Comstock High School - Corral Yearbook (Comstock, MI)

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 VALEDICTORY By Makgarkt Beckwith For four years we have been directly and indirectly connected with Comstock School and its community. Through these connections we have formed many friendships which have served to make our high school days happy ones. One never realizes how much a thing means to him or what a large part it plays in his life until he has to part with it. We realize this when we come to graduation. When on the verge of departing from high school, in breaking off many of the friendships formed in school, in leaving our teach- ers, who have helped us greatly during our four years of high school work—we realize more lully than ever before what graduation really means. Although commencement usually is thought of as a departure from an old world which has been full of friends into a world where one’s position is uncertain, in reality, it is only a step upward in the progress of receiving an education, in learning how to live. This progress should never cease, even though one has finished his schooling. One’s attitude toward education, toward friends, in iact. toward everything depends upon the founda- tions of character which have been laid in high school. If one has been properly guided along the way and Built for character, not for fame,” in his high school days, he has laid these necessary foundations. With these ideas in view, the Senior Class of ‘29 has chosen for its motto, ‘‘Build for character, not for fame. For four years the members of the class have been en- deavoring to live up to this motto. They have gone out for athletics for the sport of the game, not to win at all costs, but to improve physically and morally and to lay the foundations for a true sportsman, who will play the game with a smile and give all he has for the sake of his team-mates, for the sake of Old Comstock High and not for the sake of an occasional grandstand play that lie may make. The best place to lay the foundations of sportsmanship is on the athletic field. Once a person has sportsmanship no one can take it away from him, whether lie is playing a winning or a losing game to the public, to himself he is playing a winning game, for he is building up a strong, healthy body and a clean-thinking mind. He is building up character! This year, more than ever before, the school had this spirit of sportsmanship which goes hand in hand with building character. The students had school spirit and although most of them could not play the game on the athletic field, they played it in their hearts, while they stood on the sidelines, rooting for their team. They were building up character! They wanted to see their team win, but they wanted a victory won by clean playing, by character, not fame at all costs. This year the spirit of sportsmanship and school spirit spread from the athletic field to other activities. It was seen in the debating team, who victorious but once according to the decision of the judges. took their defeat with a smile, knowing that although they lost the decision they had gained for they had built for character, not for fame alone. Here again the school spirit was manifest, for. the debate team was supported as faith- fully as the athletic teams. We sincerely hope that this spirit will continue to expand and develop as it has this past year for Comstock High School is judged more by the character of her students than by the fame of the school. That day back in 1926 when the Captain of the Schoolcraft ioothall team said to Coach Noble, “Yours is the cleanest and fairest team we have ever played and we are proud to meet defeat from such a team”—was the school as proud of her victory as she was of the supreme compliment to her character? Were we not more satisfied with the victory when we knew that our team had displayed true sportsmanship than we would have been had our boys played unfairly? Our class has endeavored to build for character. Let fame come as it will, character will aid and strengthen, no matter whether we continue our school life by going on to college or whether we enter other lines of endeavor. May the Class of ‘29 continue to build for character, not ior fame and may they all fare well. r° is 9 11

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SENIOR CLASS HISTORY By Helen Willett In 1925, many Pilgrims started on a long journey of four years in the Comstock High School, each one taking a different path. Some of these paths were difficult to travel, while others were easy. When we smarted on this journey, some of the more experienced travelers made light of our inexperienced way of meeting our trials and tribulations. But along with this, they had a feeling of sympathy in their hearts because of the long journey before us. Even though there were many hardships to he encountered, we readied oases at different places on our journey, although we had no one to give us a hit of information. W hat ex- perience we gained was through our own endeavor. During the first year of our pilgrimage, we had many conferences. At one of these we elected oftiers to guide us on our way. Grace Cramer was elected President; Bob Mason, Vice-President; Bob Allen and Evelyn Hughes were Treasurers; and Arline Hitzfield, Secretary. Because of our knowledge gained during the first lap of our journey, we were able to make better progress than we had before. This year we had as leaders: Bob Coates, President; Helen Willett, Vice-President; Arline Hitzfield, Secretary and Margaret Beck- with. Treasurer. Owing to our previous experience in traveling, we treated those who were just starting on their journey, with greater respect than had been showed us. We did this by giving these Pilgrims a party, namely. The Freshman Reception, at which we gave them a few words of advice. This was accepted with heart-felt thanks. Then we continued our journey onward. In the distance we could see the little town of Geometry. While looking about us, we saw some of our friends faltering. Trusting in our leaders, we thought we would have nothing to fear. The streets were not paved, so here we lost some of our hand. We found this part of our journey very difficult. But those who pressed on, were fitting themselves for the hardships to come. Now we came to the city called Caesar. The streets were long, the way was hard and difficult. Here we lost many more of our friends. Behold! A new dawn! The way looked brighter and the road much smoother because of the experience we had gained. We could see looming up in the distance Fort Chemistry and Fort Physics, one of which had to lx conquered before we could proceed. We chose Margaret Beckwith as our President; Grace Cramer as our Vice-President; Carroll Abbey, Secretary; and Charles Chrisman. Treasurer. Owing to their untiring efforts, not many fell in this fight. After the siege, we celebrated the victory by giving a banquet to those whose journey was nearly at an end. namely. The Junior and Senior Banquet At last there remained but one city to conquer. Before this conquest, however it was necessary that we have a few guides to show and direct our way. So we appointed Walter Kenyon as President; Bob Coates as Vice-President; Jessie Bushouse, Secretary; and Carroll Abbey, I reasurer. Every one was eager to enter this city though we found it hard to think of leaving school. Now we. who have Come out victorious, are very grateful to those who have helped us, and we wish to extend our thanks to the School Board, our Superintendent, Principal, I eachers, and last but not least, to our parents, who have sacrificed things to give us the best. e have reached the goal that sets our feet on a higher plane to achieve greater things. May we have the courage and the ambition to achieve always. IF a 10

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 SALUTATORY By Carroll Abbky Parents, Classmates and Friends: The class of 29 welcomes you here tonight. We are about to enter a new life; a vastly different life; one in which we wi'l be cast upon our own resources. Some of us will go on to college, others will go to work; in either case we will Ik» dependent upon ourselves. It will be up to us, as individuals, to decide what we will make of ourselves. It will he up to us to decide how much we will get out of our college studies, or the occupation we will follow, and how far we will go in the world. We realize that our success will be a continuation of our work here. If we have formed habits of earnest thought and study, and of hard work, those habits will stay with us; but if we have formed habits of indolence and procrastination, they, too. will remain; and only by the greatest effort will they he overcome. Commencement marks the point at which we have succeeded in finishing a portion of our preparation for life’s work. School is not merely a preparation for life's broader field of action; it is more, it is de- velopment and growth, and while development continues all through life, the period of most rapid mental growth is during school days. Day by day. and year by year, our minds have been developing and now. if we have improved those opportunities placed before us. we are ready to leave school and meet successfully the problems of life. The burden of our troubles will soon be upon our own shoulders, instead of upon our parents, who have borne this heavy burden for years, who have kept us in school in spite ot the many sacrifices they have been required to make to do it. We are better fit to grapple with life’s difficulties and hardships armed with a high school diploma, and the experience and knowledge which it represents; than we would have been had we quit school, sav in the eighth grade and gone to work. We owe a great debt of gratitude to our parents tor making it possible for us to graduate here tonight. We also wish to express our appreciation to our teachers, past and present, who have had our welfare ,1. mind and have piloted us through school with patience and foresight. ■ i . leave, Comstock High as graduates, but we will return as alumni to renew ocl friendships and review the scenes of many a happy day spent during our high school career. The time has come for us. as a class. part: hu, ot.r friendships, formed during the Past four years, or perhaps longer, will live on. and we will always have a tender place m our hearts for our Alma Mater. Comstock High s so IK CZ 1« - ——: 12