Christopher Columbus High School - Anchor Yearbook (Bronx, NY)

Page 28 text:

UP AND DOWN To fhose anxious fo gel' somewhere, sfaircases represenf highways. Nowhere buf on fhe sfaircases of fhis school can you find fhe quesfions and answers fo nexf period's fesfs lwifhouf fhe feacher finding oufl, faik fo a friend while going in fhe same direc- fion, have enough fime fo flirf wifh a girl, sfarf a figh+ or hold up half 'rhe school by dropping books or suddenly sfopping. The scenery isn'f excifing, buf fhe gossip you hear can wax fhe ears. lf's on fhe sfaircase 'lhaf sfudenfs display fheir hidden falenfs by drawing on fhe walls or erasing fhe marking which felis fhe number of fhe floor. The sfaircases lead fo fhe ups and downs of sfudenf life. Some sfudenfs go up wifh a bound, ofhers climb weariiy from sfep fo sfep. Going down, however, seems fo be a fasfer process. Ever wafch sfudenfs af fhree o'clock? The backwardness of our sfudenfs is, of course, indicafed by fhe facf fhaf on fhe down sfairways 'rhey go up and on fhe up sfairways, down. Traf- fic auihorifies shrewdly realizing fhis, planned if fhaf way. On fhe sfairways, vandals in need of air, or wifh some vague idea of keeping glaziers employed, manage fo fap ouf some of fhe panes of glass. As a resulf, fhe passing fashion shows can be wifnessed daily while waifing for fhe bell fo ring. Pasf fhese missing panes various sfyles from all over fhe world will appear. The dresses and blouses range from Schiaparelli's besf fo Klein's basemenf's worsf, shoes from Ma's fo Dad's, and hose from Sis' socks fo big sisfer's nylons. I+ has been suggesfed fhaf fhe besf way 'ro keep sfudenfs in school is fo eliminafe fhe sfaircases and subsfifufe rope ladders. They'll never make a monkey ouf of me! ' Edward Sorken

Page 27 text:

TGMORROW CAN WAIT You sil in lhe house alone and you're bored. You walk lo lhe window and look oul, lhen pace around lhe room lrying lo lhink ol somelhing lo do. You sil down again, looking lor a book lo read bul you don'l find anylhing lhal will hold your allenlion. You go lor a drink ol waler and lhen slare oul lhe window again. ll's raining oul and lhe slreels are emply. You pul on your coal and go down inlo lhe slreel. The rain comes down againsl your lace and il slings and makes you leel cold. You hope lo meel someone you know bul you don'l and you know you won'l. And lhen you gel loo wel and loo cold and you go back home, nol knowing whelher il's worse lo be home alone or in lhe wel slreels wilh nolhing lo do. ll leels beller lo gel inlo lhe dry house again. You sil down and pick up a book, delermined lhis lime lo read il. Bul you can'l concenlrale and your eyes keep wan- dering lrom lhe prinl. You look oul lhe window again and you begin lo lhink. You wonder aboul yoursell. You wonder whal your lile is lor. Wha+ does il mean and whal will il lead lo? Whal has il broughl you so lar and whal is lhe poinl ol going on? You ask yoursell whal you, a sevenleen year old boy, has had oul ol lile. And you +eIl yoursell lhal lhere's your ballplaying and sporls and you lry lo lhink ol all lhe olher lhings bul you can'l lhink ol anylhing besides lhal. For lhe lirsl lime you wonder if ballplaying is really lhe only imporlanl lhing in your lile. And il scares you lo lhink lhal your lile can mean so lillle. You lhink ol how lew lhings ol inleresl you've done lalely and how you've been gelling more and more disgusled wilh your- sell and everyone else. Then lhe doorbell rings and you answer il and il's one ol lhe boys. You go down inlo lhe slreel wilh him and il has slopped raining. And soon you're cracking iokes and laughing and even lalking aboul lhe very same lhings you were lhinking aboul. Bul you've slopped wondering and lhe answers seem very lar away and unimporlanl now. So you keep on lalking and laughing and kee ing lhose lhoughls oul ol your mind. Soon, perhaps even lomorrow, you'll wonder aboul lhe same lhings once more. Righl now il's easier lo ioke and lalk lo lhe boys. Tomorrow can wail. Ernie Herman

Page 29 text:

MY FRIEND GYM To lhe Columbusile gym is as inevilable as deolh and laxes. From his lirsl lerm lo his lasl a sludenl is programmed wilh Heallh Ed. Aller lrying in vain lo gel I.H.T., ioin lhe Hall Palrol, or make a leam, he is lhrown inlo gym. Here, some play sporls, olhers prelend lo, some lry lo do homework and slill olhers relax. The lypes ol sporls vary as well as lhe people in lhem. Al lhe baskelball courls some ol lhe players are good, even greal, bul lhere are olhers. This bunch ol Mikaniles, as lhey call lhemselves, lhink lhal lhe cry ol FOUL means a chicken is around. Bul even lhough lhey don'l know a sel 'from a hook or lhe backboard lrom lhe rim, lhey have nerve. They aclually allempl lo shool al lhe baskel. Al lhe volleyball nel we slumble over anolher bunch ol alhleles. These regulars consider lhemselves loo good lor ping pong and loo leisurely lor handball. The high4 lighl ol lhe game is lhe end, since lhe losers are obliged lo place lheir ends up lo acl as a largel lor a direcl hil. The handball courl is our nexl slop. Bounded on all sides by baskelball, lhis heallhlul sporl, neverlheless, carries on. To play handball muscles are occasionally required since sulficienl slrenglh is needed lo hil lhe ball pasl lhe shorl line. This leal seems beyond many. Slamina and speed are also essenlial since lhe players ollen chase lhe handball lo lhe lour corners ol lhe gym. Aller a iump over a baskelball player and skip under lhe badminlon nel, we arrive al Reslland. Al lhis spol are localed lhe bicycles and lhe ping pong lable. The bicycles are occupied by people who are wailing lheir nexl al lhe ping pong lable. Ol course, lhere are lhose who sil on lhe bicycles all period, admiring lhem- selves in lhe lull-lenglh mirrors placed nexl lo lhe bicycles. Some 'ol lhe people who play ping pong really wanl lo play and lhere are olhers who merely are passing lhe lime away, wailing lo gel on a bicycle. Occasionally, one ol lhe riders pedals luri- ously and lhen looks up surprised lhal he has gollen nowhere. The Heallh Ed deparl- menl is seriously considering running a scenic movie behind lhe bicyciisls iusl lor elfecl. For lhe Alias Men lhe gym ollers remarkably broken down equipmenl. They can show oll lheir muscles al lhe high bar or mals, or even go lo lhe ropes and lhrow someone oll. Those who wanl lo keep in shape lor a big lighl may locale a boxing bag or iump rope or even play iacks. Yes, gym is a greal place if you wish lo sludy slow molion. You ask me whal l do in gym . . . l lake lhe allendance. So boys, slop culling, lhe gym is gelling emply. Edward Sorken