Brady High School - Bulldog / Spotlight Yearbook (Brady, MT)

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Teachers Provide Essential Knowledge

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Far Left: Mr. Whiteman teaches the Driver’s Train- ing Class to Freshman. Above Left: Mr. Fried points the way for the Soci- ology Class. Middle Left: Mr. Wofford counsels a BHS student. Below Center: Mr. Morris hands out Biology home- work papers. Middle Right: Miss Gnojek directs Band practice. Above Right: English Class gets another lecture from Mr. Nugent. Below Right: Mrs. Malone corrects papers from her Bookkeeping Class. Mr. Delmar Fried Mr. Prentis Wofford Mr. Robert Morris Mr. Terry Nugent

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1 Superintendent’s Message To the Class of 1971: As one passes through the reception line, following graduation exercises, it is quite common to hear adults wishing graduates success in their future lives. It would be very interesting, at such times, to be able to see the mental picture each of these people have of success. These pictures would probably include such things as graduation from college with good grades, marriage, children, a good job, a fine home, a nice car, good clothes, and other external evidence of achievement. These are some of the measures most often used to judge a person's success in life. Unfortunately, success cannot be measured in such terms. How many people have you met, graduates, that have garnered all these measures of success, and were still very unhappy people? I would guess that you could name quite a few. What, then, can we use to measure success in life? It is my contention that success cannot be measured by any external achievements, rather, it must be measured by the individual person, within himself. The best possible measure, in my opinion, is the degree to which a person has peace of mind, the degree to which the person meets the demands of his own conscience. Most people know this, deep down, but few really apply the principle to their own lives. We are too busy taking part in those things that others can see, to realize that we are gaining these externals at the expense of the real measure of suc- cess, peace of mind. How can one achieve this peace of mind, or success, in life? Few have been able to find the answer to that question, and I don't pretend to be one that has found it. However, there are a few principles that I believe can contribute to the inner peace to which I have referred, and I would like to discuss four of them for those students commencing their independ- ent lives. First, I believe a person must live within his own limits of right and wrong . In other words, a person cannot be successful in life until he learns to avoid actions that go against his own conscience. These limits may vary a great deal from individual to individual, but they are there for everyone. Second, I believe people must refrain from spending so much of their time competing with others and using others' accomplishments to measure their own success. No matter how well one competes, there is always someone higher. By this, I do not mean that people should not constantly strive to improve themselves. I mean that we should worry more about meeting personal goals. Third, I believe a person must stop hating and start loving . These terms mean a lot of different things to different people, but to me, this means that person has to recognize that others are equal human beings with good and bad qualities, who have feelings similar to our own, including feelings of love, fear, anxiety, desire, etc., and who deserve our concern, trust, respect and love. I truly believe that most people could have much happier lives if we could simply learn to accept others and quit trying to find tidbits in others' lives to pounce on and criticize. I find it interesting, as I listen to conver- sations around school and elsewhere, to count the number of times a criticism of someone is either stated, or implied. It is not uncommon to find that we humans can talk for hours and do little else but discuss errors that others have made, or are making. We think this enhances our own success, but it merely tears us down. Last, I do not believe success in life can be achieved by withdrawing from the encounter with life. We often react to life's trials and pressures by simply running away fromthemor pretending they aren’t important. I believe, to be successful, a person must meet life head on and deal with the challenges that are presented by always giving the full amount of one’s ability. Defeat and failure will occur from time to time, but a person can still have peace of mind if he has given his best. There are many other factors that can, and do, contribute to inner peace of mind, and success in life, and some are probably more important than those I have mentioned. The important point is, however, that people must live their lives according to the principles that contribute to this peace of mind in order to consider themselves successful in life. The alternative is frustration and bitterness, a quality that many are living with today. It is my hope that the class of 1971, in their search for a place in life, will be able to find the peace of mind that I have mentioned. It takes a lot of courage to live a life based on such principles, but the ultimate reward is worth the effort. 14