Greenfield High School - Evergreen / Exponent Yearbook (Greenfield, MA)

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THE EXPONENT 15 LEO ADAMS PENNEGAR Next fall when school opens we shall be without one of our best- known and best-liked teachers—Mr. Pennegar. As our drawing instruc¬ tor for seven years he has worked hard for the school—he has spent many hours painting scenery, and seeing that posters for school activi¬ ties have appeared, he has supervised the art department of the Exponent —but Mr. Pennegar’s work cannot be described by a mere list of achievements. This year he showed his loyalty to G. H. S. by finishing his teaching year here even while he had to travel to Philadelphia every two weeks. During his absence, we found a new friend and instructor in Mrs. Pennegar. Mr. Pennegar will teach next year at the Pennsyl¬ vania Museum and School of Indus¬ trial Art, where, probably, his ar¬ tistic ability will be better appreci¬ ated, but where, we are sure, he can not be admired any more than he has been here. Certainly G. H. S. will miss Mr. and Mrs. Pennegar.

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14 THI f .XPONENT PERSONAL ELEMENT Success is, without question, the desire of everyone. The man who deliberately hopes to be a failure must have one of those terrible “complexes” which we hear so much about, and we may leave his case to the psychiatrist. If, then, we wish to succeed, we should stop to think upon what suc¬ cess depends. It depends mainly upon ourselves. “Pull,” as we call it, may be of some help, but it will not see us through life. After all, it IS the faculties and characteristics which make us likeable, that carrv us to success, no matter what our goal of ambition. In society or in business, then, we must create a pleasant impression upon those with whom we come in contact. Without this abilit-’ we are lost. Nor can our likeable oual- ities be artificial. They cannot be like a garment to be taken off and put on when required. They must be a part of our very fiber and be¬ ing. “Oh, that is all very well,” you say, “but what if I am not the so- called popular person?” Perhaps all of us are not endowed with pleasing personalities and we may question the ability of a person to change his character in any way as a result of his own conscious efforts. We say, perhaps, that one born with some defect must be burdened with it throughout his life. Bub, what pessimism this is! Do we not know for example, that a young man can build strong muscles by faith¬ ful work in a gymnasium? Is there any reason why we cannot alter our personalitip ? b- ' ’ continual effort? Perhaps it is more difficult to dis¬ cipline the mnd and the character than the body, but the results are just as certain, and many times more valuable. There are, of course, certain qual¬ ities wh’ch we must cultivate and these must be cultivated until they are a part of our whole character. First of all, we must have the will to make people k’ke us. With th ' s faculty at our disposal the battle is half won. Agam, we must remember that the other person is always lonely. With this in mind can we hesitate to speak to an acquaintance as we meet him on the street, or to ex¬ change a few words with that per¬ son, even if we know h.m buc sliq’ht- ly, who sits alone in the midst of a roomiul of busily chatting groups? A friendly spirit is indeed a great asset. Nor is this the only way by which we may make ourselves likeable. Self-control, tact, and cheerfulness all play a large part. If we are to be admired we must bar such feelings as jealousy and hate. They are certainly disagreeable, and do us more harm than the ' do the peo¬ ple against whom they are directed. Anyone who can control his emo¬ tions is sure to gain the respect of all with whom he associates And then there is tact. The tact¬ ful person, we know, is one of the world’s greatest assets. Many a time he has aided love in its task of making the world go ’round. No, tact never hurts anyone, but, on the contrary, it helps along, and smooths out the bumps of daily life. Another “smoother” is cheerful¬ ness. Few of us realize its im¬ portance. Indeed, it even has great commercial value, for the youth of sunny disposition has a hundred chances where the gloomy “rain-in- the-face” has scarcely one. Nobody, however, has any use for the Ch - shire-cat brand of cheerfulness. It must be real. If, however, we are not naturally cheerful, we must learn to be so, not by wearing an artificial smile, but by thinking al¬ ways of the pleasant things of life, and by stamping out the “it-might- have-been” bogey. If, then. We concentrate on these principles we cannot fail to earn the compliment of being called “likeable”, and when we have gain¬ ed this end, success will follow in its train. Valedictory Classmates, during our high school course we have faithfully worked together and have formed many firm friendships. Athough we can no longer spend our time with each other, for we must say goodbye to this school, et, wherever life leads us may w- ' “Keep Climbing” to suc¬ cess, and may we have a pleasant and a lasting memorv of our high school days. HELEN DAWE, ’27.

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16 THE EXPONENT ADA LEAVITT G. H. S. will be minus another teacher, too, next fall, for Miss Leavitt is going to teach in Newton, Massachusetts. She has conducted the girls’ gym classes here for three years. Besides her classes Miss Leavitt has coached girls’ basketball, and various minor sports, and has conducted the tennis tournaments. Much of the success of both Spring Fetes has been due to her, and she also coached the dance in our Sen¬ ior Play. Miss Leavitt has been, in short, the “guiding spirit” of girls’ sports here, herself a true example of the best kind of a sport. We shall miss her next year. COMMENCEMENT PROGRAM The program for the Commence¬ ment exercises of the Class of 1927 was as follows; The Senior Class Banquet was held Thursday, June 16, at eight o’clock at the Weldon Hotel. Class Day was at four o’¬ clock of the afternoon of Saturday, June 18, in the high school auditori¬ um. The Baccalaureate Service, conducted by the Rev. John Nicol Mark, was on Sunday, June 19. at four o’clock in the afternoon in the auditorium. His subject was “Touch¬ stones of Success.” The Graduation exercises of the class of ’27 were Tuesday, June 21, at eight o’clock in the auditorium. The address was given by the Hon. Ernest W. But¬ terfield of Concord, N. H., Commis¬ sioner of Education for the state of New Hampshire. The final event was the Alumni Reunion, held ar the high school building on Thursday, June 23. SPRING FETE The Spring Fete, an annual event now on our program, came later than last year, but was put on very suc¬ cessfully. A large attendance of students, together with manw towns¬ people, enjoyed the various dances and acts which were given by the students. Solos were played by Clement Schuler and Carl Jordan, while James Ballou gave a reading. Numbers were sung by a quartet composed of Ben Whittam, Dave Young, Gerald Fritz, and Clyde Hol¬ brook. A humorous sketch, “Wild Nell” was much appreciated by the audience. The gym was very well decorated for the occasion. Dances were also given and general dancing was held between the various num¬ bers. OUR FIRST SENIOR PARTY On Friday, June 3, the Juniors gave a most successful reception and dance to the graduating class. It m.ay easily be called the best party that has been held in the new high school. A large attendance of the teachers and students witnessed the drawings of Pitt Parker, the cartoon¬ ist. He showed himself to be quite clever at drawing pictures from words and from dots placed any¬ where on the paper by different ones in the audience. After enjoying re¬ freshments in the cafeteria, the guests went to the gym, where Roy F. Cooke’s Yankee Rose Virginians were waiting to entertain the dan¬ cers. The gym was “dressed up” more than ever for the occasion, with tall white pillars and rose cur¬ tains behind the orchestra. The Japanese lanterns added much to the beauty of the hall. The orches¬ tra had to shorten many of the dan¬ ces in order to close at eleven thirty, but the music was enjoyed very much. Much credit is due the mem¬ bers of the Junior class who had charge of the party for the fine man¬ ner in which the reception was giv¬ en. GIRLS’ BASKETBALL BANQUET The Greenfield High School Bas¬ ketball girls held their second an¬ nual basketball banquet on May 3. Supper was served in the Cafeteria and at this time the following toasts were given: Toast Mistress—Miss Leavitt. Guest of Honor—Miss Marion Atherton. Toast to Basketball—Elva Erhart,.