DeSales High School - Salesian Yearbook (Geneva, NY)

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American complacency disappeared during the Sixties. The British invaded America with its rock groups. The Beatles, by far the most popular group, even found themselves starring in two films - Help” and A Hard Days Night - which drew crowds and made the two movies box office hits. DeSales High echoed these changes in the styles of the day as women raised their skirts and men grew their hair. Sports were all important and more students than ever were heading for college. The late Sixties were charac- terized by demonstrations, riots and student unrest. New vocabulary and strong feelings arose with words like hard-hats,” grass, radicals, hippies and draft-dodgers. Arguments and shouting were every- where. D.H.S. students reflected these changes. They took interest in society and its problems on a greater scale. Refusing to merely accept the values of their parents, they realigned their thinking, changed and chose their own. New films took a different approach as directors tried to shed new light on old subjects. The list is endless, with such films as Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Graduate,” Woodstock and Midnight Rider. Still parents and children, senators and congressmen, and so many others continued to battle it out. Paul Newman's last words in the Sixties film, Cool Hand Luke,” come close to summing up the problem of the times: What we have here, is a failure to communicate. When the Seventies arrived, the storm had subsided. Films returned somewhat to tear-jerking movies, like Love Story” and made-for-T. V. movie, Brian's Song. 1974 flaunted its splendor when Robert Redford and Mia Farrow starred in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.” DeSales took a new approach to education. Students were introduced to a rotating schedule, and liked it. The English department was updated and offered students the opportunity to study the required subject in the way they felt best, whether it be Drama, Novels, Creative Writing, World Literature, or Journalism. What's more, students became job-oriented, but still remained interested in extra-curricular school activities. Art class and Home Economics came to DeSales, girls sports were revived and Chaplain Fr. Simon created the DeSales musical. However, inflation rose and so did the cost of education. It was no secret that DeSales was financially in trou- ble. Tuition rose from $150-$200-$350, but the problem remained. Decreasing enrollment coupled with increasing tuition proved fatal. On January 20, 1975 DeSales Board of Trustee's President Martin Eades announced that DeSales would close in June. The Senior Class of 75 would become the last graduating class of the 62-year-old High School. Since that announcement, the Geneva Public School System has devoted much time and effort to making the transition of students from DeSales to Geneva High School as smooth as possible. Also since that announcement a large number of parents, students, and alumni united together in a final effort to give DeSales one more chance at existence. They started an organization called the S.O.S. - Save Our School - which put that final effort into full swing, racing against the March 12th deadline, trying to raise $115,000-plus needed to keep our school open. The local community, aware of DeSales' place in Geneva, supported their efforts. The outcome? Well, we all know the outcome now. On this day we're making DeSales history. We have written another chapter in the history of DeSales High School. Let us hope it’s not The Last Picture Show” to be produced by the Salesian. Lorrie Ventura Class of '75

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Dedication SISTER PATRICIA FLASS