James Madison High School - Log Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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SOPHCDMORE When we returned from the summer vacation, something new had been added -teachers. Madison was strongly re-enforced in all departments, and this, no doubt, was the reason for the extreme intelligence of all Madison students????? If. perhaps, while strolling through the Madison halls one day you chanced to overhear a conversation in Chinese, it was quite understandable. Under the supervision of the able and versatile Dr, Serota, an intriguing Chinese Language Club had recently been created. It was also very likely for one to find an eager group of students pouring through another melodic episode of the Clef sponsored by the very skillful Music Department. We were not aware of the surprise in store for us at the time of the Highway subscriptions. The face of our benefactor, james Madison, had replaced an otherwise obsolete flag of which we had seen enough. Bravo! The Music Department outdid itself with a performance of the Gilbert and Sullivan Operetta Patience The delightful story plus the ever-enchanting music of Gilbert and Sullivan helped to raise 51,000 in profits which went into our Scholarship Fund. Apropos of musical entertainment, there soon appeared a yellow and black rash on the Madison walls spelling out the word SING. It seemed that, no matter where we went, the rash showed its inexplicable face. It wasn't long before we were put out of our misery to find ourselves neglecting homework in order to attend Sing rehearsals. The Sophs Cthat's usb with the theme, K'Moods of the Heartf, won second place honors. Well, we could have done worse. The Radio Workshop was quietly putting together a play which proved to be an award winning performance. Its title was The Last Inca by Morton Wish- ingrad, given under the direction of Mrs. Freilicher. The Madisoniann reached new heights with its novel interpretation of a One-World theme. For once we read the whole magazine instead of just looking at the pictures. World affairs entered into our little realm of society here at Madison during this year. A Mr. Edelman, who is connected with the U. N., spoke at our as- sembly program concerning the need for confidence in the United Nations in this period of World Crisis. Nobody fell asleep during this assembly. We were already developing some shrewd politicians when, in fourth term. Ed Orshan was elected Lt. Justice and Paul Neuhauser Lt. Gov. See you at the White House, boys. Since Madison students are so considerate, we thought we would give the teachers a day off. We called it Field Day. The highlight of the day was the Senior-Faculty baseball game, in which the Seniors emerged victorious. CAfter all it was the teachers' day off.J Field Day was a lot of fun for all involved. The Soph year was coming to a close all too soon. With the arrival of summer we faced a fate worse than death Cor so it seemedj. Our first encounter with the inevitable regents exams came and went. After that we deserved a ten week vacation. And so on to sunny Brighton by the sea. CYNTHIA LIEBLING AUGUSTA ZIMMERMAN .null C rx - A - 4, 1 f .ff 1' .1 ffl' W ll 1 '-. lf!!-Sal -155571 -.gi 'llillll l'f!!i!s!l . 1 g ill! l wx lllll im, slim , iv- 1 9

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.I 1 S g 1.636 J X. O , flaw o XZ E ' l,' ' r' .J LJ TH Q, FRESHMAN September 1947 will go down in the records of our century as marking the era of the New Look-and in the pages of Madison's history as the year of the New Freshmen-namely, us! On a sunny autumn morning we stormed up the steps of Madison, swept through the doors. and, still feeling our late importance as rulers of our public school roosts, loudly let the rest of the school know of our presence. Six hundred strong, huddled together for support, we were putting on a big show. a bravado, to cover the quaking knees and that oh-so-uncertain expression on all our faces. The upper classmen haughtily looked at us. Seen through their eyes we presented a comical picture. Awestruck. excited. com- pletely hidden by long, full skirts and lipstick so newly-discovered that we were still very conscious of it. we were trying very hard to look nonchalant and at ease. Those first few days were both exciting and hectic: the nightmare of filling out endless delaney cards, looking for rooms, our first experience with the original Thing -a program change, but. with the help of the newly published Madison Guide. we managed to get through. Strangest of all was the feeling of being on our own for the first time. That first taste of independence was a heady thing. Well, we made new friends galore, big events fell thick and fast. and we began to be a part of Madison. The first step was the S.G.O.'s orientation program. All the Big Wheels came around to our civics classes and explained all to us. Then came the excitement of our first school dance-the Sadie Hawkin's Day Affair in November with everyone decked out in dungarees. straw hats. plaid shirts, pigtails and corn cob pipes. The dance committee served as policemen for the affair, and anyone caught not dancing was put into jail. You were only bailed out when asked to dance again. If anyone just wanted to rest. there was a Free-Parking Area. All through the fall and winter, we were enthusiastic cheerers at all the games. We yelled ourselves hoarse when, in the iirst football game of the season. Madison beat Boys' High l3 to O, and followed it up the next week by beating Jefferson 6 to 2 and then went cn to demolish Midwood. january brought with it the War Memorial Concert to raise funds for the two murals planned for the auditorium. One panel is to depict The Sacrifice of Youth for the Liberation of Democracy and the other The Fuliillment of Youth under the Protection of Democracy. The orchestra, band anzl chorus all worked hard to give an inspiring performance. The Highway won iirst prize of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association: the Twirlers joined in a parade down Fifth Avenue on Columbus Day: and we all turned out for Madison's first Spring Carnival. A wonderful variety show was put on: Marty Martin and his band provided music for dancing. and a collection of booths proved a strong attraction. By this time, the awe-struck expression had disappeared from our faces, and when talk of the senior prom at the Hotel Roosevelt and of a coming graduation iioated down to us, we wercn't visibly impressed. After all we were well on our way to becoming high and mighty Sophs. More wonderful times along with new and interesting subjects of all sorts were just around the bend. MARCIA KEILSON ISABEL MILSTEIN

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JUNIOR We came back from our summer vacation to find the school a publicity agent's dream with everyone shrugging his shoulders with the remark, You Never Can Tell. The riddle was solved on the night of December 9 and 10th when the varsity English class presented this Bernard Shaw play. One day, at the beginning of the term, we wandered into the lunch room to find a strange silence, and, glancing from the shining new table tops to the sound proof ceiling, we realized the Board of Education had not forgotten us. We were finally getting up in the world. Some of us were admitted to Boosters. Go-Getters, the Debating Society and the Highway. That year also saw Madi- son's second annual Sing. For two nights the students played to a full house. Even standing room was sold out. We were lucky enough to cop top honors with the theme Crosstown Manhattan. In November, our Arista played host to the Brooklyn Borough Council of High Schools Honor Societies. The Highway ran a contest for a new Hag, the results of which are now seen on its front page. The S.G.O. ran a charity Snow Ball Dance. One of the outstanding assemblies of that term was the Radio Workshop production of Mr. Sycamore, the enchanting story of a man who wished to become a tree. We all remember becoming very busy around that time preparing posters. poem, and prose to enter in Mr. Newiield's Clean-Up Drive Contest. His aim was to have the cleanest school in the city, state, country! But was that aim ours? We had a successful football season, defeating Midwood in the first game of the season, and triumphing over Lincoln for the first time in eleven years. At the end of the term, the Math team won the Silver Loving I 2 Cup for third place in a city-wide competition, and the cheer f leaders became borough-wide champions. .00 As the spring term began, we found ourselves with Mr. Down- 0 ' ing taking over as acting principal while Mr. Newfield left on a X 5 0 ' 6 sabbatical leave for a tour of Mexico. 0 This was the term Lenny Seidman sacrificed his life to save the life of one of his fellow students on their way to school. As a i tribute to this heroic deed, the Leonard Seidman award for ,E a A GQ Sportsmanship was created. , 5 . '-' -4 6 In order to support their demands of a pay raise to meet the in MM V.. M Q rising cost of living, the teachers voted to cease extra-curricular . ' 0 D . LAN - eh activities. As a result the students went out on strike to demon- l' 'A I D uummlwlulln strate theirprotest and to support the teachers' demands, ll --0. --- One activity that was not stopped was the Madison Highway, , - awarded hrst-place rating in the Columbia Scholastic Association. I r 2 1 I By now our weight was being felt in the S.G.O.. and some of ,l. Vg 3, 'I 3 us were elected to office for the following term. Martin Crelb UI became President, Paul Neuhauser, Vice President and Ducksie li ,' zlri Kreyer, Secretary. W W - As the month of July approached, we eagerly anticipated our ww summer vacations and the approach of our Senior year