DeSales High School - Salesian Yearbook (Geneva, NY)

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for Wealth and Wisdom An Armchair Trip to Alaska—Members of an English Four class accompany Bernice Brezna as she describes some of her experiences during her two year stay in Alaska. Although we’re not millionaires, we’ve gone on many thrilling trips to various states of the Union. We became involved in an exciting mystery ( Foot- falls”) in an old Puritan sea town where a blind cobbler’s faith in his son cleared his son’s name of a murder charge. Then we went to Daniel Web- ster’s homestead, New Hampshire, where we heard of the gruesome debate he had with the devil. We skipped half way across the States” to Nebraska to read an editorial on the life and death of a won- derful daughter, Mary White. Further westward we met Mr. Oakhurst and some friends of his and found out they were outcasts of Poker Flat. Then we headed up north along the coast until we came to the lumber camps in Washington and Oregon. Here we listened to the lumber jacks tell the spir- ited legend of Paul Bunyan and his blue ox, Babe. Making a quick trip across the states we visited the New England States where we listened to Robert Frost’s description of a woods filling up with snow, a bird, and an old man with no place to die. We crossed the Massachusetts line and went into Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, to catch a glimpse of an ordinary family’s living and dying. Having seen America first, we wanted to round out our adventure and so abroad we went to Eng- land. There we followed Beowulf, marvelling at his strength and fearlessness in conquering the fire-drake and Grendel. Time flew by and before we knew it, we were living as knights, and chilvary was our most im- portant asset. We sang of the comedies and trag- edies of our everyday life in the Scotch Ballads and we went on a pilgrimage from the Tabard Inn to the shrine of Thomas a' Becket. These were all fun, but it was real pleasure to sit down and enjoy Shakespeare’s plays in the Globe Theatre even though we didn’t relax, for they always kept us guessing. Real excitement came during the Great Fire and Glorious Revolution. We met one great reporter, Samuel Pepys, whose Diary brought him fame. When political feeling was running high, we tried to escape by traveling with Gulliver to Lilli- put and Brobdinag. Back once again in England we travelled through deserted villages, saw coun- try churchyards and listened to the songs of Rob- ert Burns. The Romantic Age now holds us in its grip; our minds wander back to early spring, the sky- lark and London. We hear the Ancient Mariner relate his travels, feel that we have been on the sea with him and wish our adventures were just beginning instead of coming near to a close. For us literature has been indeed an adventure which we have lived and loved. 19

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Literary Trails-a Search C-A-T—(catastrophe) Beverly Dejohn acts as quiz- master for (clockwise) Thomas Higgins, Robert Heintz, Linda Orr, Donna Roberts and William Mur- phy. A Happy Moment from Silas Marner Judith Trecter reads an especially interesting selection to the sophomore English class. The intent listeners are: (first row, front to back) Paul Helstrom, Ronald Snyder, Francis Chiarilli; (second row, front to back) Robert De Raddo, Patricia Noone, Esther Galgano, Marie Priano and Mary Carney. Private Tutoring Versus Group Instruction Frank Palmieri gives private instructions to Kathryn Nolan while Sister Rose Eileen helps Lawrence Mahoney, Anthony D'Amico, Carolyn Larsen. Patricia Hurley and Barbara Scott. 18

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Adventures in Scientific Balance in Nature Four students in General Science Class find out the interdependence between plants and animals by making a balanced aquarium. They arc Katherine Clark, Beverly Dejohn, Theodore Sierzenga and Thomas Toole. General Science has indeed been for us an adven- ture where we found out how to find the answers to the questions: What is it? How does it work? What causes it? What are the results? In science classes we have become interested in the factors of our environ- ment, whether it be the crowded city or the open country; whether we look at the smoking chimney of a factory or up to the twinkling beauty of the stars. We have come to understand that adventure lies in searching for better ways of accomplishing tasks and finding new inventions which will improve modern living. Biology, too, is truly a science of wonder. Because biology is the study of living things, it is a field of learning which affects the lives of all human beings. It shows us the wonderful way in which our body is constructed and how it functions. It gives us import- ant information about other living things. We begin to realize with awe that all nature, the mountains and meadows, the oceans and streams are filled with creatures beautiful to behold and thrilling to study. Gulliver, in all his travels in Lilliput, never beheld such tiny plants and animals as actually exist in countless numbers all about us. We live in a world of great beauty and variety. Only powerful micro- scopes can strengthen our sight sufficiently to enable us to discover and study them. For us fortunate enough to study chemistry, it is not only interesting, but it embraces a field of useful and valuable knowledge. Our laboratory periods are fascinating; working with new and strange substances gives us the thrill of the discoverer. To see iron burn in oxygen, phosphorous take fire in air, zinc dust ex- ploding, sodium reacting violently with ordinary wa- ter, and to prepare substances with beautiful colors and strange odors are experiences that are for us both thrilling and memorable. In fact, each of the sciences has opened for us a world of wondrous beauty and fascinating life, a world of faith and reverence showing us unmistak- ably the Hand of God. 20