Charles W Baker High School - Lyre Yearbook (Baldwinsville, NY)

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4 THE SENIOR LYRE CLASS HISTORY In the 65th year of the incorporation of our village, twenty- eight very dignified members of the North and South Side Grammar Schools of Baldwinsville, who had been carefully and skillfully reared under the teachings of Professors Rindge and Aten, were graduated from their respective schools on the eve of June 26. 1912, at the Howard Opera House, with all the honor and pomp due to such an occasion. The summer vacation of these exceedingly proud and gray- haired members, for we really thought we had become gray-haired from spending such an eternity in those Grammar Schools, was spent in questioning every known student of that institution, about, “What do you do first?” “Can you sit any place you desire—me for the hack seat if you can.” “How can you tell to which room to go?” How weary those Juniors and Seniors must have become of being met at every corner with these questions! No wonder they told us we should be seen and not heard, and advised us, “Keep your ears open and your eyes peeled.” “Do just as you are told.” t In September during the second year of the reign of Principal Stanley Ross Miller, whom the South Siders boasted of having had for nearly three years, we entered High School. As we sat any place we wished, we thought all was quite fine. At nine when the queerest little bell sounded, everything, even the clock, almost, was silent. Our hearts were in our mouths, where they should not have been, because we surely could not talk with anything in our mouths, as some very well know who have tried that sad experiment and been commanded: “Throw what you have in your mouth into the basket.” The teachers passed some large sheets of paper, called registra- tion blanks, and told us to answer the questions on the paper. To decide our future all in one second, without any warning, was a tremendous task ; but we had to perform it all by ourselves without even asking our parents’ advice. Finally, after filling out our blanks and handing them in, we were told to report again in the afternoon when we were dismissed. For two days there was no school, because the schedule, which was very hard to prepare, had not been completed. But on the third day we began our school work, Andjhen came the time when we were to become confused in finding where our classes met. Then we who had felt so big and proud at leaving our “Alma Mater,” began to realize what tiny,

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(Elu' Srttutr ICyre BALDWINSVILLE, N. Y., JUNE 1916 Published by the Senior Class of the Baldwinsville Academy. Price for single copies fifteen cents. EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-chief— Emvard Oiddixgs Associate Editors—Ester Harrington., Doris Garrett Donald Kane ----------------- Business Manager Olin Haydon Assistant Manager Alphonsus Sinnktt Ever since the organization of our class we seniors have had a dream of a class paper. Now that that dream has materialized and we have all had a share in its formation we are justly proud of it. There are many things which if we were to do over we would do differently or not at all, and many things we have not done which we ought to have done. But we have profited by these mistakes and hope that the future classes may also profit by them. We also hope that The Senior Lyre may continue to be published not by the Senior Class alone but by the whole school, semi-annually or oftener- This wish shows that we still have a dream, may it materialize as our first dream has.

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THE SENIOR LYRE insignificant pieces of humanity we were beside those great big Seniors. As school progressed, the football season opened. Then for the first time in their lives, some witnessed, much to their astonishment and horror, a real football game. Indeed, to think we were allowed to yell with the older students, for the team, which we soon dis- covered, belonged to us just as much as to them, made us feel more at home. While the Chapel Exercises seemed to delight us, there was an exceedingly weighty question burdening us. How were we. who had been accustomed to cpiiet, uninterrupted study hours, to endure that huge study hall? .... In June came those awful exams which were to decide that many of us should no longer he counted in the Class of 1916. The following September we came together for the second time, although some of our number were not present. They had left the dear B. H. S. never again to return there as students. Now we were given new seats in the middle of the hall, much to our pride and joy, and then permitted to cal! ourselves “worthy Sophomores.” To our regret Miss Kinney was not present. But who was that important looking person standing at the desk? There had once been a “Fish” among the students: now we were to have the pleas- ure of tasting “Pike.” A few weeks later. Miss Shapero, our mathematics instructor, announced that she had decided that two could live as cheaply as one, and that, when she subtracted Miss Kiley was the remainder. Miss Kiley caused much excitement because of her stately black gowns and diamond ring, which we guessed was transferred to the right hand for some purpose for which we could not account. But our conjecture was wrong. As now we had reached a higher degree, we were permitted to enter into club activities. The girls in the Social Culture Class were instructed by the teachers on “How to dress,” “How to conduct themselves properly,” or to sum it up. “What they should and should not do in public as well as in private life.” We also joined, at this time, the Glee Club under the supervision of Miss Roth. The boys had the privilege of becoming members of the Debate Club. Through one of this club’s social activities, one of the songs which had been having a hard struggle, burst into full glory, so that for some time “I Don’t Want To” could be heard on every stu- dent’s tongue. One of our classmates, striving to gain honor for the school, de- livered an oration, which thrilled more than one audience and car- ried off the highest honors at Skaneateles.