Methuen High School - Memories Yearbook (Methuen, MA)

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The address of welcome was given by James Fag- giano, president of the Senior Class. At the end of his speech a large box of carnations was presented to Arthur Jackson, president c ' f the Freshman class, who responded fittingly. The Freshmen were then introduced to the mem- bers of the faculty. After this presentation, the march took place. The only thing to mar the evening was the fact that the hall was too small to accommodate such a large freshman class. However, it gave many of us a never-to-be-forgotten thrill of our first real grand march. We dug into our studies with energy thail fall. Many of us, newly introduced to Latin. French, Alge- bra, and other such bug-bears, burned not a few quarts of midnight oil. it was a novel experience, this stu ly- ing, but we took to it like a duck to water. The rest of! the school year passed tranquilly enough The iboys, introduced to military drill, performed squads right and left with a vim and vigor that hats been lack- ing ever since. We Freshmen used to wonder how ii was thait the upper classmen failed to become enthus- iastic oiver drill. We found the answer. We had no Freshman party, for it was found im- possible to secure an open date agreeable to the faculty, June came quickly and with it Senior Chapel. Sen- ior Chapel was once an ancient and sacred inslitutioi sanctified and solemnified by long usage. Of late years. however, due chiefly toi the Sophomore class, it has degenerated into more or less of a circus. But it was no circus for us that year. We were on the receiving end. Upon returning to begin our Sophcmore year, W5 found that with the elimination of the Freshman el i s we t|m plitus of Jlliit . wer.- .main the lowest class in sc qrI, ;hat is, s,uc;ul)y. Scholastically we were the hlghi ' ttt- To retrieve s mewhat our wounded sense of dignity, and to placate our desire tor revenges small sorti.s and skirmishes were made on the Freshmen, safely entrenched in the Central School, but Mr. Elwell gallantly came to tin .r rescue and put us to rout. Studies came easier that second tall. Perhaps wc ha l gotten the habit. Mr. G lwm bad left us and in his place came Mr. Conant. We all regretted Mr Goodwin ' s departure. His prowess In subduing unruly and belhgerenl freshmen had become traditional. The Athletic Association Hallow en Party and Stunt Night na • us our tiis. ehance tu carv a tl ' lchi lor ours -Ives m the hill of fame. We Sophomores pre sehted as oui offering a one-ad piaylet, A Night a: an inn. it was a i -triLb- tragedy, only the audienci ill, not 6 ,1,1 I,, realize this lor they laughed at the mOS: tiagic parts. Although we failed to receive ' he prizi we gained experlenct in acene shifting and stage car- pentry whieb stO ,1 us in good atead lor the Junior play . Ask .Mr. Pipei he know.-. The resl of our Sophomore year was spent in studs Ing that is. we managed to keep up with our work. just how we managed being one of our great s?crets. .Mr. Tenant bad introduced several new systems about the school and it took u aomi tune to gel used to them. We held our first real soei.d function in the form of a class hop m March. We came out on top. betti i die record of a uood many classes, but the lack of a party the first year had its effect. We had not then reached that stat ■ of efficiency for which w - have been ncted in the past year. Again came June. Although we were one year nearer graduation, we. were still the last class to go

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History of the Class of 1928 By GEORGE CHURCHILL WHITNEY The record of the Class of 19 28 is in many ways unique. We find that we lack outstanding- stars on the athletic field, in the class room, and in our class activi- ties. We notice a significant thing, however, that ouir class is larger, better, and greater than any which has preceded it, and has, we hope, set a new scholastic record for succeeding classes to attain. Far be it) from my purpose to indulge in mock heroics and in glittering generalities. The purpose of an historian is to write history — true and unbiased facts. We may be indeed great but let our own virtues: pro- claim us so; let the light of our own achievements shine as a perpetual memorial to our undying fame. But to my subject. We find inscribed in the school records the fact that in September of nineteen hundred and twenty-four there were assembled some three hun- dred odd graduates cf the three junior high schools of the town at the Searles High School to be regularly enrolled as students in the Freshman class. Owing to the new system of junior high schools, an opportunity had been given to pupils in the eighth grade to enter the ninth, thus bringing up the total graduation number to a new high mark, and incident ally lowering the graduation age by a year. Thus we are one of the youngest classes ever graduated. The Class of 192S first met officially in the assem- bly hall to be assigned to our home rooms. But we had met before — at the gate. And we had also met another clafs, who, with the lust of battle in their eyes and the spirit of revenge in their souls, were determined to implant in the Freshman heart the fear of God and of the Sophomore class. Of the bloody days that followed I dare not speak. It was too gruesome for words. SOmc- of us have memories of flustered Freshmen running around striving to hold on to shoes and stockings, and meanwhile endeavoring to reach the fifth period class before it was too late. A week of confusion followed our matriculation, a week in which bewildered Freshmen scampered from room to room and period to period. The strong hand of Martin F. Goodwin brought order out of chaos, how- ever, and soon things were running as smoothly as the proverbial clockwork. On October 28th we held our first class meeting. The newly elected president, Arthur Jackson, presided. Committees were elected to look after class rings and class colors. The colors chosen by this committee were blue and gold, the blue and gold of the Class of 1928 which throughout our four years have seemed so beautiful. The first big event of the school year was the Freshman Reception. I quote from the class records: On Friday evening, October 3, 1924. we, theii Freshmen, experienced perhaps the biggest thrill of our lives when the Class of ' 25 of the Methuen High School tendered a Reception (reception is capitalized) to the Class of ' 28 in Nevins Memorial Hall. The plans of the Sophomores and Juniors earlier in the day to kidnap the presidents of the two classes had been frustrated.

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down the stairs at Senior Chapel. There are those among us who performed the feat of maneuvering- the whole three flig-hts without touching- once. The autumn of cur junior year found us facing the ordeal of electing- new class officers to comply with the ruling of the student council. This we ably surmount- ed and as a result the following officers guided the class for the next eight m.orjths: ixs president, David Lynch; vice-president, Ida Foss; secretary, Helen Laing-- and treasurer, C. Elmer Northam. All was not serene, however, on the horh.on. The Senior class, with whom we had avoided actual conflict thus far in cur scholastic career, made loud and up- roarious protest against the student council decision that the Senior Reception and Junior Play be separated. Senior! representatives appeared before us in assembly and pleaded in a manner sufficient to cause a criminal lawyer to turn green with envy, but to no avail. The two functions were voted to be separate. We first came into official contact with Mr. Thomp- son as a class when he told us thai the success of the Junior Class Party would toi a great extent determine the future of class parities in the high school. On De- cember 17, we made Searles High safe for classi par- ties by putting over one of the best parties held in the school up to that date. Just Out of College, a clever comedy, was pre- sented to a capacity house at the Central School hall in February. Wilthout the least boasting on our part, we may safely say that its presentation was considered one of the best performances ever given by a high school. Certainly there was never a smoother one. The Senior Reception was given two weeks before the close of school. This was the first public appear- ance of our class banner with its motto selected by us a few weeks before, Aegis fortissima virtus. This function was on a par with all of our other efforts — a success. For the last time we participated in Senior Chapel as spectators. We stood in silent meditation as the de- parang Seniors filed around the cnapel to the strains of Auld Lang- Syne. It was impressive, doubly im- press.ve to us who would be the next senior class to- take leave of the school in this manner. Summer parsed all too quickly, yet the coming of September brought a thrill of anticipation. Our three years of probation were over and now the Class of 192S looked up to no one- — looked down on all. Our laurels rested lightly on our brows, however, and we noncha- lantly and gracefully accepted the homage that was due us. Our Senior year has been altogether too kaleido- scopic to analyze carefully. We held our class party very tuccesofully indeed. Our mem Deis who are cadet officers have ably assisted Lieut. Patnaude to create the most efficient and largest cadet corps in the history of the school. We of the Senior class have met cur problems suc- cessfully, as they have arisen. When Mr. Thompson, ccmir.g from another high school where it had been the custom for the senior class to present a play instead of the junior class, frankly stated his doubts of our abil- ity to put the thing across successfully, we wasted no words in refutation, but went out and did it. During the four years of high school, we have had three principals. Mr. Goodwin initiated us into the manners and customs of hig-h school life. Mr. Conarit was instrumental in bringing the class into a more com- pact body and, a® superintendent of schools, has taken keen interest in our affairs. It is Mr. Thompson, how- ever, that we have come to know most intimately. Dur-