Laconia High School - Lakon Yearbook (Laconia, NH)

Page 12 text:

M the machine-gun chatter of typewriters, the clank of aluminum trays, and the shrill squeak of a violin being tuned. Noon time turns the building from these practical purposes, as all activity centers on the cafeteria. Bliss Colby, Miss Frost, and Miss Kingsbury are responsible for the excellent, balanced, wholesome, hot meals that add the pounds Coach Flint immediately has us work off again. The war is not far away. Our small enrollment this year means many boys in the services. Since December 7, 1941, 181 have gone from the school, not to count the hundreds of alumni as Well. Uniforms are a daily sight in the corridor, and how welcome are the letters that bring back news of these same boys. VVe knit and sew for the Red Cross. Blood-donor pins adorn many a teacher's lapel. Our record in war' bonds and stamps is one of which we may rightfully be proud. Since September, Rooms 201 Cseniorj, 211 and 214 fjuniorl, and 113 ffreshmanj have not once missed weekly 100fZp participation, with 210 Cseniorl just one behind. The greatest single room record was made by Room 205 Cseniorj, which turned in S655 the day the Fourth War Loan Drive started. During our six years here, teachers have changed with bewildering rapidity. The members of the present staff have, however, given this school a total of 351 years of service. No wonder some of them look a little worried now and then, 351 years is a long time and a lot of boys and girls! We shall remember our teachers with gratitude for the opportunities they have shown us. VVe shall remember, too, Pop Wiley's unorthodox methods, his original and personal vocabulary, his sound advice: Fifteen minutes a day keeps low marks away. Or another familiar quotation: That will be one hour after school! - speaker, Coach Flint. fDuring the book-on-head campaign it was intimated that the entire twenty-four volumes of the ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA would become him.j VVhat a TIME we had with Miss Numelin, her maps and quizzes! If the class of '44 has had 2. tendency to face left in all classes and study halls, it has resulted from turning to watch our sponsor by the radiators in 210. And what a fine sponsor she has been! Our financial success really began under our junior sponsor, Miss lNlcCrillis, who has started many of us on the road to becoming stenographers and secretaries. lNIr. Crooker, with whom many of us labored through economics, has done wonders for athletics. Mr. YVithingtoi1, who can make solid jive out of any classic, has done the same for our musical organizations. QVVhat about that drawer full of broken batons, Duke?j llflrs. Edmands's calm and pleasant voice, her quiet dignity, lVIiss Patterson's jolly smile and perpetual hurry, Miss Farnum's unending patience, Miss Kendrick's humorous and in- formal classes Cand the prize lapel-ornament collection of them alll - all. these will recur in our memories like snapshots in an album of these days. Soon it will be commencement, and this phase of life will be over for the Class of 1944. Caps and gowns, solemn services, the strains of our class hymn, the gala reception, the banquet speeches - all these will become treasured memories. A small red leather case will mark a milestone in our youth. Education does not end here, however. Many doors have been set ajar for us: the opportunities are all there waiting. lt isn't even necessary to knock. just go in.

Page 11 text:

BANNERS WAVE UN HIGH The Stars and Stripes and the white and blue Treasury flag flutter against the cerulean sky, marking opportunities of the present- and the future. Two graceful wine-glass elms guard the walks and lawns, and the class ivies spread their red, young leaves against the walls of the Practical Arts Building, clinging and climbing valiantly. VVe point to the two large brick buildings and say with pride, That's our school ! Since the first class of nine graduated in 1878 from what was then L.H.S., many boys and girls, many teachers, have come and gone. ln 1923 our school moved from Academy Street to what we now call the Old Building - surely then it must have been the New Building . Our present New Buildingl' Cmore properly called the Practical Arts Buildingl came into use in 1936. From the windows on' the Union Avenue side one looks off across the city to the Sanbornton hills, equally lovely in autumn brilliance or spring-green mist. On winter mornings the windows at Steele Hill glint like diamonds as they throw back the light of the sunrise. On those shortest days in winter the moon often sets there after we have come to school. Nearer at hand, to the east, the flags atop the Legion Home, the Armory, and Scott and lVilliams make a patriotic picture. From the back Windows the view is of the athletic field, across to the black pines that form a backdrop for our outdoor commencements. fSomeone must have observed these sights on a Saturday, for of course no one looks out of windows when school is in session.j VVithin, the library is one of our greatest joys. Since Miss O'Shea has given it her full time, it has become one of the finest in the state. Exhibits of hobbies, bright new book jackets, flowers here and there - all combine to make attractive a very popular spot, where Lincoln looks down upon us as we use an opportunity he didn't have. Our auditorium serves many purposes, from being a haven on stormy mornings in winter to becoming the scene of many a vigorous first aid demonstration. lkfovies, assemblies, plays, and concerts all have their days. Many a boy will always remember stumbling up onto that platform to clutch in a nervous hand a long-coveted letter. VVhen it comes to plays, what our stage crews can do with that small stage is little short of miraculous. ls there anyone who hasn't seen the oflices? Long queues wait for admit slips after a severe snowstorm or too much weekend. Our whole pedigree is locked in the files, and to the Inner Sanctum are summoned the Very Good and falaslj the Very Bad. Along the halls passes a constant kaleidoscope of bright-colored sweaters and jackets. Lists on bulletin boards are eagerly scanned. There is Tom's new red sweater in the Lost and Found. Cups won in many a contest gleam from their cases. Old-pictures of the classes 'way back when' amuse us as we contrast what the well-dressed student wore in those days - and now. Clever posters replace clever posters as one school event follows another throughout the year. That favorite rendezvous outside Room 210 is never neglected. The New Building is a compound of sounds and smells. Printer's ink, fresh sawdust, hot metal, duplicator fluid, and fresh, hot gingerbread. The grind and clatter of machinery I

Page 13 text:

A ff 5- Q.-I mb QW J cf QQ, Q69 Q1 vb X Q1 QS q,v2v QR' Q29 'Wagga V 4