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

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Principalls Nlessrage to Seniors Once upon a time in a certain city named Chidelyork in the state of Penncolonia, Mr, Human, the principal of the high school, was talking to a visitor. Do you know, my friend, in a few short weeks another class of boys and girls will be graduating from this school? I have been thinking of some of the individuals in the class, I have been recalling their lives in this school and wondering if what each one has shown here doesn't pretty well foretell the kind of citizen and worker he will be unless some new and unusually powerful influence alters his entire character. For instance, there's Joe Mixer, the most popular boy in school. He always has some- thing to say although seldom anything very important, He is always ready to do any- thing to help, never does or says anything to offend, has a pleasant smile, does little studying, but never fails a course. Even teachers are susceptible to his personality, Joe will always get by in life, enjoying himself as he goes. He will always have plenty of friends, be invited to parties and homes, be a member of social clubs, he will never advance very far in any profession or business, and, if popularity does secure advancement for him, he will find himself unable to handle the responsibility. Then there is John Mind, John is the out- standing boy in any class he likes, but he doesn't like all his subjects. He doesn't see why he has to study mathematics or science, so he rebels against having to take such courses. He knows what he wants to do, and no one has any right to ask him to do any- thing else, He may be a brilliant success for a time, but sooner or later he will rebel against those in authority over him, and the result will be a bitter disillusionment for John. Harry Work is another of our seniors, a dependable student, but not an outstanding one. He should have graduated last year, but at the end of his sophomore year he came to me and asked if he might repeat two sub- jects that he had passed because he was not satisfied that he had mastered them. When I told him that repeating these subjects would prevent his graduating with his class, he told me that he was in school for an education, regardless of how long it took him, Harry will always be a reliable worker and will ad- vance slowly but surely to places of more and more responsibility, He will always have the confidence of employers and fellow workers, You must know Annie Jettickl Annie is a very clever girl, she can do anything, and she usually does. She is in all our plays, is a member of the orchestra, band, glee club, and girls' basketball team, and yet she finds time to enjoy several social clubs outside of school. She attends classes every day except when she prefers some other attraction. Annie is always the one delegated to see the princi- pal when a group of girls desire to leave school early to go to a baseball game our team is playing in a neighboring town. Annie is surely destined to be a club woman and one of the best-known women in the city and state. But one often wonders how her husband will fare, unless he resigns himself to being cook and housekeeper for Annie,

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Superintendentls Message to Seniors High School Graduates of l9flO, you are now standing at the crossroads of a new epoch, in various directions lie diverse path- ways of tomorrow, These pathways lead in all directions and, at the close of the school year, your traveling will begin not only by finding the solution of the problem of build- ing this new epoch, but by finding and develop- ing a place for yourself somewhere, somehow, in the busy, whirling mechanism of the world's work As there is no way to short-circuit the solu- tion tothe problem of building this new epoch, you will also find that the preparation for one's life work is not limited to the mastering of certain skills and abilities, Real success in any life's work is founded first, upon char- acter, and second, upon firmly established goals goals that will bring successful achieve- ment which, in turn, is essential to true hap- piness. Accordingly, a transformation must now take place in your lives. The goals during the years in high school have been largely of a general and academic nature. Now, they must have vocational tendencies which will be a preparation for entrance into the great uni- versity of the world's activities, Perhaps al- ready some of you have made positive deci- sions in this direction, nevertheless, your life-long advancement and success of tomor- row depends largely upon the firmly estab- lished goals of today, The setting of the goal and the working toward it are your tasks, the finished product is in the hands of that mysterious force called life, and, with your goal set as the fullest de- velopment of yourself, you will find three things essential to success and true happinessi purpose, effort, and opportunity lt is the purpose that energizes our lives, it is effort that bears fruit, and it is opportunity that goes hand and hand with youth CXXRL l-l PORTER-SHIRLEY

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I could go on with almost every one of our seniors. Their high school lives reflect what they are now and also what their future is almost sure to be. l suppose there is noth- ing that can be done about it. This imaginary story of Principal Human is my message to you, members of the class of i940 of the Leander R. Peck High School. lt is my message not so much because I believe with Principal Human that your activities in this school do indicate what we may expect of you in the future, but rather because l dis- agree with his fatalistic conclusion that noth- ing can be done about it. It is my hope that after reading the above each of you will critically recall your school life and see whether the elements of character shown in that life point toward the kind of future you are ambitious to achieve. If lO your retrospection is not encouraging in most respects, you will be over-critical of yourself, but if it is satisfactory in all instances, you will be disappointing me and deceiving your- selves. If you admit some characteristics that do not harmonize with the type of future you envision for yourselves, I am confident you will set about changing such characteristics and thus prove that something can be done about it. It may be too late to change the past, but for none of us is it too late to correct our weaknesses and develop our good qualities. lt has pleased me to observe your educa- tional, socialpand moral growth during the last six years, and you may be sure l shall continue to watch with equal interest your further development and growth after your graduation from this school. - LEWIS E. HOLDEN