Champaign High School - Maroon Yearbook (Champaign, IL)

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tainment offered by the high school musicians. The bandsmen under the direction of Mr. Ri- ley and the string ensemble with Mrs. Lorraine Bayes as leader, likewise contributed a share. with the annual stage show and the May 4 music festival attracting attention as headliners. But the coming of shirt sleeve weather made school a bit trying and study was difficult to hold at a normal rate. Even at the shops where life moved along at a pleasantly agreeable pace, there were signs of restlessness. This was especially true of both the aircraft wood classes- the only course of its kind offered by any high school in the United States and where gliders were constructed for actual flying-and in the printing laboratories. It was quite evident that the instructors were watch- ing the warm and balmy sun with considerable anticipation. Both Mr. Applegate and Mr. Geist, together with Mr. McBride of the commercial department, Mr. Clark and Mr. Fuqua. mathematics, frankly admitted the longing to get up into the air as quickly and as often as possible, All live had been dyed in the wool flying addicts, suggesting the modern trend that was engulling their interests along with teaching. l The shops, despite the irreplaceable loss of Mr. Homer Dremann who did not return to senior high this year, were able to report better than average progress in work throughout the , ,, l year. There had been a bit of shuffling necessary-with three of the department members shar- ing the load-to absorb the architectural and mechanical drawing classes taught by Miss Grace Wilson who is on leave of absence to serve in the WACS. And short supplies in some of the critical materials had made it necessary to place new emphasis upon other features of the wood and electrical courses. But by and large, the department carried on, meriting the approval of the state vocational department. Three members of the industrial education faculty, however, were responsible for no lit- tle scandal when, attending a national vocational conference at Philadelphia, they wandered into a restricted area and had photographed sections of a shipyard. Held by the FBI as possi- ble saboteurs, the trio was finally released and absolved of all suspicion. 20 The Maroon

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chores, there was little out of the ordinary to characterize the remainder of the quarter. School, of course, had become very much on the beam with the Weekly hops held on the Friday recreation hour and the boys and gals making the most of the opportunities of- fered for relaxation. The Club Coed-the high school youth's special part of the Mc- Kinley Y, M. C. A.-and the Hi-Y Club, reorganized and functioning as a socializing unit, both contributed a share in making out- of-school life pleasant. And these, with the other provisions for relaxation. kept everything on an even keel until the Easter vacation rolled around on March 29 with all classes dismissed until April 3. A warm sun-hidden so long by the drab winter-returned to add to the pleasantness of school days, and it was with a great deal of enthusiasm that the gym classes returned to the open for play on the outdoor grounds. Touch football immediately became a popular sport, superseding basketball and wrestling-which, in spite of records of out- standing seasons, had become threadbare to both the participants and spectators. Coaches of these sports, along with the directors of the girls' Htness programs, found the change an opportunity to try out candi- dates for baseball, although again, as in past seasons, the lack of competition from nearby schools made it impractical to organize for league play. By early April, the dramatists were again busy with rehearsals with the determination to make the spring play, scheduled for April 27, an outstanding event in the school calendar. Most of the cast chosen for the play, as well as the director, had been exceedingly busy during the preceding month when, as district winner in the l944 speech contest, the school was host to the contestants. With interest at top point, and under the direction and training of Miss Stuart. taking high hon- ors was a foregone conclusion, with no one doubting the final decisions made by the judges. It was the unanimous opinion that Barbara Patterson should continue in this particular field. But the dramatists were by no means alone in hanging out the busy sign at re- hearsal time. Both choirs under the direction of Miss Harland and the Troubadours with Miss Rose as leader, turned special attention to practice for the annual opera scheduled for May ll. And there was every reason to believe that the opera would excel the performance of the The Maroon previous year when this type of entertain- ment wasloffered at the senior high school for the first time in many years. Much of the credit for the return of vocal music to favor at the senior high school must be given to Miss Rose and Miss Harland, and the two special singing groups-the Trouba- dors for boys and the Vocalettes made up of girls-did offer a very fine addition to the entertainment offered by high school youth. The vocalists, however well they pleased. did not by any means monopolize the enter- 19

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Although still ahead, the final days of May -climaxed with graduation for a group of haughty seniors. and the moving up of im- patient juniors and sophomores-will move ahead. And with May 28 rolling around, there'll be a chance to write a series of final examina- tions-the seniors excepted-and on June 1, there'll be report cards to be accepted and tucked away among the keepsakes. But it must be admitted that the diplomas that are to be passed out on the evening of May 25 are the keepsakes for which most of us are anxiously awaiting. End of the term, however, is only another milestone along the CHS pathway. True. the old seniors will be gone-many into the services, others to colleges and universities. But with the coming of another September, there'll be a new class of seniors who will look forward'to the year as the most eventful of their lives: there'll be another group who'l1 bear the distinction as juniors , and another crop of graduates from the Junior High School that will step into the ranks as Sophomores. Prospects are particularly bright for a fine football team to represent the school on the grid- iron, with Freddie Major, Jr., and James Cottrell back to form the nucleus: there'll be another lighting five, ready to carry on the scrap and make a strong bid once more for the state basket- ball crown. But three of our old teacher friends will not be listed on the faculty rolls. Mr. McBride, leaving midway of the second semester, has very definitely decided to continue to live in his home town of Miller City: Miss Lewis. popular and hardworking art teacher-whose friend- ly hand never failed in time of need-chose to return to the commercial field instead of the classroom: and Miss Rose has been persuaded to take up a homemaking career, with her new address as Cincinnati. These teachers will be missed by the 1946 seniors as well as by the sophomores who move up to be the juniors of next year, and the memories of their patience and kindly consid- eration will be treasured by all those who knew them in the classroom. But the coming and going of the teaching staff is much like that of the boys and girls who each year climb up one more round in the ladder-there'll always be new ones to take their place. And there The Maroon 21