Classical High School - Blue and White Yearbook (Springfield, MA)

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il Teenagers gather outside of Classical to so- cialize. In 1897 a new school was built. The city celebrated the opening of Central High School. The principal, Mr. Atkinson, stressed practical courses such as Latin, math and English. With the opening of the school came the- promise of a new era. Students were happy to be getting a new building and a new start for a better education; it was a privilege and an honor to be attending Central High. They had never seen such a beautiful build- ing with such modern materials. Between the years 1897 and 1926 life was simple. During this time, families were large and money was hard to come by. The Spanish-Ameri can War and World War I shook America and the rest of the world during these years. The young people of this time were very patriotic and felt pride for America while these wars were going on. When a girl became a teenager, she would often leave home in search of a job or a husband to support her. Boys would often join the military to earn money. Families at this time were very close, making it hard for a child to leave home. As times grew harder, jobs became scarce. Many parents sent their children to work in factories, at a time when there were no child labor laws. Truant officers tried to put strict control on this and would check on any child out for a long time to see whether or not they were working. Many teenagers considered going to school a privilege which they preferred over working. Teenaged girls could espe- cially consider themselves privileged to still be in school because males played the dominant role in the society. Young people were wearing new fashion trends that came about in the early 1900’s. History ABOVE: The suave, sleek look for hair was in for young boys. BELOW: Florence Ellenor Peters seen here in her senior year, (bottom). For young ladies, long, pulled up hair was very fashionable. For the girls, the hour-glass figure was in. To achieve this affect they wore corsets. Most young girls had long braided hair. Boys were considered to be healthy if they had a “beefy” look. They wore cotton or wool trousers, suspenders, and dress shirts. As well as new fashion trends, new be- liefs, inventions, and fads came about in this period. Ice skating was popular, as was the new trend of cycling. Some felt the inven- tion of moving pictures caused the erosion of moral values and a de-emphasis on family life. Teenagers began to develop movie idols, such as Charlie Chaplin. The movie houses, called Nickelodeons, charged ad- mission prices of five cents. The invention of the radio also had a tremendous effect on the family. Being a new source of entertain- ment, it brought neighbors to the houses of those who were wealthy enough to own a radio. As the years went by, young people were getting away from the house a lot more. On Sundays, teenagers could be found in For- est Park on canoe rides, playing baseball in the streets, or making maypoles, taffy, bas- kets, and daisy chains. The young people of this time found such simple things enjoy- able. More and more, students were joining such groups as the Boy Scouts, The Camp Fire Girls, or bicycle clubs. With the influx of all the immigrants came prejudice. Catholics and Blacks were denied things like entrance to a building. Signs could be read saying, “No Irish Al- lowed”. At times people could not get jobs because of their nationalities. In the 1920’s more jobs began to become available. This was due to the Ford-inspired idea of the assembly line. Things were be- ginning to look up for the American popula- tion.

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Hi! I know that history is not one of your favorite words right now; I under- stand. But really, this section is impor- tant. It has a special reason for being here. The history section is, in a sense, a memorial to our closing school. This was a very special year for all of us, and Clas- sical has always been a very special school. This section is designed to explain how we have been special over the past ninety years. But, although the history section deals with the past, don’t be surprised to see a few familiar faces. It is not only the teachers and students from 1897 to 1985 that made Classical great, but also the students of 1986. We, as Classical stu- dents, share a trait with all the students of the past: we have spent our high school days in the most run-down, dusty, special old school there is. Aithough we com- plain about its appearance, Classical will always remain a part of each student’s memory because each of us was a part of it. Ninety years of teenage memories echo in its halls. I think that ours have been the best. So enjoy the history sec- tion that follows: you may find that the past has been only a prologue to the best years of your life. -Nancy Kienzler History Editor CLP si anne Saaeue History i

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ABOVE: A popular hang-out, Brunswick Al- lies. RIGHT: The Classical Mandolin Club of 1915. ABOVE: The Classical Recorder staff was more than eighty percent male around the turn of the century. RIGHT: Students were serious about all of their work during a time when classes were extremely hard. BELOW: Classical’s winning football tradi- tion began with teams such as this, the team of 1900, BOARD OF EDITORS History iii