Martin Van Buren High School - Futura Yearbook (Queens Village, NY)

Page 50 text:

How hearts sank when some of us received postcards banishing us to our new Annex outpost! Later, we felt annex life wasn't so bad after all, with its good faculty, its many clubs and activities, and the students' iokes about the falling plaster while the building was undergoing renovation. But keep in mind that it wasn't an easy year for the teachers, either . . . Sophomores at the main building had their complaints, too. They had to walk home in time for dinner every night, and didn't come to school until the middle of the day. Exams were always good for a laugh, and cases of hysteria were common after such ordeals as midterms, finals, Regents, Boards, Regents Scholarship Exams, National Merits, Iowa Aptitudes, and on and on. At these times we eagerly trusted to the magic of the Suh Boon Sun wishing well, which was placed in the middle of the lobby to insure good luck for students. Swimming lessons were frequently offered by qualified members of the Health Ed. department when the rain puddle on 229th Street and Hillside Avenue was deep enough. We remember gratefully the preparation for the outside world which we received riding the buses to school. lf it wasn't sufficient, passing in the corridors usually was. G.O. election campaigns took on original aspects as ardent supporters dangled election stickers from third floor windows for maximum exposure. Candidates remem- ber the free-area rush and the anxiety of waiting for results as the Elections Com- mittee tallied votes with its advanced machinery. Our final year of high school began as we excitedly viewed the progress of our new wing under construction. The additional twenty-five rooms were the subiect of Bee Line features, interviews with the Mohawks who set the foundations appeared in Currents. When it was completed, we fondly dubbed it the Rainbow Wing because of its multicolored rooms, and it was difficult to resist touring the new rooms as we went on other errands. Outside events affected us, as well. We observed with all the excitement of a peep show the construction of the World's Fair in Flushing Meadow Park, which was begun when we entered Van Buren and completed shortly before we left, with many gradu- ates anticipating iobs there. The March on Washington in August and the school boycott in February set a new tone in our educational atmosphere. We remember with relief the peaceful resolution of the Cuban Crisis, and the admiration we felt for our President when it was all over. More than anything, we remember our President, and the pain and grief we all felt when he was taken from us by an assassin's bullet. This great sadness brought Van Burenites, as well as the nation, closer together, inspiring in us all a stronger sense of dedication and seriousness of purpose. As we graduate this year, we will have for the rest of our lives the goals this vibrant young man set up for us, hoping we can fulfill the dreams he held for us.

Page 49 text:

i , , xx c L 1 l L ,bl . gig X 'V'Np2QH ? ' w Wg X Q if ' 'if 5 X. Q, A irfgfii 'Y x GX -rl5l.5i fn , . R. x qu

Page 51 text:

EMORIE3