Jefferson High School - Spectrum Yearbook (Portland, OR)

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.

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 19 text:

Victory Book Campaign When service men have leisure time, instead of always going to a movie or can- teen, they sometimes like to go off by themselves and read. But since the camps have not had enough reading matter, the men often have had nothing to do. Therefore, the Red Cross is sponsoring the Victory Book Campaign to obtain good books for the men to read. The Library Guild is carrying out this campaign at Jefferson. They collect best sellers, good detective stories, and recent technical books. Those are the kinds of books the boys want to read. They do not like dull reading any more than we do. It is for their entertainment, so the books we like the best are the best books to give. Many have already sacrificed their favorite novels; that is, if that can be called a sacrifice. We should feel that we can at least give up a few books for the enjoyment of those who are sacrificing everything for us. Employment Bureau One of the projects relative to the Victory Corps is the employment bureau under- taken by Philomatheans. This employment bureau was established for the benefit of women in the Jefferson district who are working and need outside help. A survey was taken of Jefferson girls who wanted to work. A file was then made and placed in the counselors' room. When someone calls asking for help, immediately a girl is found who is willing to work at the time required. The girls who answer these calls do light housework and care for children. Those that are willing to harvest crops are working in the fields on Saturday.