Conneaut High School - Tattler Yearbook (Conneaut, OH)

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Music, Dramatics, Debate, Societies Such things as music, debate, dramatics, and clubs of various kinds have always been a part of our schools in one form or another. The graduation exercises in me eighties and nineties were especially prolific in musical selections, dialogues, recitations and orations. The closing exercises in 1885 had forty-two such items on the program. In the early days of our high school rhetoricals were a regular part of the program, and there was a ruling that “every student must take part in rhetoricals unless excused by parents or guardians.” At one time there was an annual Oratorical contest in the county and many Conneaut students looked forward to the event with all the fervor of a Webster or a Bryan. At one time the rhetoricals were organized into societies. The oldest of these was, probably, the Amphyction Society which met in the evening and featured the social side, as well as the educational side, of student life. About 1911 or 1912, Miss Kahler organized the literary societies on a new basis. The names of these societies will be remembered as being the Smith, The Varsity, The Oxford, The Irving, Au Fait, Der Zeit Geist, The Philomiathean, and The Clinonian. These societies played an important part in the life of the school. The Tattler was published by these societies and all ticket selling campaigns and drives of various sorts were controlled by them. Keen rivalry existed among the different groups, leading to athletic contests, debates, and the like. After the war, and with the introduction of the “roaring twenties”, the literary societies became old fashioned. In October, 1922, the old societies were dropped and such clubs as the Dramatic Club, The Stamp Club, The Science Club, The Scribblers Club and the like made an appearance. Within the last few years, the French Club under Mr. Auld, and the Latin and Spanish Clubs under Miss Bigler, have been the most prominent in the school. Debating has been a part of our school from the beginning, but it was put on a very definite basis in 1914 when Geneva, Painesville and Conneaut organized the “Triangular Debate Club.” This triangular arrangement persisted until 1929 when the club was broken up and the various members became members of the Ohio High School Debate League, a league composed of eighty-four of the leading high schools of the state. Conneaut dropped out of the league in 1931, and since that time has indulged in intramural debates as part of the Public Speaking Class work. Conneaut won the triangular debate in 1917, 18 and 19. From 1924 to 1927 inclusive, the debates ended in a three way tie, thus it may be seen that Conneaut won her share of honors. Among the leading debate coaches may be numbered Miss Lottie Peck, Mr. Homer Bail, Mr. Theodore Gnagey and Mr. Maurice Adams. In regard to the leaders of musical events in our schools, the following teachers will be remembered as being very prominent: Mr. Winchell, Mr. Tom, Miss Taylor, Miss White, Miss Tilton, Mr. Sharpe and Mr. Mackey. Others, however, have contributed materially to the success of our musical organizations. The high school orchestra made its first public appearance on December 17, 1909 under the direction of Prof. J. E. Weiser. Miss Elizabeth Ford may be mentioned as one of the organizers of the orchestra. Mr. Lloyd Heath spent several years directing the orchestra; and Mr. Carle-ton Davis succeeded him, holding the position until Mr. Mackey, our present music instructor, took over the baton. The orchestra has since its inception been an inspiring and useful organization in our school. The band, the most prominent of our musical organizations, started regular rehearsals, under the direction of Mr. Clarol B. Cross, with 28 instruments represented. In 1930 Mr. Robert Auld took over the band and new uniforms were purchased. The local Kiwanis Club helped finance this project. In 1935, Mr. Kaarlo Mackey became its director, and, after strenuous effort, has gained for our band a “Superior plus” rating. 30

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HONOR SOCIETY TOP ROW—Harry Hicks, Everett Bartone, .Jack Oruey, Richard Means, Robert Blickensderfer, .Joseph Dyloni?. Mr. Fred Sayre, Advisor. BOTTOM ROW—Ruth Rauha. Damaris Pease, Theda Hill, Eileen Beisty, Lillian Rintanen. STUDENT COUNCIL TOP ROW—Richard Phase, Joe Contino, Chester Penza, Jake Ohicatelli, Lester Plank, Robert Miller. BOTTOM ROW Kanerva Korhonen, Sylvia Wirkkala, Aili Parkomaki, Verna Beers, Patricia Maloney.

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The Band Boosters (an organization of band parents and friends) were overjoyed when the perfectly uniformed, well disciplined, completely instrumented group of 80 boys and girls, with Mr. Mackey at their head, took over the stage at Kent, in April, 1039, and won the District Band Contest with a rating of Superior plus. Musical productions have been an annual event since 1917. In that year the girls glee club presented the operetta, “The Wild Rose.” In 1918 the girls glee club presented “The Feast of the Little Lanterns.” The leading characters were, Ruth Collinge, Alberta Hammond, Alice Kurtz, and Ruth Long. In 1920, the first operetta was presented which included both the boys and girls olubs. “The Captain of Plymouth” was its name. In 1921, came the “Wreck of the Hesperus”; and in 1922, “Princess Chrysanthemum” featured the golden voice of Dorothy Bacon as the Princess and Paul Sheehan as Saucer Eyes the Cat. In 1923, the vehicle was the “Gypsy Rover.” “Once in a Blue Moon” appeared in 1924, and its outstanding success is the yard stick by which all succeeding productions have been measured. Earl Hankins, Amy Horton, Julia Millard, Pauline Dunn, Elarka and Lucille Towne, Albert O’Brien, Lloyd Lamont, Austin Tinker, Clyde Bailey, Gerald Schramm, John Wellman, Wilbert Pinches, and Margaret Hall played the leading parts in this production; and it may be said of them that probably no cast superior to them has ever been gathered together in a Conneaut high school production. Operettas since that time include: “The Pirate’s Daughter,” 1927; “In Old Louisiana,” 1928; “Carrie Comes to College,” 1929; “Feast of the Red Corn” and “The Belle of Bagdad’,, 1930; “Oh, Doctor,” 1931; “Crocodile Island,” 1932; “Don Alonzo’s Treasure,” 1934; and “It Rained,” 1935; “Jewels of the Desert,” 1936; “An Old Kentucky Garden,” 1937; “The Belles of Beaujolais”, 1938; and “The Gypsy Troubador,” 1939. It will be remembered that some of the outstanding voices in these years were Lillian Partanen, Margaret Lusted, Alma Tailing, Elizabeth I angley, Douglas Johnstone, Richard Lanker, Lois Abbott, Marion Taylor, Robert Robinson, Kenneth Munson, Dorothy Wilson, Charles Suttles, Alberta Laughrey, Graedon Whipple, Jeanne Murray, Obed Ruffin, Charles Marcy, Nancy Crocker, Robert Toomey, Betty 'Norton, and Mary Shank. Although some plays were produced by the schools prior to 1909, the annual in that year recorded the fact “for the first time in the history of Conneaut High School, the senior class undertook the presentation of a play.” “As You Like It” was chosen and presented on June 4th, at theRepublic Theater, under the direction of the Misses Barrington and Reed. Every year since that time, the senior class has had its class play. To name the characters in all these plays would be to name thd leaders of the school for the last 30 years. In naming the plays, however, the titles will indicate the high quality of dramatics in Conneaut High School. The plays in the order they occurred were: Twelfth Night, 1910; A Kentucky Belle, 1912; The Professor’s Predicament, 1913; Charley’ Aunt, 1915; Who’s Who From Australia, 1916; The Man on the Box, 1917; S'top Thief, 1918; A Pair of Sixes, 1919; Polly of the Circus, 1920; The Big Idea, 1921; The Manoeuvers of Jane, 1922; Come out of the Kitchen, 1924; Adam and Eva, 1925; The Goose Hangs High, 1926; Billy, 1927; The Tightwad, 1928; The Boomer, 1929; The Millionaire, 1930; Beverly’s Balance, 1931; Tommy, 1932; Loose Ankles, 1933; Skidding, 1934; Hamlet (Junior Play), That Ferguson Family, 1935; Twelfth Night (Junior Play), New Fires, 1936; Changes Partners, and The Clean Up, 1937; Strangers at Home, and Gun Shy (Junior Play), 1938; and Take My Advice, 1939. Among those who have coached plays in Conneaut High School may be mentioned former Supt. E. D. Williamson, the late Harry Hawke, Miss Lottie Peck, Mrs. Roy Hundertmark, the late W. L. Davis, and Paul Sheehan. Miss Ava Ballou has been instrumental in dramatics for the past several years, producing Hamlet (starring William Lord Jr.), Twelfth Night, and Gun Shy, as well as many one act plays of various types. 31