Kelvyn Park High School - Kelvynian Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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small parts. But while we pretended outward discontent, we knew in our hearts that not one of us could fill the leading role as well as he. and we admired his wisdom in saving the role from the ravages of an amateur Hamlet, Macbeth, or Caesar. When we expressed rebellion at being made to study Shakespeare, this same English teacher would stroll about the room, genially extolling upon the greatness of Shakespeare's works. Oftentimes he would stop in the middle of his reading to tell us how fortunate we were to be studying Shakespeare or to exclaim, Beautiful lines, those! Everybody get those lines doWn! But he was a good fellow at heart, and we forgave him this blind appreciation. At home it was another thing. My family had bravely endured my im- personations of Marcus Brutus, Polonius, and Caesar. BUT, when I tried to imitate Lady Macbeth in a high-pitched wail, meanwhile rubbing my hands with a bar of Woodbury, I nearly ended my dear parents, brothers, and sister in the psychopathic ward of the nearest hospital. In short, I was not appreciated. It added to my distress to hear them emit long, low, tortured groans when- ever I sat down to my English homework. Once, hearing To be or not to be for the one hundred and thirty-first time in one evening, my eldest brother leaped from his chair, howling with pain, and ran from the house. Outside, he paced feverishly up and down the block, stubbornly refusing to come inside unless I stopped reciting Hamlet. After that he would hide my English text so I couldn't study, but I always found it. This befuddled him, so that he developed a mental quirk and began to study Shakespeare himself. Today he is a profound Shakespearean scholar. You can imagine my sorrow, my deep regret, when my sixth semester began to wane and I saw the impending departure of Hamlet. Ah, the pangs of grief endured by me outweighed all of the suffering of the entire world! I even tried to flunk my final exam so as to be able to study Hamlet over again, but my teacher ruthlessly passed me. if 'k Q- Today whenever I see some poor unfortunate trying to master the long lists of Shakespearean quotations in the study hall, when I see a Iulius Caesar tucked securely under someone's arm in the corridor, or whenever I thumb through a chance copy of Macbeth in the library and vision old Hecate Cackling, Double, double, toil and trouble Fire burn and cauldron bubble! I am reminded of my hectic life with that ancient, but nevertheless delightful sire, William Shakespeare. Lorraine Dabe is let - 53 Signing I' Q. N216 I r5 .l'Xl ll ,ff 1'iQi.?:lffc: is ' '

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Ill! LIFE UJITH SHHKESPEHRE For years I regarded him with awe. Whenever a friend of mine casually mentioned that he had been reading The Tempest or Henry VI, I politely gasped. Even his name sounded impressive and mysterious, falling from the lips of intelligent appearing seniors. One couldn't help wondering what mys- teries English 4, 5, and 6 concealed when one saw upper-classmen cavorting madly about the corridors shouting, Is this a dagger which I see before me? or, in sonorous tones, Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears . . I wondered if that was the usual effect Shakespeare had on people, and shud- dered to think of spending the rest of my life in one of those institutions always mentioned discreetly in conversations as a result of my collision with those three distinguished gents: Iulius Caesar, Macbeth, and Hamlet. Aside from this, though, I somewhat happily anticipated the day when I, a mighty soph- omore, could languidly reply to the query What book is that you're reading? . . . Oh, just 'Caesar'! Rather decent stuff. At last it came. I smiled amiably at my fellow English-fours as We opened our thin blue books containing that work of works- Caesar. My jaw dropped. Pre-Shakespearean happiness crashed down around me. Here were creatures in gowns that appeared to be replicas of my grandfather's night shirt, brandish- ing knives above their heads, and speaking in-of all things!--poetry. It was a shock, of course, and one that we did not soon get over, but the end of the semester found us liking it, and actually clamoring for more. Class dramatizations were always amusing, whether the play of the moment was Caesar, Macbeth, or Hamlet. The kids roared with laughter to hear some blundering would-be actor. in a monotonous sing-song voice, mumble out the lines apportioned to Mark Anthony. In vain the teacher ap- pealed to his sense of emotion and drama: in vain he beseeched him to put some life. some feeling into those immortal lines uttered over the slain body of Caesar. It was ludicrous to the extreme to hear some mighty football player rumble out the lines of that silly little sycophant, Osric. Equally amused were we to hear some frail, studious individual's voice quaver over the part of the mighty Macduff. Excitement reigned whenever parts were being given out for class readings. Our teacher's eye would rove contemplatively over the classroom, trying to choose a cast that would do some justice to Shakespeare's genius, and not get tangled up after a line or two. Came the great moment: all of the parts had been given out with the exception of Hamlet. For a magical moment 34 minds hung in avid expectation. Who was to be Hamlet? But our dear teacher settled the matter by seizing this savory bit for himself. Thus it was with all the plays: he was always the shining Polaris of Caesar, Macbeth, and Hamlet. And you may rest assured that if Hamlet did not appear in some particular scene, this gifted teacher would then shift his dramatic abilities to the most prominent role in that scene. The rest of us had to be satisfied with minor and disgustingly 30

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fpx v ,I Y ' I A 1 Lfbl,4X4'. ' , l . 4 1 f ,n I - ,I-sf - 1 . I ,.:- +-4-of ' o 1 ' j' THE uun 1' ,LL 1 1,1 -1. - 1 lust what is the purpose of Kelvyn's many clubs? Well, have you ever realized just what diversified ac- tivities and services are offered by these clubs? ln these extra-curricular organizations the student may pursue and gain further knowledge in any activity in which he may be interested, whether it be debating, languages, I mathematical shortcuts with a slide rule, our Latin- f AA erican neighbors, or any one of a score of other fascinating subjects. Thyenthusiastic club-goer begins his week on Mon- jydaff y attending the Washington-Lincoln Oratorical Club which meets the second and fourth Mondays of each month. The chief purpose of this group is the in- struction of its membership in clear, concise, and atten- tion-holding speech. This training is invaluable as the ability to speak interestingly is an asset of great value in any vocation. The club sponsor is Miss lda Giachini. Another club meeting on Mondays is the very pop- ular Bowling Club, sponsored by Mr. David Mueller. Both boys' and girls' leagues are organized, the winning teams competing against teams from other high schools in the city championship tournament. The great pop- ularity of this club is explained by the fact that no spe- cial athletic ability is needed, almost anyone being capable of becoming at least a fair kegler. The Kelvyn Rangers meet each Monday and ride on Thursdays, weather permitting. The girls receive riding instruction at the stables, where classes for novice and advanced riders are held. The girls have opportunities to exhibit their equestrian ability in horse shows held by the stables. Tuesday is a banner day for the club-goer. The Stu- dent Council meets o he fi st an third Tuesdays of the pn h. The We t ncil is to promote ihfteles in schoo airs and to bring about better co-operati with ev y phase of school citizen- ship. One of the biggest tasks of the Student Council each semester is to acquaint the freshmen with Kelvyn schol- astic standards and the opportunities offered by the various courses and the extra-curricular activities. This is accomplished by the Freshman Achievement Assem- bly. This last semester, the Student Council also con- ducted drives against smoking near the school and against disorder in the corridors and in the lunchroom, an elped in the ticket-sale drives for the Home Talent W , the P. T. A. Musical, and for the Spring Festival. ? l jimi Lazarus served as president this semester The -L t culty sponsors are Mr. Edwin Lederer, Mrs. Gertrude Hayes, Miss Mildred Harms, and Mrs. Celia Selman. Le Cercle Francais, the French Club, meets on alter- nate Tuesdays and is sponsored by Mrs. Edith Wright. In addition to the regular meetings, this club holds highly enjoyable parties at Halloween and at Christ- i 'VMM f RN L az