Frankfort High School - Cauldron Yearbook (Frankfort, IN)

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THE CAULDRON as first and outside activities as second; when the activities no longer take up the entire attention of so many students; and when the students learn to look upon the high school as a very important portion of their life—then the Frankfort High School will be noted for its high standards of efficiency, and the faculty will be proud of the student body rather than ashamed of thpir lack of ambition. The Lack of Ambition in Our High School There are two sides on the question of ambition or the lack of it in our high school, that of the instructors, and that of the students. The teachers are inclined to believe that high school pupils are lazy, and are the “don’t care” kind. But on this subject the viewpoint of the student who is compelled every evening to carry home three or four books, including an American history and a note book, a commercial geography plus a note book, and his “Moody, Lovett, and Boynton,” is entirely different. He spends the entire evening poring over his books. In history he must have a whole chapter outlined, two maps made for commercial, and have reviewed one hundred fifty pages for an English test, all of which come the following day. He studies until eleven o’clock at night, and yet has not finished. He decides to quit for the night and get up early irl the morning to study. In one class the next day, he receives a severe criticism for failure in recitation, and receives an invitation to spend the evening with his teacher. Because of his overworked brain, he fails in his English test. Is it any great wonder that he is discouraged? The students will endure so much, remaining in a good humor, and not lose enthusiasm. But, when the teachers pile work upon them sky high,” it is enough to make them the “don’t care” kind. Some instructors seem to forget that they are not the only ones who make long assignments. The railroad men and other laborers are compelling the enforcement of the eight hour law. Why then should the high school students work from ten to twelve hours a day? A solution of this difficulty might be to increase the number of school hours, making the time from eight in the morning until five o’clock in the evening, with one hour off at noon. If this were done, the teachers should make assignments that could be prepared during school hours, and the students should not have to study at night. The mind and body need rest and recreation, and this would leave the students free to enjoy the recreation they might choose. The next day they would not come to school tired from late study at night, but they would be ready to start out each new day with vigor and freshness, and much more would really be accomplished. Eleven

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THE CAULDRON Lack of Ambition in the Frankfort High School There is a feeling, which is frequently expressed, among the members of the faculty of the Frankfort High School, that the student body lacks an essential, which seems to be ambition. Ambition, in the sense the faculty use it, is the desire which should be cultivated in the heart of every student, to be a better student than the average. The feeling among the faculty, that we lack this desire, certainly is not unfounded. Let us analyze the fault, and, if possible, find the cause and a remedy. There is no doubt that there are many students in the Frankfort High School who are ambitious. Probably the true fault is not the lack of an ambition, but rather the lack of the right kind of ambition. There are many who have a desire to become leaders in life, yet they are willing to be only average students. They hope to be successes in life, but they feel that the time for consistent effort has not yet come. We do not think that the Frankfor High School is retrograding, or that the ideals of the students are being lowered. We think the fault lies in the inability of many of the students to appreciate the value of good high school training. Two-thirds of the students that come to the high school come for reasons other than those the school is primarily intended for. Some come for pleasure, and have no intention of doing good work. Others come because their parents compel them to do so. Still others come because they desire to enter into some outside activity of the school, such as athletics or oratory. Probably only one-third of the students of the high school come with the express intention of becoming leaders in class work. Not only this, but possibly only half of this one-third have the pluck and determination to stay with the work the entire four years. The other half of the students, that started to school wih the right intentions, are drawn aside by outside events, or they lose interest and fall into the class of “loafers.” 1 believe that a larger number of consistent workers will be found in the Freshman class than in the Senior class, owing to the divided interests of the Seniors. Thus we see that only about one-sixth of the entire -student body comes to school with the desire to make the grades on the report cards come up to the standard desired by the faculty, and it is because of this fact that the faculty says that this school lacks ambition. The causes, as we have found them, seem to be the inability of the students to comprehend the value of consistent work in the high school, and the divided interests of the students. To determine the fault and establish a cause were easy enough, but to suggest a remedy is a far more difficult matter. It seems almost impossible to impress upon the students the seriousness and value of high school life. To stop the outside activities of the school would be to kill the interest of two-thirds of the students. The laurels won through outside activities are much more luring than the A’s in the class work. Besides, there is a possibility of gaining inside help through outside effort. There is a fault, recognized by all, yet admitted by few, existing in this school, which comes through the qualifications demanded for entrance into the outside activities. The fact that students are compelled to be up in three subjects, is supposed to influence the participants to better work, but the fact is that the students depend upon the outside activities to help their grades. When the good student is given the same praise and the same encouragement as the winners in outside events; when the winners of outside events are no longer shown partiality; when the students learn to look to the school work Ten

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THE CAULDRON e Should be More Socialibility in Our High School E like to think of the student-body as being one large family. When one student wins honor and glory for the school, we all have the privilege ot giving ourseives a congratulatory pat on the back, whether we have had any part in the victory or not. It is easy tor us to stand together and boost when we are victorious, but when they fail, we stand back and wisely declaim on the subject. Sociability stands tor co-operation, and co-operation insures success. Victory rarely comes to the school which does not have co-operation. If such a thing does happen that a school wins in any contest, it is because of the untiring ettorts or a tew persons. Give these same determined people an enthusiastic school to back them up and they will accomplish twice as much with more spirit. j Also, it might be well to state that a little more kindred spirit might be manitesitd upon the street. Sociability might oe encouraged mere as wen as within tne wans ot the high school building. Sometimes we are apt to shrink irom making advances to some people on tne street lor iear we snail be given a cold siare. Such a thing should never worry a true gentleman or lady, tor when someone considers inrnsen so tar above another that he scorns his triend-ship, we may assure ourselves that such a person is beneath anyone s notice. there are enough social groups in our high school now. wnat we need to do is to promote sociability between the groups anu eventually oring mem into one iai c group, witn common interests, ihe less social distinction mere is in the school the more successtul the school will be as a whole. 'inere is also a great deal of class distinction. Some of the most thickheaded seniors look upon a bright, promising Freshman as a necessary evil, ihe upper-ciassman should be the “Big Brother to the Freshman until he becomes accustomed to new associates and surroundings. In this way the underclassman will have more seit-connoence and have tewer obstacles to overcome. As it is, he is undecided and has no fixed purpose. He is extremely self-conscious, ror he knows that any peculiar action on his part win cause such sarcastic comments and derisive hisses as will make him wish that he might miraculously disappear. Eventually he becomes aware ot the lact that he stands as good a chance as anyone else, but had he had some kindly Senior to help him ne would have developed much more rapidly, intellectually, morally, and spiritually. Some students are more independent and selt-renant, and discover tneir powers very soon. However, the world loses many great men m-cause u did not discover them soon enough or they did not discover themselves. Therefore, let each one ot us appoint himselt a committee of one to promote sociability in our high school, by so doing we snail raise the standards of our school; and, though we as individuals may not accomplish anything to the honor of the school, yet we can be boosters for the man who has the talent. If the class of 1917 did nothing more than to introduce more good-tellowship and co-operation in the school, it would have filled the need of the hour. VIVIAN GREEN, ’18. Twelve