Marshfield High School - Tide Yearbook (Marshfield, MA)

Page 26 text:

when we realized we were to replace the Class of 1953 as the leaders of M.H.S. The magical year of 1954 was within reaching distance — finally! When we congregated in Room 9 in September, little did we realize that the re- maining months of our high school career would pass so quickly and we would find ourselves seated on the platform of the M.H.S. auditorium for the last time. To lead us through the activities of this trying year, Alfred Almeida and Alan Sherman were chosen. In case anyone ever wanted to follow the turbulent course of senior class meetings, Kath- rine Schatz scribbled frantically to keep the sec- retary ' s records up to date. Since finances are a major problem in any senior year, Peter Theran did his best to collect the dues. We were happy to take in two new members this year — Don Mon- roe and Ralph Bennett. Our responsibilities as seniors began in full force when Janet became president of the Student Coun- cil. Judy, as vice-president, got plenty of practice conducting pep rallies as Janet was busy cheer- leading. Since we were such a studious class, the thoughts of further education immediately entered our minds, causing diligent preparation — college applications, interviews, college boards, autobiograp hies, and transcripts(!i) Our rosy visions of college were shat- tered when we heard the inside story from present college freshmen. Our enthusiasm for the various class activities began when Miss Miller, our senior advisor, chose the yearbook staff consisting of Judy Curren and Alfred Almeida as co-editors; Janet Ela as business manager; and many diligent and enthusiastic sen- iors. A whist party in October was our first money- raising scheme. Several of the seniors joined in the games, making the evening more entertaining. Elec- tion Day in March found several of us at the High School at 6 A.M. preparing for a food sale to sup- port our yearbook. The climax of our financial en- deavors was a successful canvassing of the town for patrons. In addition to our ventures, we appre- ciated the whist party that the Grace Chapel Com- munity Club sponsored for our benefit. March 26 — sound familiar? The Tide went to press after much confusion on the part of the staff. We certainly were relieved, but at the same time we felt a great sense of accomplishment. Those 2:30 meetings in Room 9, when everyone was in the best of spirits, helped to make our senior year an outstanding one. 1920 hats and dresses, safety pockets, life pre- servers — you guessed it! Our Hearts Were Young and Gay was cast in November under the direction of Miss Miller. Mingled with the frustrations of re- hearsals was the comic relief of backstage antics. The audience ' s response on the night of December 4 was heartwarming and certainly gratifying to those who had worked so conscientiously. The poise and nonchalance of the cast covered a multitude of sins! ! On the spur of the moment we decided unani- mously that a Senior Prom around Christmas would be appropriate. Christmas decorations under a star- studded roof, refreshments of Christmas punch, the music of the Starlighters, and many familiar faces of the alumni added up to an evening full of holi- day spirit. The undefeated hockey team repeated its win- ning streak, again acquiring the South Shore Cham- pionship. The girls carried their ever-present urge to become champions into the basketball season, once again coming up with a South Shore Cham- pionship, this time with an undefeated record. Ben and Moose returned from last year ' s championship team as co-captains of this year ' s squad. Scituate and Marshfield shared the crown of the South Shore after a comparatively close season. The disappointment of losing two tournament games was compensated for by the realization that our team acted as a stepping stone to the two future champions. Honors of another sort were bestowed on several of the outstanding members of our class. By vote of the faculty and the senior class, Janet Ela was chosen as the recipient of the Good Citizenship Award. Alan Sherman was elected by the student body to be our representative on Good Govern- ment Day. The mature side of our accomplishments was high- lighted by the announcement of honor parts for graduation. Tomorrow night Judith Curren will grad- uate with highest honors while five of our classmates will graduate with honors— Janet Ela, Arlene Murphy, Jayne Nangle, Peter Theran, and John Callahan. The extracurricular participation of these outstand- ing seniors apparently had a stimulating effect on their scholastic attainments. As our senior year draws to a close with Gradua- tion, we would like to express our sincere apprecia- tion to Miss Miller, who has helped us in every pos- sible way to reach this important moment of our lives. We would also like to thank the faculty and student bod y for making our high school years so pleasant. We, the class of 1954, leave M.H.S. with the hope that our experiences of the past six years, no matter how trivial, will bring dividends in our future. 22

Page 25 text:

Treasurer, Audrey Higgins; Student Council Repre- sentative, Peter Barry; and Historian, Jayne Nangle. Unfortunately fate found its way to our class when Peter Barry was hospitalized with a concussion. That was a rough football game, wasn ' t it, Peter? We remembered him for his bravery and good sportsmanship with many get-well wishes. Tragedy number two occurred when Barbara Shaw was stricken with rheumatic fever. With the encourage- ment of her classmates and through her own per- severance, she returned to classes in the spring of the year. Newcomers? Sure! Ben Silva and Bob Habel, ath- letes even in those days, joined us. What a relief! We survived our freshman year and Latin to pass on fo our sophomore year and geometry. Your patience was tried to the utmost, wasn ' t it, Mr. Scott? Same classmates? Yes, plus four new faces — Betsy Anderson, Sally Paul, Frances Hannaford and Earl Hansen. New hairdos and the application of lipstick were signs of our fast-approaching maturity (in our opinion at least!) Miss Ellard and Mr. Reed were subjected to our antics in homeroom with Miss Ellard bearing the brunt of the burden as our class advisor. The co- operative spirit of the class officers did much to en- hance the enthusiasms of the Class of ' 54 under the leadership of President, Ben Silva; Vice-president, Peter Sinnott; Secretary, John Callahan; Treasurer, Peter Theran; Historian, Smoky Sherman; and Stu-, dent Council Representative, Janet Ela. Leap Year . . . means a lot of things! Girls, re- member the Leap Year Frolic — the opportunity of your lifetime to corner the man of your choice and dance to the music of the Starlighters? Under a new election policy for the Student Council, Janet Ela was elected in the spring to be the representative in our junior year. Class rings or school rings? This debate lasted nearly three weeks and caused much controversy throughout the corridors and classrooms of M.H.S. We, as a class, finally decided that a school ring would have more significance than a class ring. The majority of the students seemed to have the same opinion. Grace Jones and Alan Sherman were then selected by the class to choose a reliable manufacturer. And now, sports. Maybe last, but definitely not least. The championship caliber of future M.H.S. teams was being developed by our participation in both girls ' and boys ' sports. The climb to the top of the South Shore League had begun! Two down and two to go! Chemistry and U.S. history provided most of us with something new and entirely different in our junior course. Under the direction of Mrs. Arnold, our new ad- visor, we filled the following positions of class lead- ership; President, Alfred Almeida; Vice-president, Alan Sherman; Secretary, Kathrine Schatz; Trea- surer, Peter Theran; Student Council representative, Janet Ela; and Historian, Grace Jones. We heartily welcomed Joe Carr, transferring from Weymouth, and George Dow, rejoining us af- ter a year in Puerto Rico. The girls ' undefeated, unscored-upon hockey team started a new era in M.H.S. athletics. The girls ' basketball squad, through their outstanding spirit and vitality, came out on top of the South Shore League with only one defeat. The poise and ability of our South Shore Boys ' Champions was admirably displayed when they anxiously took part in the various tournaments at the close of the regu- lar season. In addition to the South Shore Champ- ionship banner, they earned the trophies emblem- atic of the Brockton Tournament winner and the State Class C Championship. Pin a patch on a boy? Oh, no! ! Although this idea of using patches for invitations did not go over too well, the Pumpkin Patch Dance was very suc- cessful and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. Meet Corliss Archer, the first display of our acting abilities, was presented in April after a short delay caused by an epidemic of the mumps. Thanks to the greatly appreciated help of Mr. Holden and Barbara Shaw, everything ran along smoothly — except for Tony ' s delayed exit! The original decorations of a spring scene with a wishing well as the center of attraction, along with the music of Eddie Ladd, made an impressive Junior Prom. We were one elated class when we finally re- ceived our rings after a long and patient wait. We certainly didn ' t lose any time in showing them off. Jayne Nangle and Smoky Sherman were chosen to attend Girls ' State and Boys ' State in early June and gave an amusing account of their experiences at the beginning of our senior year. The social season was capped by the most im- portant event of the year — the Senior Reception. The thought of becoming seniors overwhelmed us 21

Page 27 text:

Bed l ouJ a, and Sk t l oit oCiLeit to ucceeJ tfrJ LeiJa and Judith (durret Wod PopJc lat Bed 2 ) reide cl Wod %tenjL a„.l CL, 2)en Won,,,, race