Farmington High School - Student Yearbook (Farmington, CT)

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FARMINGTON STUDENT A'Off in the distance Miss Sullivan is receiving a course in memory train- ing. Her teachers are Shakespeare, Burns, Milton, and Longfellow. It's a perfect shame that with all the time pupils have, she can't memorize a book of poetry or Shakespeare every night. Over there Miss Whitney is reading 'Les Miserables' from the French under the direction of Victor Hugo. They say that coals heated to a certain pitch will bring forth just the right sounds from the pupils. Our best teachers are old Romans. Why, there's Virgil and Cicero now-teaching Mr. Burns! Notice the clever way in which he is being taught to diagram each sentence while quoting a rule for each action. The rumbling of the seige guns off to our right, comes from the battle- field, where Generals Washington and Lee are giving a practical demonstra- tion to Miss Reed and Miss Dronfield. After the battle they must learn the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. A'Over there on that little knoll, Miss Clark is getting the chance of taking dictation from Floyd Gibbons, while reciting the rule for each outline. Come on a little further. There, you see a powerful figure fashioned by man's hands, come to life-Hercules! He is giving Mr. Smith and Mr. Murphy some setting-up exercises and muscle-twisters in preparation for the All-Hades Olympiad. You'll probably locate some others here that you know: Miss Francis, Mrs. Curtis, Mr. DeAngelo, Miss Osborn, Miss Watson, and-B-Z-Z-Z-Z- lack, have you finished your section today? No, Mr. Smithln A'Then 3:05 for youll! MARGARET Hisizzoc, '32, Preparing for Exams NE of the first things I do to prepare for an exam is to pick up a good Western story magazine and bury my thoughts in it, planning to read only a little while. Soon the villain is about to be hunted down by the hero and seven-thirty arrives. At seven forty-five the hero has been caught by a band of cattle rustlers and is being beaten with chairs with the gang leader pressing a gun into his ribs while the rest of the gang laugh. At eight o'clock he is freed and is dashing away across the desert into the night. At quarter past eight he is returning with a gun and a few pals. Eight-thirty arrives and the whole rustler gang is being fought by a few men. By nine o'clock the hero shoots the gang chief just as he is about to escape. and then the hero and heroine are married. By ten o'clock they are settled down on a little ranch back in the hills. It is here I come to a quick stop when I remember I have not prepared for the exam. The next morning is the time set for the preparation. When I sit down at my desk I hear the boys fooling out in the hall. Here all studyin stops and out in the hall I go. The exam comes and goes like all good things, lleaving its mark on the report card. F. FLOOD, '34, 22

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FARMING-'TON STTTUDEYTTS T-- Beyond the Styx STEADY hum from Farmington I-Iigh. The noise was terrific. Per- haps, the noisiest room was the typewriting room, where keys beat endlessly upon the typewriter rolls. Perhaps the heat, and the rhythm of typewriter keys were too much for lack. Slowly, swaying to the tat-tat-tat, his head sank upon the keyboard. Off through space he flew, till he came to a strange land where time was no more. Soon he spied a broad river. Quickly he dropped down at its edge. MWhat place is this? wondered the boy. You are on the bank of the River Styx, rang out the voice of a boatman further down the bank. lump into the boat, and I'll take you across to see some shades who recently arrived from your world. The river was safely crossed, a guide was furnished, and off our Farming- tonian started. Day is just beginning, announced the guide, so you'l1 have a fine chance to visit our schools. Do you have school in such hot weather? questioned lack, i'Most certainly, but our schools are quite different from those in your world, explained the guide. We take a victim, furnish the best teachers of the ages, and use practical demonstrations. Better results are usually obtained by having the pupils stand on red-hot coals. That must produce a feeling similar to being called upon when you haven't studied your lesson, and can't even guess at the answer. i'Exactly, agreed the guide. Show me some of your schools in action, urged lack in anticipation. I will, but you must remain silent while I explain the happenings, ad- monished Iack's companion, First, notice that winged horse tour equivalent to your automobilesl that is rapidly approaching us. All of our victims own one of them to get to school on time. They are very fierce beasts and you must sing constantly if they are to keep their temper. See that man getting off? That's Mr. Ellis, and he looks all worn out, Well, I can't say that it is unusual, when you consider that he must sing at the top of his voice to the horse all the time. These horses are the shades of radio sopranos who have since been sub- jected to listen to other people sing for them. You can imagine what torture that must be! Do you recognize the fellow flying through the air? That's Mr. Taylor being put through an experiment by Sir Isaac Newton to test his law of falling bodies. Archimedes, Watts, Franklin and others are waiting to conduct similar tests with him. That's what you call real laboratory work. Those ancient-appearing men over by that furnace include Herodotus, Confucius, Pericles, Moses, Ptolemy, Napoleon, and the Gracchi. They're cross-questioning Miss Ames just now. To the left you see Miss Bower being taught how to take the square foot of a circle. 21

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FARMINGTON STUDENT IF If you could get to class on time and never, never shirk, If you could always have your books and start right in to work, If you could always answer all the questions teachers ask, And other times be silent although it be a task, If you could always have your home-work in on time, And never, never drop your books, Would it not be sublime? If you could do all of these things, Yes, each and every one, You'd earn your A's and credits, And be happy when 'twas clone. I u Iust a Day As the day closes on our life at school, And we pass forever from under its rule, We carry with us thoughts of this day Spent in such a careless, nonchalant way. At dawn we rose to the tasks in view, Young, irresponsible, and childish, too, As Freshmen we struggled with serious intent, Not realizing just what the whole thing meant, Then as Sophomores we took our stand Feeling grown up and perhaps a bit grand. Then, athletically, socially, scholastically, too. We showed upper classmen what we could do. We were luniors then-and the day wore on, We gave our play and our junior Prom, And we began to realize the problems we'd face When '31 went, leaving a vacant place. And now were the Seniors of thirty-two, Preparing, Farmington High, to bid you adieu. That's why we're pausing, reflecting this way, And reviewing this brief but pleasant day. We're the fiftieth graduating class, they say And we wonder if the others all felt this way, When their day at Farmington drew to an end Henceforth but a memory, like that of a friend. HELEN HARTIGAN, '32 23 NE I-IERZOG, '34