Leander R Peck High School - Arrow Yearbook (Barrington, RI)

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Desks Often, while struggling with a desk that is too small for my needs, I have won- dered why some kind soul does not invent a desk with plenty of space to work on and plenty of room in which to put other books. The present-day desks are to their users a source of embarrassment, trouble, discomfort, and any other evil you can think of. I see you doubt my statement, so I shall attempt to justify it. Let us take the study hall as a place, me as a person, and any study period as a time. The scene is set. I enter, carrying many books which I hope to work on during this period. I proceed to my desk, sit down, and then trouble starts. In putting down my books, I have neglected to push them hard enough into the back of the unfortunate person who sits ahead of me. Naturally, as the desk has a steep slope, the books slide. The floor around is littered with papers, books, and notebooks. My mortification is intensified by the ready sympathy and assistance of my neighbors. This time, I am more careful, and do not spare the next person. He finds my books in his back a little uncomfortable, but I heed him not. I settle down to work, with occasional stops to shove the books back into place. When that subject is completed, I have trouble again. I have to work with a notebook next. I open it, but not wholly, on account of the space. I turn it this way and that. Still not in a comfortable working position, I put the rest of the books on the floor. At once someone comes along and kicks them. Up on the desk again they come. I'll have to do the notebook work some other time. No, I have to do it now. I'll put the others in my lap. That doesn't work, either. If I sat near the windows, I could put them there, but I don't. Fuss, fuss-bother. bother. Oh, well, the bell is going to ring. But I have done only one subject, when I could have done much more than that. Now do you believe me? I thought so. It was all because the desk was too small! M. S., '37 The Navy and Her Boys Very few people realize just what the word navy means. When we hear of a young man who has joined the navy, we say, Oh, just another sailor. Our opinions of sailors are not very good at times. We are so busy with our own affairs at home that we do not realize what is going on in that great body of men, our United States Navy. These sailors are not just ordinary young men. They must be intelligent to pass their entrance examinations. In fact, it is only the better class of boys who are accepted. They must be willing to work hard, and adapt themselves to conditions. Strict disci- pline must become a habit with them. When they are accepted, they are sent to a training station. Here, they are taught the fundamentals of seamanship. They acquire an excellent military training, which. we must admit, is not easy. When ill, they don't have people to wait on them: they are not babied, but they are sent to the sick bay until they are well. They must learn to do for themselves. The navy offers many advantages to these young men. If they pass tests which show they are qualified to learn a trade, they have the opportunity of learning the one they desire. Many of these boys become aviators. By working hard they may even enter Annapolis Naval Academy. The sailors must learn to defend our country and must prepare themselves for the future by acquiring a knowledge of some trade. One can see that an ordinary boy cannot do all these things at once. When we look at a sailor, we don't think of all these things. Most of us have mothers to look after us, but the only mother to look after the young sailors is the navy. She does a fine job on almost every one of them. 10

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TIT- X frfeiN DEAR MARY. Success with your Arrow: long may it live. It will live a long time, too: they all do. You've no idea what a comfort mine has been to me. When I feel temporarily dejected. what do I do? Do I nonchalantly light a Murad? Do I get a lift with a Camel? Ido not? I take down my battered, old, thumb- marked Arrow and reread the gossip, news, and poetry of 'Peck in my day. Soon I am chortling over something Prof is reputed to have said, and the world seems a good place to live in after all! So may it be with you. I hope your Arrow will be to you after high school alfl. that mine has been to me-a means of reliving school days and renewing lost friend- s ips. Sincerely, '35 This Year's Crop of Arrows I believe that the undergraduates should know something about the history of the Arrow before they can fully appreciate this year's edition. At first, Mrs. Sargent and the staff had to mimeograph the copies. as the Informer is published now. This paper was edited twice a year. Every expense Cink, paper, etc.D had to be paid by the staff. They published the Hrst printed Arrow in 1926. This book was small, but how proud of it the pupils were! With this humble start, regular publications of the bigger and better Arrow were established. The size of our year book increased con- tinually, and in 1935 we added cartoons and more pages. Last year, undoubtedly, the best book was published. We had pictures of all the classes. interesting photographs. and cartoons. This year we have topped them all, by making not only a larger Arrow but also a better one. We have new cuts, new cover material, new skits. new pic- tures, larger departments, and we hope our literary departments have been improved. We owe our success to the joint cooperation of the business and literary staff, as well as to the financial aid of the townspeople. The product of eleven years now lies before you. Every year. classes have added a block to the pyramid. We are now reaching the top. A few more years of hard work will put us there. It is now up to the student body to strengthen our edifice or to let it fall: which shall it be? V. I-I., '37 9

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When we see the lines of blue and white streaming past us in a parade, it makes our blood tingle. It should give us not only a thrill of patriotism, but also a realiza- tion of just how much each boy means to us. He is a member of our great United States Navy and should be respected by every citizen. He is there for our benefit. He is one of our country's blue jackets , and should never again be pointed out as just another gob . ROMA G. IVIAYHEW, '38 Study Hall For the benefit of anyone wanting to know what various pupils do with their extra moments in the Study Hall, I present this picture .... Hey continuously jumps up and down. He dashes madly from one girl's desk to another's, trying, so he says, to find out something about that geometry assignment. Joanne always seems to be able to tell him just what he wants to know. CIt's a good thing Pattee isn't around.j . . . .Ramsdell is always ready with an 1839 joke, which, of course, sets the whole group into an uproar! ..., Drew throws his feet upon the nearest seat, no matter who the occupant may be. Hoag wraps his legs about the desks, vainly trying to find a comfortable position .... Five minutes before the bell rings, if you see a fiery, dyna- mic lad desperately zigzagging his way up the aisle to get some arithmetic paper, you'll know that it's only Ernst-off again. Bud is noted for his snake-hipped running ..., Don't mind that blonde from Annawamscutt who's always talking to the boys .,.. She just can't help it. I went out with her once: I know. It would be all right if she said something, but she just talks and talks, without saying a thing .... West hauls out his comb and mirror every ive minutes to see if his eyelashes are curly .... Ray Chellel is famous for passing around blank pieces of paper. They're supposed to be invisible portraits. Some of them really are masterpieces .... Kerr is the bookworm of the fourth period class. Every time you look at him, he's poring over his books. Now, here is a boy for some of you eighth-graders to try to copy! He always seems so eager to get to classes, too. It makes you wonder if he's all right ..., Most of the girls in second period Study Hall spend their time ardently gazing at that brunette football tackle who looks so divine in blue shirts ..,. By the way, speaking of girls. I hear that Pattee's batting average has come up lately. Dyer's doing all right for him- self, too. The team ought to win a few games this year .,.. Dubois is the one who has been moved so much in the Study Hall. If he's had one seat, he's had fifteen others. He has that certain effect on the girls .... Munroe carries his drumming ideas with him wherever he goes. Yes, he does! If you were searching for the point to an English essay, while he was beating a loud tattoo on the desk behind, you would know! ! I . . . .As for Horton, well, everyone knows what a dear lad he is while in the Studv Hall .... I hope the teachers won't think that the students never study in the Study Hall, because they do! This is just a sketch on their odd moments. EFFIE, '39 We Honor The sixteen members of our class who made the Rhode Island Honor Society. The basketball team, which won the Class C championship. Laura Tierney, who has been class treasurer for four years. Robert Leedham, James Hummel, Holden Remington, and William Windle, who started our first weekly paper, the Informer. Mary Stearns, who won the D. A. R. Award for good citizenship. ll