Bronx High School of Science - Observatory Yearbook (Bronx, NY)

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A small man was usually seen sitting silently in a park not too lar from the sc-hool. To the older tent le esenet a lldl' 0 e ant stul s l pr. t l l'am'l'- ligur . l the younger students undoulwtedly got used to him as time passed on. Hed heen around lor some time hut l still rememher when l hrst spoke to hnnf l think we were dist-ussing the world situation. Time passed quit-kly. and as I lveeame eomieeted with the yearltook our relationship grew steadily until linally' I asked him lor some adyiee on writing the school history. You'y'e eome to the right manf' he said. his eyes happily gleaming and his tired face lwreaking out in a smile. for if thereis anyone who knows the whole story. itis me. With that he got up from the heneh and lregan to paee up and down. I was a little boy. and if l remem- her Correctly it was in the autumn of WIFI when a few' important looking men assemhled on what was then an empty' lot. They' had some sort of Cere- mony' and finally' they laid a corner- stone for a huilding they Called lfyander High School. Those were sad times in the world. Wilson announcing his ill fated ll points. and the Mal- ltorne Street Tunnel killed 97 people. Women were fighting for their sultrage Ti X 'i WM ll it 1 l ff l.. J ri and stocks showed a slight def-line. It was when the st4lClis really' de- r-lined. howeyerf' the old timer Von- tinued. during the height ol' the depression. that the eastle-like strnr- ture Changed its name. It ltecame a girls sehool wlneh was ll.lX. yyllll dll old Codger like me. That was the year lfllll saw one third ol' the nation ill led and a few other things. and that Hitler was heginning to stiek his face into the headlines. .-X few years later. jtlrt alter the Heiehstag lruilding was burned down. the school Changed hands again. .-X hoys' school. he reminiseed. with eyi- dent eontempt. an annex of Clinton High School. uwell. the world moy ed on. and so did the Board ol' Education. The laps moyed into Canton. the UT year old lil was lreing demolished. and the WP.-X. was renoyating the Corner lvuilding. transferring it into the lianeily' titled 'llronx High Sehool ol' Seieneef lian you imagine the poor students there who haye to w rite that long name ey ery time they till out a l'rogram tiardQ ' l smiled at him. reealling my own Program liard days. the times when my address was a hook numlrer and my lathers name was ltr. Xleister. The world was getting worse hy the minute. he eyvlaimed. unmindtiul ol my thoughts. hut that didnt stop the NY.l'.N. lturing those initial years a PA. system was installed. eleetiye eourses were estahlished and l to stu-

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ABUUT THE UAST MRS. DAVIS At Science the girls learned a great deal which will help them in later life. commented Mrs. Anna Davis. the Senior Grade Guide who divides her school duties between the mathematics class and the guidance office. Among the vital things that this school has taught them. she continued. His to complete a task in a responsible man- ner. to work under pressure. and to master an extensive curriculumfi The blue-eyed. friendly math teacher is a Science veteran. having served on the faculty for ten years and on the guidance department for two. An op- timist on the question of opportunities for the girls. she claims that new op- portunities are being opened to women every day. Mrs. Davis. a graduate of Hunter College and Columbia University. stated that in the end it is important for girls to make up their own minds. being careful. nevertheless. not to strain the feminine prerogative of changing your mind. Vfihile the girls. of course. are faced with no immediate draft problems. Mrs. Davis. who also doubled as the adviser of the lower seniors. had by no means an easy job. Countless num- bers of girls asked her the advisability of going to an all girls' school over a co-ed college. or the advantages of an out of town education. The girls' grade guide also finds that while most of the young ladies of Science go into fields of education, many of them also make a future in some field of science, the majority in biology. MR. SELLINGER Mr. Benjamin Sellinger. Senior grade guide. is probably the person most responsible for the high percent- age 199.5010 of college acceptance of students in our term. This fine record could not have been achieved had we not been helped at all times in our three years by the liard work of this graying grade guide. He spent countless hours filling out transcripts and recommendations. in addition to writing numerous personal letters for the students. Mr. Sellinger. who has a BA., lVl.A. and L.L.H. from Columbia. is a social studies teacher. a golf fan and the principal of the Rodelph Sholem Sun- day School. Upon entering his den on the first floor. the student can usually see him in his characteristic pose. chewing on his pipe and leaning back on his seat with a big friendly smile. His duties were made particularly dilhcult this term by the large concern not only of what college a student wanted to attend but also what were the chances of educational deferment and joining R.0.T.C. units. As a whole Mr. Sellinger had to double as an ex- pert on the draft law in addition to an expert on colleges and their char- acteristics. He has been with our class ever since the hfth term when Saul Geffner left the school. During the early terms he was particularly helpful in aiding students to choose their elective, rec- ognize their aptitudes and helped them request scholarships. they have their exits and entrances . . . 7

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UUR THEATRE 'Pride of the Marines' the yearis best movie. Those were the days of big achievements. Eighty students made Arista. and another student won Sltltttt on Alexanderis Quizdom Class. Master Ser- geant llli Blume and Lt. Dan hlctirath rejoined the faculty. dents attained over 90 averages. Finally the war came and Science grads did their part. some giving their lives for their country. Un the home front the school established a victory corps and a gala bond drive. Then the school really got going. A student council was established and elections held. An amendment to the constitution followed shortly. stating that a delegate from each oilicial class could attend the meetings. A Science alumnus returned with the quip. 'Army discipline is nothing like Sciencesf Some fellow. I forgot his name. bought a Sl0.tlt,ttt bond in school. Twelve percent of the school had an over 945 average. Hitler invaded Russia. the track team came in last in the Bronx Champs and the first issue of the Science Guide Book appeared. A fellow named Edgar Al. Kigel- man. well liked and respected by his classmates. was taking a blood analysis in a clinical biology course and dis- covered that he had a fatal case of leukemia. Eddie. who had an outstand- ing record not only scholastically but in such Fields as journalism and music. is remembered today by the Edgar Cigelman scholarship and the fligel- man lounge. established by his parents. H1945 was the year Survey mourned the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in big black headlines. It was the year Dr. Meister introduced the UL. system. and the student body voted Une day l noticed all the boys dressed in jackets and ties and l knew the eventual had come-co-eds. The girls came and stayed. but the ties and jackets didnit. A student poll revealed that most people didnit think the UNH could stop another war. 150 couples at- tended an SU. dance. while Dr. Aleister attained the position of Presi- dent of the National Association of Science Teachers. Time went on. the war was over and the UX started. The forum be- came the most popular extracurricu- lar activity. a home technology lab was built and to the gratitude of Air. llensin and Airs. Lawner the lunch- room was made soundproof. A music lounge which today boasts of over lltltl records was built by Air. and Airs. liigelman. Vt hile Russian and American dif- ferences were growing. the Alath Team finally beat Stuyvesant and vf .f1g-ifije 'F' Zn, 52.1- E I FEW 4 14:-4,5 R' ' Drmfgnlg, Wg ,vw E i I - W 5? - . - Ii I T lj- .La ii 3 -- ..-- , TI 2 .- jj --fa It ini ! Hijai Y-3 j T-.4347-:fl-I-:E:':-1 j - .I ' -. --' 2 f A! 'f .-cEf,.x. . n E 3-.4-A: j Q T - ...ea-' and one man in his time plays rnanr parts