was the annual Senior trip to Wash- inbton D.C. whereas some years later the yearbook became the major project of the seniors. Science drama and lanauage clubs were organized' plays and operettas in that day commanded three nights of standin, room only. While pride in her new hi h school was perhaps foremost those first few years Etna was aware that the foundations of a well-rounded education were being laid at the Locust and Wilson Street Schools lAt All Saint's, St. Nicholas and St. Maryls too, for by that time children from these schools were addinff new 4,-f . ,KX names to the roster: German ones like Krausg Slavish like Tomicheck and Palka: Irish ones as in Dougherty? Italian as Domiano. Miss Kathleen French had begun to teach in the seventh and eighth grades at Locust Street in 1923- 192111. She later was principal at the Wilson Street School until 1965 lwhere she was preceded by MiSS Mabel McKihlJent with the exception of the years be- tween Septemher 19:1-6 and June 1948 when the tW0 upper grades occupied rooms in the high school. During t ese two years, Miss Florence Irvine was Acting Princi- pa at Wilson Stregr.JLhf.LI2rLncipal'at-Locust Street for many' years was Miss Helen Kane who spent thirty- t , of , , U honors came to the Commercial Department. Dorothy , 7 I U 7 l 5 7 7 U V U U' Y , , T I 5 Q 1 U I U F' 5 , s Y fl' f Y 7 U a 7 U Q , 4 U , v ' or C' Q , C Ah-

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coated and un-coated and lvootctl and un-booted Etna Kindergartners since the fall of 1951 when the first Kindergarten was opened in Locust Street. ln recent years Miss Mary Hull, Miss Hazel Sleigh tEtna -13 yearsl. Miss Helen Kane tEtna 37 yearsj, Miss Jean Derry tEtna 30 yearsl, Miss Myrtle Hodel, Miss Lulu lrvine tEtna 31 yearsl, Miss Florence lrvine fEtna 39 yearsl, and a score of others have left Etna grade schools with a legacy of civic and academic enrichment. From the High School have gone, lately, men and women who deserve equal homage. Mr. Raymond Metzger fsuccessor to Mr, Fillmorel, Mr. Joseph Saw- yer thigh school principal, biology and general sciencel, who died in 1960 while still Principal of the High School. Mr. Keith Arnold fdriver's training and me- chanical drawingl, Mr. Clarence Metzger tathletics and healthl, and Mrs. Virginia Smith fbusiness skillsl. Since the fall of 1923 Miss Henrietta Dietrich has inspired two generations of Etna people to become better citizens of Etna. Together they have not solved ALL the Problems of Democracy but they have tried. Mr. Hu Vo Puntereri fWilson Street an excellent teacher and disciplinarian in sixth grade and Mrs. Ruth Thompson enthusiastic teacher of second raders at Locust and Wilson Streets are both natives of Etna. Another native Etnaite Miss Viola Voelker retired this sprin t1969l after twenty-nine years spent mainly heir to Mr. Raymond Metzger talso Etna bornl in the Music Department. Shortly after Miss Voelker came into the music de- partment, Mr. Samuel Yahres joined the faculty. H was in Etna several years when he left for Aliguippa. Special mention is accorded Sam for he has in the intervenin time composed a volume of church music and several operettas. The first of these published works was Mariann first presented in Aliquippa. lts second performance was given in Etna Hi h School. At the High School Mr. Anthony Donatelli has planned and sanded hundreds of board feet of lumber and in the process has helped build hundreds of boys into men. No printed word nor spoken plea Can teach youn hearts what men should be Not all the books on all the shelves But what the teachers are themselves. ln September 1934 Mr. Hu h Norris became Super- intendent succeeding Mr. Stewart who died that same month after an extended period of ill health. It was during Mr. Norris regime H9311--1937i that Etna be- came an independent school district. No more the annual or semi-annual visits by the County Superin- tendent! On October 2 1936 the Etna High School Athletic Field was dedicated. Mr. A. H. Stoll President V.,- K of the School Board, delivered the de icatory speech. Mr. Clayton McMillen succeeded Mr. Norris and remained in office until the fall of 194-3. On October 28, 1941, Mr. Stoll, still President of the Board, pre- sented the new Athletic Field House and Mr. McMillen received it on behalf of Etnais future athletes. The plaque was unveiled by Miss Martha Gardner, Olive Gray, and Frank Novosel of the school art department. The structure had been started in June 1940 with the aid of W.P.A. ln 1943 Mr. McMillen left Etna and Mr. Robert McKee, to the best of our knowledge the only native of Etna ever to hold the position, succeeded him. ln 1950 Mr. Paul Maxwell took over as Superintendent but remained for one year only. Specifics concerning the years following Mr. Stew- art's regime until 1951 when Mr. Norman Adams took office, were particularly hard to come by. It seems that at some intervening period all pertinent minutw were destroyed. Mr. Adams began his years in Etna in July 1 1951. He had previously been Superintendent at Pitcairn Borough Brockway-Snyder Joint Schools Summerville Borough and Salem Vocational School. His Bachelors Degree in Science was won in 1930 at Grove City and his M.S. at the University of Pittsburgh. During his eighteen years in Etna the two most important operational changes wrought in the school system no doubt, were the beginnin of a Kindergarten H9511 and of the Grade School Library t1966l. Mrs. Alice Martin still in the system came as first Kinder- garten teacher and Mrs. Frank Guy joined the Wilson Street Faculty as Librarian. fThe Etna Youth Library had met in the grade schools and provided books for young readers since 1932 but was strictly a public library. There have been a number of changes in the physical aspect of the schools as well during the last eighteen years. The appearance of the High School was altered some years back with the replacement of areas of the original yellow bricks by glass blocks. 7 U U 0' 7 s J U , , of U 7 U' 7 D , or , 7 , g ' HS U or V 0' 1 cr or 1 U 1 7 e . 7 U Cf C! 5 .. ,. , 5 ff O U' 7 GG f nr v 21 7 7 77 7 Arthur Cuiterman U D fr 1 ff , U , 1 1 . M 7 K . .... ....s .... A ..,. ..,.. ,, A V N