Mercersburg High School - Meminisse Yearbook (Mercersburg, PA)

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Glass Hisfoz 1946--The corn was green that year, to be sure, but we were even greener. Un- believably naive . . . and, oh so gulliable! With awesome eyes we regarded the upperclassmen: the nonchalant juniors, the omnipotent seniors. Ut was, more or less, our awkward age-the age when arms seemed to dangle conspicuously, when legs seemed suddenly queer and much too long. It was the age when big, awkward feet continually led us into head-on collisions with seniors who, it seems, had the disconcerting habit of depositing themselves in a freshman's path deliberately. We, unsuspecting little termites, felt that we were responsible and immediately offered a profusion of sheepish apologies. Few seniors condescended to accept these humble utterances. They always maintained a sort of speak when you're spoken to attitude., Despite our lack of experience, however, we affected the sudden and exaggerated maturity that only a freshman can know, For us it was the first act of a great and intensely human comedy-drama. With butterflies in our stomachs-a pure case of stage fright--we faced our audience, gaining new confidence from their encouraging applause, A memorable year it was. We can never forget the much- discussed initiation day . . . the ingenuous pride that was ours when we presented our first assembly . . . singing in the Christmas cantata . . . the spring music festival . . . May Day . . . the final emerging from our lowly state to the role of sophomores! 1947-As the curtain was raised for the second act, the butterflies in our stomachs began to subside. The footlights seemed less dazzling, we acted with more as- surance. The sudden realization came to us that it was wonderful to be able to have even a small part in this play, that it was wonderful to be one of the cast. Diligently we played our respective roles, trying hard to boost our marks-to be a credit to M. H. S. fAll uncertainty had vanished. No longer were the upper- classmen like a superior race. They were just fellows and girls like us who wanted to become better citizens and who had chosen school as their first step., Little things helped to make it a big year . . . initiating the new freshmen and some new teachers Knot without a touch of fiendish delight, . . . debating in civics class . . . grumbling about Latin verbs or algebra problems . . . visiting Baker's Cavern . . . participating in the colorful operetta, Rose of the Danube . . . collect- ing wild flowers for biology class fand wondering why all flowers had to have scientific names, . . . touring Washington in May and serenading the President with happy birthday to you . . . taking our growing pains in stride. 1948-Act Three. Was it possible that our stage fright had vanished completely? How calmly we played the role of juniors! The nonchalance we had yearned for so much was now ours. We marveled at the swiftness with which time traveled, not knowing fully whether we wanted the final act to be so close or not. fW e looked forward to attaining our ultimate goal-graduation, but it seemed afar off and, thinking only of the present, we flung ourselves wholeheartedly into studies and extra-curricular activities.,

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elm gm., Now we've come to graduation Fare thee well to M. H. S. Fare thee well to all the scenes we love so well. Though we feel some jubilation, We are really sad at heart, And the magic of remembrance casts a spell. Yes, the magic of remembrance That endears to us these things Will remain with us as long as times goes on. Though we've tried to do our duty, And have given of our best, Still we'll pass and be forgotten like the rest. To the halls that we've loved And have marked and defaced Fare thee well. And to classes to come, who Will now take our place Fare thee well. Into the bright future now go we Sure of success and prosperity. Mercersburg, we'll remember thee. Fare thee well. Written by: Alice Watson Pauline Armstrong Margaret Stoner Lee Bowers

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Each one of us had little personal memories but there were many that we shared . . . the maze of rectangles, parallelograms, and triangles that turned out to be plane geometry . . . the arrival of our long-awaited class rings . . . a trip to the Ice Capades at Hershey . . . the side-splitting comedy of the school play, Going On Seventeen . . . the genuine school spirit that we displayed in cheering our championship basketball and soccer teams . . . the gala Spanish operetta, Don Alonso's Treasure, with castanets, toreadors, and lovely senoritas . . . the in- d-escribable pride we felt in giving the junior-senior banquet so uniquely . . . the gym, an April fantasy of purple and white lilacs and streamers for the prom ftangible proof that we had the stuff in usj. And, guess what! Elva's thirty-six inch braids were cut at last! 1949-The curtain has dropped on the final act. The play is.over. Some- what dazed, we bow in acknowledgement of the heart-warming ovation that comes from our audience. An inexpressible mixture of joy . . . and pride . . . and sadness fills our hearts. We have achieved, and we are grateful. We are grateful to our teachers, whose tolerance of our sometimes perverse natures and whose instruction and guidance have helped to give us a greater knowledge and a greater insight into the personalities of our fellow men, We are grateful to our parents, whose in- terest, encouragement, and sacrifice have given us a desire to reach even greater heights, We are grateful to anyone who has .helped establish self-confidence in us. This, our senior year at Mercersburg High School, has been the year that holds for us the most cherished memories . . . editing the y-earbook . . . presenting the school play, junior Prom, with veteran ability . . , writing for newspapers . . . taking dancing lessons , . . participating in the Christmas cantata . . . putting every- thing into our last operetta, The Forest Prince . . . taking our class trip . . . think- ing hard about the future. Yes, the final act is over, and anxiously we await the reviews of the critics. Not all of us had leading partsg not all of us could have people say, Orchids to you. And some of us did forget our lines. But there was always someone to prompt' us. Each of us has contributed to the success of the play. Now, with applause still ringing in our ears, we leave the stage. We are out to reach for greater heights, to find a better tomorrow. Alice Watson