Jefferson High School - Spectrum Yearbook (Portland, OR)

Page 17 text:

Government Positions Post Office positions are held by many boys. They are filling the jobs left by men who joined the armed forces. Some of these boys drive mail trucks. Others work in the office doing jobs they are able to do. Since the war, many boys are in army camps far away and write letters to their friends and families back home. This means more work for the Post Office Department. These boys are helping to get the mail through faster in times when it is so important. First Aid The immediate, temporary treatment given in case of accident or sudden illness before the services of a physician can be secured has become the despair of many. Our heads have been swimming with information about what to do before the doctor comes, when and how to make an open head bandage, when to keep the patient's head raised or lowered, and just where to put the pressure in artificial respiration. And those poor innocents who have never had to make a traction splint know nothing of the worries of life. But in spite of all the groaning and sighs, we like it. It gives us a feeling of con- fidence to know that when an accident occurs, we shall know what to do and what not to do; or if we cannot remember the details, at least we shall know how to keep the patient comfortable. We shall be able to keep calm in an emergency. That is the most important thing. And when the course is finally finished, we receive a little card which assures us of our ability and makes that confidence real.

Page 16 text:

Selling One of the completely new courses to Jeff this year is the selling class. It is open to girls who wish to work outside of school. The class meets every morning with Mrs. Woodruff as the teacher. The girls learn how to meet people and how to sell every- thing in the different branches of the department stores. There are now about twenty- five girls in the class although more are expected to enroll next term. Dean's and Counselors' Offices If you go into the Dean's office at any time of the day. you can see very busy Jefferson girls. These girls type, take charge of receiving, alphabetizing, and filing absence and tardy slips, and do other detail work. Miss Flegel is so busy she cannot possibly have time to do all this, so to help her out, these twenty-six girls have given up their study periods. Other girls are helping in the counselors' room during the day, doing the same type of work as those in the dean's office. In this way they are helping the school, getting in their hours for the Victory Corps, and gaining valuable experience. Office Work Many commercial students are working in various business offices doing part-time typing or filing. These offices, such as mail-order houses, insurance offices, real estate offices, were left without help when hundreds either moved to better paying defense jobs or were drafted into the armed service. These students not only are aiding their country by helping through part-time work to relieve this shortage, but they are laying the groundwork for higher positions after they graduate. Civil Air Patrol Many boys at Jefferson this past term have been wearing khaki uniforms similar to the army air corps uniforms. These boys belong to the Civil Air Patrol. This service, which boys sixteen years of age or older can join, is entirely voluntary. The Civil Air Patrol is connected with the Office of Civilian Defense and will not be used for combat duty. Meetings are held twice a week and military discipline is maintained. The Civil Air Patrol does not exempt anyone from military service.

Page 18 text:

Salesgirls Jefferson girls are offering their services to their community by working as sales- girls in drug stores, grocery stores and department stores. They are relieving the great shortage of men and women in the country. This work fulfills their Victory Corps pledge too. The training they are receiving and the responsibilities they are learning will be of great value to them after graduation. Red Cross Work To help the war effort, many students have taken up the fine art of knitting. They either salvage old yarn, wash and wind it, or buy new to knit into eight-inch squares. These squares are then sent to the Red Cross where they are made into afghans. These afghans are sent to army and navy hospitals or to the unfortunate people in the con- quered countries. These squares are not hard to make, and the girls who do it find the knitting interesting. They know that their work will help keep some person warm. There are other ways girls from Jefferson are helping the war effort through the Red Cross. They spend several hours rolling the bandages which may be used for their own brothers' wounds or sewing the various articles which are necessary for the Red Cross nurses at the Red Cross headquarters downtown. This work is a necessary part of the war effort. It is work which, even though it seems slight, will help to shorten the war, for every little bit helps toward victory.