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

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®atlpr Edited and Published by the Pupils of A. D. Higgins Junior High School, Thompsonville, Connecticut Class ong “Hail, Higgins Junior High” (Adapted from ' ‘Hail, Pennsylvania ) Hail, Higgins Junior High! Steadfast and strong; To thee with loyal hearts we sing this song, Swelling to heaven high, our many praises ring; Hail, Higgins Junior High, to thee we sing. Hail, Higgins Junior High! Guide of our youth; Lead thou thy children on to light and truth ; Ne’er can thy spirit die, nor thy walls decay. Hail, Higgins Junior High, for thee we pray. Class Popm A school that has been treasured By those who have passed through. Has won the hearts of another class. As ’53 bids her adieu. It seems as though it started And ended all so fast; We tried to think, dear Higgins, That it would always last. You’ve taught us well for we all know. That life beckons backwards never. So under our banner of “Blue and Gold.” We point our steps “Forward Forever.” — Joan Luczai Class of 1053: This is the season when throughout the length and breadth of our land, young people by the thousands are counted among the graduates of our grade schools, high schools, colleges and universities. It is proper therefore that we on this momentous occasion accord to you, graduates of the Class of 1953 and to all other graduates everywhere our heartiest felicitations. Your graduation day above all others belongs to you. It is a day which symbolizes the departing of one era while at the same time beckoning to another which we can only hope will be both pleasant and fruitful. It is both a time for jubilation and sober reflection. It is a moment for re-evaluation of ideals, attitudes, purposes and objectives. For you, this is truly a moment of decision. God grant that your decisions in the years to come may be sound. Today, there are forces at work in this great land which if left to their own devices would undermine the very foundations of our American Way of life. Those of you graduating today must like every other American prepare yourselves to protect, preserve and perpetuate those high ideals which have made America great among the nations of the world. Cordially yours, ERNEST K. WHITE Principal

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THE CLASS OF 1953 respectfully dedicates this issue SEatlpr fflrs. SCattiryn p. iBunn WIFE, MOTHER, HOME ECONOMICS TEACHER So lo77g as there are homes to tvhich 7ne72 turn, at close of day; So long as there are homes where children are, where women stay. If lore and loyalty ajid faith be found across these sills, A stricken nation can recover from its gravest ills”

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The Tatler Class Hfstory The leaves of hope rose high In the hearts of a brand new class, One September day of ’51 As through Higgins’ doors they passed. And the unknown school looked strange The halls and stairways o’er, Ts the band of newcomers found their seats In the rooms on the second floor. H OW truly this tells the story of our first venture into a new life as Junior High School students! We had high hopes of doing great things, and those hopes were certainly mixed with fear and ignorance of the large building we now know so well — there were so many rooms to remember, so many teachers. Like swarms of bees, we buzzed with excitement as we entered Higgins School for the first time as seventh graders on September 7, 1951. With all one hundred eight of us chattering, confusion reigned but everyone soon settled down to our first task of getting to know our new classmates and teachers. Student Council was organized soon after home room officers had been chosen. Keen competition for the offices resulted in the election of all upper classmen. Next on our activity program came the annual magazine drive. Paced by the eighth grade, the volume of sales and profit was the highest ever. High salesmen, Joan Bodley and Allan Mitchell of the eighth grade and Joyce Shea of the seventh grade, accompanied by Mrs. Fahey, attended a big league baseball game in Boston. During April, the school was entertained at a movie as a result of their fine work as salesmen. We were happy when we learned that the various clubs were to be organized. Among these were the Junior Hi-Y Club, Glee Club, Home Economics, Chorus, Newspaper, Camera and Art Clubs. At the first meetings, officers were chosen. “Meet Me at the Fair” was the theme song on September 12th and 15th when school was dismissed for the Eastern States Exposition and the Four Town Fair. We were glad to learn at the Four To ti Fair that our school had won first prize for safety posters. One out-of-school activity was the formation of a bowling league which met on Thursday nights and which had about sixty pupils as members. Twice during the year we had oppor- tunities to demonstrate our work to our parents and friends. During National Education Week we held open house and greeted many visitors. A feature of the week was a tea held on Wednesday afternoon. In May, our parents visited the Annual School Exhibit held in our audi- torium. The feature of the week’s exhibit was a special program held on Wednesday night with entertainment and refreshments. Although there were few assemblies, we enjoyed those we had. Room 7 presented a musical program with com- munity singing and orchestra selections. At another assembly we were fortunate at have Mr. Charles Parakilas, a Connecticut University student, describe for us a mock assembly of the Connecti- cut State Legislature in which he had taken part. From his talk we learned a great deal about the workings of the Legislature. In May, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Babbit, field naturalists, conducted an educational assembly in which they showed colored pictures and live specimens. In December Mr. White suffered a sudden attack of appendicitis and was rushed to the Springlield Hospital. We were happy that there were no compli- cations and he was able to return soon. Mrs. O’Neil was acting principal during Mr. White’s absence. The day before Christmas vacation there were gay parties in all the rooms. Refreshments and entertainment fea- tured the parties. Everyone exchanged gifts and wished each other a Merry Christmas. The ever-present report cards, those things which make us sit up and take notice of the way in which we do our work, were with us five times during the year. Some of the marks were good, but there was room for improve- ment in all of us. A Sports Dance was held with the profits to be used to buy athletic equip- ment. The dance was well attended and everyone seemed to have an enjoyable evening. Under the direction of Coach Shapiro, basketball practice got under way with about forty candidates reporting. Of