Medina High School - Mirror Yearbook (Medina, NY)

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T H E M I R R 0 R Our Assemblies EDINA High has l1ad a number of interesting assemblies this I year-assemblies of all kinds, for Hvariety is the spice of life. 51243 These assemblies started in October during the football season. As We cannot attempt to take up every one of them separately, we shall merely give a general summary of them. The first ones, of course, were for the purpose of getting a good supply of pep with which to support our team. Milford Grinnell and Clyde Dillon, cheer leaders from the Junior and Senior rooms respectively, supplied the t'pep , and did the job Well, too. Assemblies are certainly worthwhile 5 they put punch and snap into the school spirit. And another thing-we have a good song leader, Miss Smith, who has directed the singing in all the assemblies. At a number of our assemblies We have had speakers, and they have been interesting talkers, too. In fact, We have never before had so many and such interesting speakers-men with vigorous personalities, who have had something really Worth While to tell us. lt is a treat to listen to such men, for they give us many ideas to ponder over and benefit by. Among these men We must mention one who gave for us a reading of scenes from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, 'Hlulius Caesar, and Macbeth.l' The display of memory and of flexibility of voice was amazing, and gave us a better idea of real repre- sentation on the stage than we had had previously. Perhaps the most important of our assemblies have been the ones conducted by students. These have been given every Vllednesday for some time in the past, and have covered a Wide variety of entertain- ment and ability. VVe call them most important, because they have shown student talent, Whether in singing, instrumental music, public speaking, or fancy dancing. There have been violin, saxophone and vocal solos, recitations from the prize speaking contests, the delivery of original essays, talks on high school subjects, high school training, and extra-curricular activities, and fancy dances and other perfor- mances that are very interesting and require considerable skill on the part of the performer. And-oh yes! VVe forgot to mention some cleverly executed piano solos. In fact, We have so many solos on our list that all we lack now is an airplane student's solo. Student conducted assemblies have for their purpose the bringing out of the hidden talent and ability students possess, which would other- wise remain hidden and, therefore, be Wasted. And, besides, the ap- pearance and performance before one's fellow students helps to over- come that aged, yet only recently christened, obstacle, the inferiority Page Thirty

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, l THE MIRROR Vie ean not help remarking on the ex:-ellent ehoiee of topies in this l'irst eontest, and it seems of striking signifieanee that two topies in the hoys' eontest were two ot' the most vital and prominent topies of tl1e day. The first was tt l,indherghfAmhassador7' g the seeond, tt The Aholi- tion of War. And the third oration was likewise a prominent sulvjeet to ns, sinee it was entitled The linknown Soldier, and was a work of the gifted and powerful hand of one of our foremost present-day authors, Brnee Harton. We noted, also, that amonq the worlfs ehosen hy the girls appeared one of Fannie -Xlhonrne's delightful an'l human sketches. We must not, however, forget the seeond prize speaking' contest, for it is no less deserving ot praise than the foimer eontest. 'llhose who entered the field of hattle weie Ruth Altman, Mary Kerr, Elaine lien- nett, Uarlton NYalters, liohert lloyer, anl Gordon Howe. Ont ol' the melee Mary Kerr and Gordon llowe emerged triumphant, their re- speetive topies heing: The Gift of the Magi hy that master short stoiy writer, U. Henry, and 't'l'he King of l3oyville hy William Allen White. We are glad to see that so many stnxlents are interestel in pnhlie speaking, for it is a praetiee that will prove itself more angl more val- iiahle as time goes on. The prizes aie of little eonsempienee eoniparel with the improvement in poise and speaking' ahility. Speaking ot' prizes, we notieed that the prizes of the sec-on'l eontest were mentionel on the programs, lout there was no statement of awards on the programs ol' the first eontest. NVe trust, however, that sneh an omission does not mean that the speakers did not gain some reward for their efforts, for a little visihle reward eertainly does make a differenre, as we onr- selves ean testify. Besides, it is as a ll2lHfll50lK'lllCli to diy the teal s ot' a weeping purse. lint, to get haek to onr siilmjert. puhlie speaking de- velops voeal power and Cl'li0f'tiVG1lFSS, and ineieases a person's vom- inand of English. Most persons, in talking, don't open their lips widely enough, hnt mnmhle and mutter their words nnintelliqihly. The contest training helps to overeome this failing, and makes the speaker irore interesting to his listeners. Hefoie leaving our topie. we must not forget to mention two other elasses of people, namely, the eontest diieetois npon whose skill and patienee iests the sueeess of the eontest, and those who eontrihuted nmsie to give variety to the entertainments. The directors ineluded Miss Greta Ames, Mrs. Olga ll. Hinckley. Nliss Aliee l. Loveland, Miss M. Genevieve Smith, and lX'lr. llavis S. llollister. Among the musieal entertainers were Ellen Ennis, voeal soloist, Regina McClellan, piano soloist, Parl Brooks, saxaphone soloist, and the girls of the Harmonie Cllnh, led hy Miss Cooper, the musie teaeher ot' the High School. Every one of these entertainers gave exeellent perforinanees. VVe envy them their ability. fEllis James. Page Twenty-nine

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T H E M I R R 0 R complex. Appearing in public and doing something to entertain an audience and win its approval increase a student's belief in his own ability, and give him poise and self-confidence. And underneath these other purposes of student conducted meetings, lies the very important purpose of preparing the student for life with his fellow citizens, as he will have to meet it after high school. The students who get the most benefit out of these assemblies, We believe, are those who have to con- duct the meetingfnamely, the chairmen. The success of the meetings rests upon them, and thereby they gain valuable experience and in- creased poise and confidence. VVhen enumerating the musical performers, We are sorry to say that We neglected two of the most praiseworthy, the Medina High School Orchestra and the M. H. S. Band. The orchestra, single handed, has put on several worthwhile assemblies, besides playing for the student sing- ing and in the general assemblies. In closing, let us say that we are pleased not only with this idea of student assemblies and yvish them to continue, but alsothat we owe a big debt of thanks and praise to the leaders who have made them pos- sible. another success on the evening of Bebruary 11 and 12, 1929. Second Childhood went ovcr big both nights. The crowds were in an uproar so continuously that the players had to Wait often- times before continuing their lines. In the small town, Cohocton, Indiana, a Doctor of Science, Clyde Dillon, discovered what he thought to be the t'EliXir of Youth. 'i Through a comical turn of circumstances, the professor, his assistant, Arthur Raymond, his sister, Annabel Iiindke, and his daughter, Marcia Munson, were all led to believe that a Wealthy old gentleman, IYill Blackburn, had been turned into a baby. The play rushed uproariously on to a ludicrous climax. The other major actress was Anna Spiller, daughter-in-law of General Blackburn. Second Childhood NDER the able direction of Miss Ames, the Dramatic Club scored 4 4 AN 11 , , D The majors were well-supported by the minors: Judge Grinnell, Florence Boyle, a gossipy neighbor, Mary Morgan, a neighbor, Mar- jorie Hill, the aged mother of Florence Boyle, and Sheriff Carl Cald- well. There have been numerous favorable comments on the play, and Miss Ames is to be congratulated on her good work. -Carl Caldwell. Page Thirty-one