Higgins Junior High School - Tatler Yearbook (Thompsonville, CT)

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The Tatler A. D. HIGGINS GLEE CLUB —Photo by Brown r- STUDENT COUNCIL OFFICERS —Photo by Brown (Left to right) Barbara Magill, Secretary; Pauline Lament, President; Alexander Cybulski, Vice-President.

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BOYS’ BASKETBALL TEAM (Front, left to right) Fisher, Coach; Edward Morris, Alfred Sarno, Mario Palmieri, Capt. ; Joseph Sredzienski, Salvatore Locario, Alphonse Misuraca, Mgr.; Los, Asst. Coach. (Back) Vito Tallarito, Walter Grenbien, Sylvester Bottone, Bolek Olechny, Edward Nabonzy. GIRLS’ BASKETBALL TEAM (Front, left to right) Marion Charette, Janice Landers, Norma Allen (capt.) Marion Purdy, Marion Leete. (Back, left to right) Miss Angelica (coach), Emilia Duda, Irene McNulty, Margaret King, Bertha Ludwin, Agnes Zito.

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A. D. Higgins Junior High School Again” Valedictory Essay We graduates have chosen for our Class Motto “Try Again ’ because we realize how many great men have reached the height of their ambition by persevering and trying again. This motto should help us also to be success- ful in whatever we do. In school we have seen that the pupils who get along well often have to try many times before they succee d. Of course we know from experience that one does not always do well in the first and maybe the second attempts, but if one keeps on trying hard enough he will finally accomplish what he aims to do. Why is it that some people are more successful than others? It is because they keep trying in spite of difficulties and discouragements, while others try once and give up. We all know that Babe Ruth did not hit many home runs when he first began to play baseball. The reason he became a great baseball player was because he kept on trying again and again to improve his record. What would our country be like if Washington had given up just because he had been defeated a few times by the British during the Revolutionary War? How could we communicate by cable with people in Europe if Cyrus Field had de- spaired of laying the Atlantic Cable just because it broke several times? How would we have airplanes today if the Wright Brothers had given up building them because their first airplane failed to fiy? Regardless of difficulties and fail- ures these men tried again and again until they succeeded. The two words to success surely are “Try Again.” The old proverb, “If at first you don’t succeed try, try again, is familiar to everyone. We respect people who keep on trying, and the greater difficulties and discouragements they overcome, the more we admire them for their perseverance. People who give up too easily are called “quitters.” They lack confidence and courage. This spirit of “trying again” is em- phasized in a poem by Phoebe Cary, called “Don’t Give Up.” “If you’ve tried and have not won. Never stop for crying; All that’s great and good is done Just by patient trying. Though young birds in flying, fall. Still their wings grow stronger; And the next time they can keep Up a little longer. Though the sturdy oak has known Many a blast that bowed her. She has risen again and grown Loftier and prouder. If by easy work you beat. Who the more will prize you? Gaining victory from defeat. That’s the test that tries you!” John D. Rockefeller, Sr., who died re- cently at the age of ninety-seven, was a good example of a person who put into practice our motto “Try Again.” Start- ing work at the age of sixteen, with nothing, his initial job paid him fifty dol- lars for the first three months’ work. By the time he had reached middle age he had amassed what many persons believed to be the largest fortune ever controlled by a private individual in the history of the world. He spent the first half of his life making money and the last half in giving it away. “I believe it is a duty,” he said many times, “for a man to get all the money he honestly can and to give away all he can.” He was a great benefactor of mankind throughout the world, having given a half billion dollars to universities, churches, benevolent corporations, and many other charitable institutions. John D. Rockefeller, Sr. used to say that the world is full of opportunities for men who have the determination to keep on looking for them. He gave some good practical advice to young men, when he said, “My advice to a young man is to go straight and to do the best you can to make a success for yourself and keep happy those who depend upon you. If you make a mistake remember, it is human to err, but try again and try harder. Above all be honest with your- self and with those with whom you deal.” Thus we see that John D. Rockefeller, Sr. affords a striking illustration of what energy and determination, and trying again will accomplish. Classmates, we must now leave the Higgins School where we have spent two happy years. This change from Junior High to Senior High is a new step for- ward in our lives, an adventure which we are eagerly anticipating. Before our days at the Higgins School are com- pletely ended, however, we should like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation for the many privileges we have so far enjoyed. We shall always have pleasant mem.ories of the Higgins School, our associations with the prin- cipal and teachers, our classroom experi-