Central High School - Centralia Yearbook (Bay City, MI)

Page 21 text:

£ alutatunt With the completion of our high school career, we as graduates, feel as though we have surmounted an obstacle in the great race of life; a feeling of having conquered sweeps over us; a feeling which is greatly augmented by the final whirl of activities attendant on our commencement. This is very natural and true for we have taken advantage of opportunities offered us, and after four years of hard study we have accomplished something worth while, and we are entitled to this satisfaction; but on second and more serious thought, we must not forget to voice another emotion, which we feel that we owe to many, and that is? appreciation. First of all to whom do we owe appreciation? It might seem on first thought that there was only an immediate circle to whom we owe it, but on looking deeper we can see that there are many who have contributed their share in bringing about this event. Most of all we owe appreciation to our parents and to all the people of Bay City; those taxpayers who realized the growing importance of an education and who have built for us this school, without a doubt the finest money could buy, and offering us every branch and form of high school life and cultural development. The next to whom we owe much appreciation is our present faculty. Every student realizes that, were we given a text, and printed instructions on how to study that text, we would not accomplish much in the way of learning. It is our teachers who show us how to smooth out the passages, and who help us get over the difficulties. In addition to this help and guidance the student always takes away from a class the influence of the teacher’s personality. Then, too, as a class we owe very much to our faculty advisors, those teachers who have advised and helped us in our activities, and to whom much credit is due for our successful undertakings; for every thing that this class of twenty-six has started, it has finished successfully. Another group whom we must not forget are the pioneers of our country; those men who have given us our heritage as Americans; men like Washington and Lincoln who are bright lights in American history, each contributing his share in building up democracy which not only recognizes the freedom of each and every citizen, but also gives him the chance of getting an education. So we conclude that we deserve only a small part of the credit due to a completed course on this graduation day, almost everything that we have gained has been literally handed us on a golden plate, and though we may endeavor to express our appreciation at this day, for if we continue our education we shall also continue to take benefits from society. Realizing this, let us make the most of every opportunity which may come our way, and on another day of graduation some years hence, be a lasting monument to the college of our choice, and also to our dear, old Central High School. Everyone of us, whether or not we go to college, must be someday, citizens of a great country, and in accepting this birthwright of ours let us show greatly the appreciation we now feel. Our country needs most of all, good, intelligent, law abiding citizens. It is not the learning that we can absorb while in high school or college, as learning, that is going to be of any benefit to society, rather it is the way we are going to use this learning, that we should have acquired in studying the arts and sciences. Let each one of us unite in saying, we will show our appreciation to our parents, our townsmen, our teachers and our country, and in so doing we will forever cast renown upon Old Central. Page K