Coopersville High School - Zenith Yearbook (Coopersville, MI)

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Salutatory IN THE fall of nineteen hundred twenty-seven thirty-seven fresh- men romped into the assembly hall of the familiar red building which we are leaving forever tonight. Each one of the thirty- seven was there with a different idea in mind yet underneath we all had the same principle and that was to acquire knowledge and polish. The voung people of America are sometimes spoken of as uncut dia- monds; and that they use education for the process of taking off the corners. Well, most of us being of Dutch descent, we had plenty of corners. The grade school had only begun to educate us, in fact we may sav that the eight years spent in the grades merely gave us the tools with which we might acquire an education. Tonight, after nearly four years of acquiring knowledge and pol- ish, we are passing on into the world or else into higher institutions of learning. How much knowledge we really have remains to be seen. However, I believe that we all have learned many things in our brief stay in high school. Some of the credit for acquiring that education goes to ourselves because of our own diligence, but by far the greater share of the credit goes to our instructors, whose never ending patience is a source of wonder to the more hasty and quick tempered members of our class. Now we arrive at the real purpose of this so called Salutatory, for 1, in behalf of the Class of ’31, am thanking most heartily all the in- structors who have aided us so greatly in the procuring of an educa- tion. Many of you will say' that the teachers deserve no thanks and that all they do is done in the line of duty. Then if that is the case, we are thanking our teachers not only’ fordoing their duty so com- petently and so well, but also for going far beyond the limits of duty to help students in times when no one would expect them to help. It is this outside instruction that shows how well they like their work and how they are devoted to it, but it is for their daily' work and good nature in the class-room that we are showing this appreciation. When you consider that each of the teachers has to meet about forty new students, and endeavor to reach each one in order to teach him some- thing about the subject he or she is teaching you can realize that the teachers have no easy task. Each one of the students lias a different personality, each has a different way of acquiring knowledge and one teacher is required to teach a subject so that each w ill understand and so that all may learn accordingly. Many times in the past four years we have heard some teacher explain some point, which seemed perfectlv clear to the rest of the class, over and over again to some student who, it seemed , could not quite get the line of thought that the teacher was trying to present. We have never seen a teacher get impatient at the seeming thick-headedness of a student, even if the class was getting impatient at the delay caused, for she knows that one thing is hard for one student and easier for others. The next time it may be that the student who was the most impatient at the delay caused by the extra explaining is the one who can’t understand some other point which came up in clasr discussion. And again the teacher has to do some careful explaining. It is the ability to do this many times over which Page Twenty-two

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIC.H.S.IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'RO DEOllllllllllllllH 1931 lllllllllllllllll bend out into the deeper channels which lead to the larger sea of life which awaits us, we must rely upon our own knowledge of life and obtain our lessons from our own experiences. We must learn to live. If we expect to gain happiness and prosperity from this life, we must put something into it. We will receive no more from life than we put in. So, classmates, as we go out into the deeper channels, let us go forth with a desire to do our best. There is great joy in the satisfac- tion of knowing we have done our best. Therefore let us pledge our- selves that in years to come when we are drifting along a certain course in life—for we shall not all travel in the same channels—we will remember the true and lofty ideals and aims that have been born in us so that when we are out in the stress of life and can no longer hear the call of the school bell, we can still cause our parents, teachers and friends to be proud that they have had a part in helping to shape and mould the beginnings of our lives. And with a last lingering look at the setting sun of our high school days, shining with a tender radiance, we, the Class of 1931, bid you all farewell RUTH BROWN I Page Twenty-one

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Illllllllllllllllc. h.s.IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIrodeoIIIIIIIIIIIIHIII 1931 !lllllllllll||||| shows Ilow patient the teachers are and which makes us thankful for the type of teachers we have had. Of course it mav be that when some obnoxious student tries to insert a littld uncalled for humor in class that a teacher may not be blamed if she becomes a little impati- ent and slightly caustic, for she is merely upholding discipline. Many times a few well put sharp words have prodded a lagging student into line. After tonight we will receive no more instruction from the teach- ers of our high school days. We are now capable of passing on into the school of hard knocks or else into anv college or university. I believe 1 express the sentiments of the rest of the class when I say that we only hope that our future instructors will have the patience, the good humor and the inexhaustible fund of knowledge that has’been present to such a large degree in the teachers of this graduating class. 1). I). W. Page Twenty-three