Coopersville High School - Zenith Yearbook (Coopersville, MI)

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Iimillllllllllic.H.S.IIHIIIIIIIIIIIII RODEOlllllillllllllllll932|||||||nm||||| what better way could it be done than by making the most of our op- portunities? y It would be a very lonely trail if it were not for our cherished friendships that came along the way. A true friend can help us when troubles come, cheering us on to victory. Friends are one of the guides that follow us throughout our life’s career. Do we value our friendships as we should? Now the time has come when we must say “farewell.” This is the last time during our four years that we shall be assembled to- gether. And as we bid each other farewell tonight, let us keep in mind these frienbly words: “Life is sweet just because of the friends we have made and the things which in common we share. We want to live on, not because of ourselves, but because of the people who care. It’s giving and doing for somebody else—on that all lifes’ splendor bepends, And the joy of this world, when you’ve summed it all up, is found in the making of friends.” K. M. L. Page Eighteen

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG-H.S.IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII RODEO|||||Mllllim|1932|||||||||||||||| Valedictory TONIGHT, classmates, let us forget for a time that we are about to pass the first crossroad of our life’s caieer. Let us picture our- selves as we shall be ten years from now. We shall not be fol- lowing the same trail of our high school days. Our trail will be one which we shall have to follow ourselves, unguided. We shall have formed new friendships and associates. The only tie that shall bind us, the Class of ’32, together shall be that of our high school days, the memories of when we worked and played together, trying to help each cither find the trail that is best suited for him. Classmates, try to think of the things that have helped us most, the guide-posts on the trail we chose. Perhaps many of us shall have chosen the rougher trail, the one that calls for many sacrifices and much courage. Where did we secure the courage never to give up, but to push onward, upward, trying to make the high grade ahead of us? Hour after hour, day after day, during our school life, we tried to gain that essential thing that helps to produce courage, self-confidence. Self-confidence is developed in the high school. It was during our four years of labor, trying to accomplish all that is possible, that we learned what self-confidence means. When we were left with certain duties, when things were a little cloudy and we felt that we could not go through with our agreements, it is then we remembered our self- confidence. We had to go through with it! Our friendships and our honor demanded it. High school affords many tasks where this ideal must be displayed. 'I'he long, long trail branches into many by-paths. Some of us have taken one trail, others a different way. But no matter which way we have gone, we have found competitors. The distance we covered on our particular path depended on us. Are we one of those that advanced or did we lag behind? Our high school career was the basis for our life, but did we stop at that? Did we forget the ideals taught us by our guides? Our guides along our trail have been our ever-patient teachers. They tried to post the signs, telling us what direction to take if we would succeed in life. They tried to have us avoid those detour signs which represent failures. As in a road when a part becomes impassable the detour sign is erected, so will it be if we are led astray. Perhaps many of us could not avoid those signs and were forced to accept them. Nevertheless we pushed on and suc- ceeded in getting back on the main trail in spite of obstacles. In this case we should always remember the direction of our trail, taught us bv our teachers. They guide us only through our association with them and after that it is our responsibility to remember the direction which leads to success at the end of our trail. Other guides that we had are our parents. They worked and sac- rificed that we might have the advantage of an education. They tried to show us the way that may avoid those signs that they were forced to accept. We should have profited by their experience. Was it not our duty, therefore, in some way to show our appreciation of this, and Page Seventeen

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Salutatory As Shelly says: “We look before and after, And pine for what is not. Our sincerest laughter With some pain is fraught; Our sweetest songs are those That tell of saddest thoughts.” That bit of poetry expresses exactly how we, the t lass of 1932, feel. Tonight is a happy one for us. We believe that we have come to a goal; that we havedone our best to achieve success. And, yet, throughout our happiness there is just that touch of sadness which seems inevitable with all joy. In behalf of my class, I greet you all; parents, teachers and friends. Is it necessary for me to say, as others have said before me, that we sincerely appreciate all you have done for us? Our joy is to be shared by you, because you have rightfully earned that privilege. At times, it may have seemed as if we forgot those things, but underneath, we really do realize what all of you have done for us, how you have helped and encouraged us. Four years ago, the members of this class met together for the first time. There were so many strange faces, so many strange things, that we seemed almost to hesitate before going on. During these years we have formed many friendships, have had many happy ex- periences. At times, perhaps, we wasted our strength and whimpered at little trials, or we judged each other too harshly and forgot that we must have understanding, that we must remember ihe golden grains amid the evil. But there are always numerous obstacles and disap- pointments in the pathway of success, so we struggled on. We profited by our mistakes. Because we fought and conquered them, our joy is more complete. Dr. Grenfell says, “Life is always, everywhere, a real, tough, courageous fight with daily opportunities, to which are added all the fun of achievement; and all the glories of the conqueror.” There have been many unhappy days in our career, but through the murk there always shown some ray of hope and we found that ray in spite of the darkness. We glory in the fact that we are going on in life, that we are tak- ing our places beside those who have gone before us. We are ships that have passed in the night and have given new courage to one an- other. May we continue to carry on, to bring new courage to other ships. 'Think of the joy you can give if you only desire to! All of us are rich, if we but make use of our riches. Every day endeavor to do some little good; you can never go back, you can never pass that way again —so as you have the opportunity to help someone, to bring joy into the world—take that opportunity and rejoice in it! Through these past years, with your help, we have been modeling Page Nineteen