Maynard High School - Screech Owl Yearbook (Maynard, MA)

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THE SCREECH OWL 15 of traffic. It was red, and Ooley had a secret passion for red. There was no front door step, but then, who cares when one is searching for a room in the Capitol. Ooley immediately established squatter’s rights and burrowed his way to a bed-room. If some people,” he mumbled, can live on a shoestring, why can’t I live in an apple Everybody’s got to have a home — and a worm is no exception.” Ruth Pekkala, ’44. He Hs A Day of Drudgery Here are the seven phases of my school day: Arriving at school, I hang my coat in the hall and dash into my homeroom on the double without a minute to spare. When the bell rings I go to my first class by way of the lower corridor, which is like trying to get through Grand Central Station during the rush hour. In Pre-nursing I learn how to apply a splnit, revive a dead person, and mend a leg broken in fifteen places. After first period I return to the library, which is generally like a refrigerator, and pro- ceed to do the homework I should have done the night before. They claim the period is forty minutes long, but I have concluded that a gremlin pushes the hands around so that the forty minutes breaks down into fifteen, five of which I work and the rest of which I talk, or should I say converse? Third period I have a study also, and since there are only a few people in the room and no one is close enough so that I can carry on a conversation, I am able to settle down to work after five or six minutes of gaping around. Fourth period — ”Si, senorita.” You have guessed: I have Spanish. There are only a few in the class and therefore you just have to do your homework as you’re sure to be called on. At the end of the period the teacher allows me to get ready for the dash to the candy counter. With a nickel clutched tightly in my hand I leap with the rest of my starving com- panions toward the candy table. Finally, get- ting close to the counter, I reach out and grab something and give the nickel to the girl. Struggling, I turn this way and that to get out of the crowd, and when I finally do I dis- cover I have purchased a bar of Tasty Yeast, which is in the first place too small, second, not worth the effort, and third, just not tasty. I guess it will have to do, and with one gulp it’s gone. Then the bell rings and I go to fifth period. In Latin I say, Porto, portas, portat” until I nearly go mad and then the teacher an- nounces that we are about to begin a new and much more interesting phase of Latin. This new pleasure comes in the form of Duco, ducis, ducit,” and believe me it’s no pleasure. Then we are assigned our homework, which consists of ten oral sentences, twenty written ones, a reading lesson, two vocabularies, and a new declension. After this, anything would be a pleasure, anything but algebra. Math is so much fun if you can do it, but for poor unfortunates like me to whom X” doesn’t mean anything but what is put in at the end of a love letter, this class is a menace to human society. But with my knowledge I manage to struggle through forty minutes of x — 2x + 4=0. After algebra comes English, the final period of the day, and by this time I am so completely frazzled that I don’t know a noun from a verb. The time passes quickly and the bell rings at one o’clock, announcing the end of school. I return to my homeroom only to learn that I must come to school at a quarter to eight the next morning because I was two-sixtieths of a minute late this morning. So ends the day! Nancy Whitney, ’46.

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14 THE SCREECH OWL national spy-leader. He won’t last long with us on his tail.” Silence as the night deepened. What are you doing so far out in the coun- try at a little town like Marquisville. ” the driver wanted to know. The hiker answered, The government’s building a big new ammunition dump near there and I’m one of the boys sent down to keep an eye on it. There’s been a hint that Heyd- rich wants it blown up. There’s nothin’ worse than a skunk like that.” They were nearing the outskirts of Marquis- ville now. There was a small scattering of houses which thickened as they went on. As they approached a corner with a light on it, the hiker leaned forward to stare at the figure of a woman who was standing in the light anxiously looking for someone. Let me out here,” was the request. The car stopped and Mike Reilly got out and walked over toward the woman. She hurried to him, relief on her face. They joined hands and turned to go when the driver of the car called, Goodbye, Mike Reilly!” The woman hurried to the car. Do you know him. ” she asked. The answer was, Yes, Mike has told me quite a bit about himself.” She smiled. Mike is really a good boy and he usually doesn’t stay out this late. I think he reads too many of those detective comics for a boy of twelve. Thank you for bringing him home safely.” Richard Trench, ’44. ♦ Home Is Where You Hang Your Hat Since Ooley had a way of digging into papers and eating up news, it wasn’t very amazing that before long he had learned that the Capitol was now the trysting place of the highly edu- cated and learned. Partly to be conventional, but mostly to satisfy his roving foot, he began to make plans (secretly, of course) to go. Se- cretly, because any deviation from family tradi- tions would only incite cries of protest, and from the origin of his genealogical tree to the present time the Ooley homestead had revolved about Twin Orchards (now playfully dubbed the Ooley Family Trees.”) Thus when Ezra, the elderly and only hired man, was making preparations to set out for the daily mail, Ooley climbed into the market wagon (patriotically substituted for the former station wagon) and crawled under the heap of tarpaulin which had been placed there for a protection against sudden cloudbursts. Per custom, Ezra left the wagon just beyond the depot in the empty lot and began his errands. Ooley’s withdrawal from under his covering was slow and deliberate because he believed that discovery at this point would almost mean anni- hilation and he most certainly did not want his plans stamped out. Hence, Ooley fairly oozed from under the covering and made his way hurriedly to the express train at the depot. As the conductor’s back was turned, he stowed away in the baggage car, for he had previously planned to save his resources for the future. There the possibility of discovery was slight, as it was simple to move from behind one piece of luggage to another in case of intrusion. When the train arrived in Washington the next day, Ooley managed to creep off unseen and thanked Providence that his trip had been fairly successful, with merely the usual number of baggage disposals. In his search for temporary residence, his experiences were varied. At one time a check- ered cab passed a hair’s breadth away and the crowd so jostled him that he wriggled closer to the sides of the buildings and continued his quest in his unobtrusive manner. His hunger was satisfied at the push carts, an apple here, a peach there, a plum, etc. Along the way he saw that all rooming- houses and hotels had signs to the effect that there were no empty rooms. But then in an out-of-the-way district he found an ideal home. It was in an empty alley, away from the danger

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16 THE SCREECH O W ' L SIEPS IIOIR CLASS IRC ILL Constance Ayotte Dramatic Club 1; Nature Club 1; Senior Chorus 4. Inquisitive and loquacious, “Connie” is one of the best liked girls in the class. Her friendly manner and winning smile are sure to give her a good start along the road to fortune and success. Although she is mysterious about her outside activities, we have learned that bowling and roller-skating are among her favorite pastimes. We wonder if they are her only diversions. Hm? Claire Beford Class Secretary 4; Social Committee 4; Picture Committee 4; Senior Chorus 4; Senior Activities Committee 4. Clairebell is Peoples Theatre’s pretty cashier, whose wit and smile help boost the ticket sales. Efficient and polite, she has won many friends. Clairebell takes life as it comes and is doing all right. We hope you always find it easy-going. Thelma Bourne Screech Owl 1; Jr. Women’s Club 2, 3, 4; Social Committees 2, 3, 4; Dramatic Club 1, 2, 3, 4; Sun Light Hop Committee 4; Senior Girls’ Chorus 4. Whenever any artistic ability is required, we have been for- tunate to have stately Thelma in our midst, always ready to oblige with the paint and brush. No wonder our social affairs have been such successes. Keep up the work and we’ll surely be hearing more of you. Alice Brown Class Vice President 1; Social Committees 1, 2, 3, 4; Student Council 2; Field Hockey Team 1, 2, 3, 4; Basketball 1, 2, 3; Cap- tain 2; Cheer Leader 3, 4; Dramatic Club 3, 4; Screech Owl 1, 4; Junior Women’s Club 1, 2, 3, 4; Senior Activities Committee 4; Senior Chorus 4. “Here come the Marines,” and oh, how Alice would like to be in their ranks! But until she adds a few more years on to her present 17, she will have to be satisfied with the life of a secre- tary. A friend to all and what a lovely friend! May that which you desire be yours someday soon. Jennie Chernak Dramatic Club 1; Senior Chorus 4; Screech Owl 4. With such a pleasing personality and unusual ability, Jen will be tops in secretarial work. She hopes to enter business school in the fall. Jen’s sincere smile and twinkling eyes will brighten any office and help promote good business.