East High School - Exodus Yearbook (Cleveland, OH)

Page 22 text:

lavatories. The genial Mr. S tilling er, in his reply, addressed us in the terms of the letter which we signed Dirty 10B s. . .M Anyhow, we got the soap. Yes, now the foundation was beginning to take form. We were eleventh graders, proud of our newly acquired rank. We must begin to build the structure proper. The vision we held was large and inspiring. Larry Ruffin was one of the first to bring fame to our class, when he won a two thousand dollar scholarship for an essay written in the Rotary Club competition entitled, What Boystown Did for Me. Rose Clark and Rosemary Romano were playing in the band. Harlan Ellison and Carole Morgan each won first prize for material entered in Horizon the official school magazine. Lorraine Ferguson and Norma MacNeil, two future nurses, assisted in the school dispensary. Helen Allbery helped as tearoom cashier. Loretta Mencin, Carole Morgan, Ray Gibson, Barbara Parish, Donna Armonas and Arlene Christen were appointed to edi- torial positions on the Blue and Gold newspaper staff. In the 11A, Miss Ida F. Budde, who had been one of our homeroom teachers as well as a wonderful German teacher, retired to her home in Cleveland Heights, and we lost a thoughtful friend. Dean Dudley, Ray Gibson and Loretta Menein held the attention of the school when they appeared in the leading roles of the last annual play to be cast in the old auditorium, OFF A PEW- TER PLATTER. During the same semester, Bettie Osborne had the lead in the operetta, TRIAL BY JURY. Also sing- ing in the production were Janet Sefcik and Effie Vassos. All these activities were adding to the structure of class and school spirit, but more and better things were yet to come. In the 11A the greatest of all honors was bestowed upon three members of our class when they were inducted into the National Honor Society. They were Evone Anderson, Carole Morgan and Mary Ann Shively. In the 12B seven more members of our class were admitted to this select organization. They were Loretta Mencin, Betty Bruce, Rosemary Romano, Andy Okulovich, Hank Rocco, Tom Kotnik and John Relic. As 12B’s we became suddenly aware that graduation was really close. Watching the 12A s, many of us were thinking, Next semester I'll be worrying about yearbook pictures, class announcements, and prom. . Little did we realize how very near that time was! Days seemed to fly, and, meanwhile, members of our class were earning more and more honors. Carole Morgan was named Mantle Orator and was awarded the Latin Medal for her outstanding work in that lan- guage. Barbara Parish’s journalism story won first place for the state of Ohio, in the interview division of a national writing contest. Loretta Mencin was elected May Queen attendant. We held our election of officers for the 12B semester and these people were chosen to lead our class. Hank Rocco, president; Tom Kotnik, vice president; Rosemary Romano, secretary; Beverly Koshel, treasurer and Andy Okulovich, sergeant at arms.

Page 21 text:

CLASS HISTORY Construction has meant a great deal to the class of January, 1953. Since the beginning of the year, we have struggled along with the carpenters, masons and plasterers to build a bigger and better East High. But our methods of construction did not take form with hammers, nails, saws and trowels. The thing we were build- ing was the intangible aspect of a school known as its good reputation. We were trying to better the reputation of East High by being what we hoped to be--the best class ever to be graduated from the Alma Mater. To stand up successfully against the elements of nature, a good structure had to be built upon a strong and lasting foundation. A sturdy foundation for our class was laid by many of its members when we entered East High as lOB’s in January, 1950. The voice of prediction spoke when Roy Ebihara, in an interview in the Blue and Gold, stated that the cafeteria and auditorium were too small; a situation which is being remedied now. Others helped to pour the mortar of our high school life and pile brick of achievement upon brick. Betty Bruce spent a very profitable career in the Student Council, serving as homeroom representative, secretary and vice president. Steve Stoyko and Hank Rocco also served the school and the Student Council as sergeants at arms. The girls of Miss Swaim's homeroom and those of Miss Kyle's battled right down to the finish line in the tax stamp drive during the first semester. Miss Swaim's homeroom finally captured first place honors. Surprising as it seems, a few in our class were once addressed as dirty lOB's, in a very respected publication. A group of us dropped a letter into the Blue and Gold mail box requesting that soap be put in the

Page 23 text:

 Then at last, in the fall of 1952, we picked the tools and materials to build a successful 12A semester. Looking back, the time we once thought was passing slowly had actually passed quickly. The construction job we had begun in January, 1950 was almost finished. First we selected those to lead us in our final and most important semester. The chosen ones were Ed Koporc, president; Tom Kotnik, vice president; Rosemary Romano, secretary; Ronald Bond, treasurer and Bill Eneix, sergeant at arms. Committees were formed for the yearbook, senior dance and prom. In charge of our highly successful Falling Leaves Dance . were Effie Vassos and Howard Kretzer, co-chairmen; chairmen of the prom were Evone Anderson and Steve Stoyko. January, 1953, and our immediate construction job is completed. Our high school goal has been at- tained—we are graduating. Does the real construction end here? Certainly not, for now each of us faces a much bigger job, the job of making a place for ourselves in the world. We sincerely hope, though, that the class we have built will go out with better structures to continue to build those things that have made the name of East High great.