Cochran Junior High School - Yearbook (Johnstown, PA)

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COCHRAN AERIAL I was jogging home from the village store one clear summer day on our old gray mare. A beautiful arching elm tree drew my eyes to a pond in which I could see little fish dart here and there and blue and gold dragon flies hovering over the Water. As I rounded a curve, a pasture dotted with black and white pigs came into view. In a fence corner a horse was rolling on the ground. As I passed on I met a road mender at Workg he greeted me with a Hel1o! which I flung back at him. When an auto drove me to the side of the road, I no- ticed a picturesque fern growing in the shades of a massive oak. Woods bordered the road now. It was darker and cooler. I sniffed the rank green scent of mint. Sarlet tanagers Hitted across the road. A wild squirrel jumped from tree to tree. Beside a little stream which trickled along the roadside brilliant cardinal fiowers and blue flags were growing. On the other side a little farther on were delicious looking blackberries. Through a few scattered trees a lone farm house came into view. In front was the wreck of an old wagon. I did not need to turn the horse in at the gate, his instinct was as good as mine. We had come home. STANLEY STEPHENS. ...Q-,. COCHRAN'S CLUBS The present tendency in progressive schools is to include within the actual working program of the school wholesome forms of recrea- tion. A craving for pleasure is inborn in every individual and so strong is the desire for personal enjoyment that if socially desirable forms are not available, lower types will be seized upon to the detriment, physi- cally and mentally, of the boy or girl. To counteract this tendency, schools must provide pleasureable activities, under circumstances that mean worthy associations and refined surroundings. Children differ in ability, social status, environment, race, and in- tellectual development. For this reason the range of natural and wholesome amusements must be broad enough to attract these chil- dren of varying tastes and temperaments, and the hobby or club period is finding itself in the junior high school. We have come to recognize the fact that school cannot prepare children for social life unless it reproduces within itself the conditions of social life. . Cochran has a club program this year which is filling these re- quirements. During the past we have had outside activities for only two groups of pupils--those interested in music and athletics. To-day our aim is the enlistment of the entire enrollment of the school. Because they are not familiar with the junior high school aims, ideals, and practices, the Term I pupils are not given a choice, but are assigned to such clubs as Travel, Art Appreciation, etc. The following clubs have been successfully organized at Cochran: The Boy Scouts, Hi-Y, Aviation, Embroidery, Story-Telling, Type- writing, French, Latin, Dramatics, Stamp, Auto Mechanics, Toy- Making, Millinery, Sewing, Cooking, Home Nursing, Nature Study, Art Gift, Art Appreciation, Art Metal, Chemistry, Basketball, Glee Clubs, Etiquette, Life-Saving, Penmanship, Lettering, and Hiking. The Boy Scouts Club is open to any regularly enrolled Boy Scout attending Cochran. The platform of the Hi-Y Club, Clean living, clean athletics, clean speech and clean scholarship, is worthy of the large number of boys who attend this club. The Boys' and Girls' Glee Clubs are preparing a cantata, entitled Rip Van Winkle, to be given Music Week. The junior Dramatic Club gave two little plays the first semester - The Bond Issue and Tommy's Thanksgiving, While the Senior ' Cseventy sixj

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COCHRAN AERIAL the Devil's Pass. Here the trail led us over a ridge, wide enough for only one person at a time, and on either side the mountain sloped down at a dizzy angle. Here, also, we came to the first snow, huge drifts of it lying on either slope below us. A little further on and al- most to the top of the peak, we stopped again for a rest and to watch the mountain sunset. Against the western glow we could see the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island, some eighty miles distant. As there is very little twi- light here, we were soon climbing by moonlight and now some of our party who had thought it too warm at the beginning of the trip, were sorry indeed that they had left their coats at camp, for without the sun's heat we found the air of the mountain top uncomfortably cold. On arriving at the summit, we gathered a few twigs and limbs, and built a small fire, around which we gathered to eat the lunch we had brought along, thoroughly enjoying the rest before beginning the descent. Going down, we had the moon to help us find the trail, and in places where we traveled through the wood we had to use search- lights to find our way along. It was very much cooler now than it had been when we ascended the slope but a few hours since. Far below we could see lights of Camp Baldy. We drew nearer and nearer to the lights. We were so very tired when we arrived at Camp Baldy that we lost no time in getting into our automobiles and going home. ROBERT BAUM GARDTNER. ALL FOR A QUART OF ICE CREAM We started on that long walk from camp to town just for a quart of ice cream. I looked around vainly for the moon, it was nowhere to be seen. George reached for the lantern, but he was greeted with re- marks about bein' afraid and wantin' to read, and so we started up the long humpy and dusty road, heading for the little store in Wehrum, with nothing to light our way We stumbled along, our eyes every- where, but seeing nothing. We passed a little farm house where lights twinkled through half-drawn blinds. A lonely dog gave a half-hearted bark, then sat down and eyed us good-naturedly. The lights vanished as we went around the turn and we seemed millions of miles away from civilization. When a rabbit scurried across the road in front of us, we both started, then stumbled on. Ahead loomed a little grave- yard, we scurried along its low wall. Nothing happened. Farther on we plunged into a kind of tunnel made of arching trees. They shut out even the dim starlight which had been helping us along before. All the branches clutched at us, each tree grinned at us. George stop- ped and with a tug at my arm that nearly tore it off whispered, What's that? I strained my eyes, something was coming up the road. Pad, pad, pad it came. A thousand pictures of animals went through my head as I searched for a handy stone or club. On it came, a white thing of indefinite shape, traveling close to the ground. We both stood still, waiting and hoping, hardly breathing. Suddenly George laughed nervously and said, It's only a dog. With a sigh I relaxed. A black and white spotted dog trotted up to me, wagging his tail and snifliing inquisitivelyg after I had patted him a few times he went his way. He knows just where he's going, said George. We groped our way along again. George stumbled on an unseen rock and fell fiat with a resounding thud. Confound these roads, roared George as he got up, it's a pity they can't fix them, what do we pay the road commissioners for? Well, there's the town, said I as we rounded the last turn, and you can bet we were glad. VERNON HORNER. Cseventy fivej

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COCHRAN AERIAL Dramatic Club is preparing to put on a more elaborate play, The Pied Piper, in which a large number of little children will take part. Selecting albums, collecting, exchanging, classifying and mounting stamps, studying the.paper from which they are made, testing for water marks, and surcharging stamps are some of the activities of the two Stamp Clubs. The Auto Mechanics boys will all be able to repair their own cars when they get them, and the girls in the Sewing and Millinery Clubs will not only make their own dresses, but trim their own hats. Andy Gump and Iiggs smoking stands in the Toy-Making Club testify to the fact that the boys read at least one part of the newspaper. After learning the various stitches, the girls in the three Embroid- ery Clubs are busy making cushions, towels, table scarfs, buffet sets, and many other things. They plan to have an exhibition of their work at the end of the semester. The Typewriting, Home Nursing and Story-Telling Clubs are so aptly nan1ed that we will give you three guesses as to how they spend their time. The French Club, in addition to having all their conversations in French, and making two portfolios which have been sent to France and Belgium, has had the pleasure of listening to a talk by Major Schi- ziano, a Frenchman. The Nature Study Club is interested in anything that grows in the woods, from trees to insects. Their slogan is A Watcher in the Woods. The brightly colored reed baskets of the Art Gift Club, the port- folios containing copies of pictures by ten famous artists of the Art Appreciation Club, and the galvanized iron boat of the Art Metal Club all prove the statement that children Work well if they like 'what they are doing. The Mechanical Drawing Club is divided into two groups-those working on mechanical drawing to aid them in their Geometry, and the other group strengthening their Art by taking lettering. A worthy ambition of the Chemistry Club is the purchasing of a large chemistry outfit to aid them next year in making their experi- ments. The Basketball and Hikers' Clubs are open to girls interested in athletics. The four teams of the Basketball Club are working hard so that they can challenge outside teams, while the Hikers' Club has set its goal at five hundred miles in ninety days. The Cooking Club is a fitting club with which to close our article, for what would leave a better taste than the pies, cookies, fancy cakes and ice cream which these girls make during the club period? THE AVIATION CLUB HAS FINE PROGRAM The Aviation Club sponsored by Mr. Harris had a very interesting program Thursday, April twenty-second! After roll was called by the Adjutant, Mr. Harris told us the period would be used for discussion. Lloyd Stahl, the Chief Commander, gave us a very interesting talk on aviation. V He gave all the particulars on how aviation began in France. The French wanted to get the Rock of Gibraltar from the English, who had control of it then. The French knew they could get it only through the air, because' they knew they could not get near it any other way. So Mr. Langley started to build an airplane. He told of the different early types and some of the modern models. He ended by telling of the dirigibles and gases. Mr. Harris passed around the class some interesting pictures dur- ing the talk. Cseventy sevenj