Midwood High School - Epilog Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

Page 7 text:

An ihitnrittll To many of us graduation means the termination of a final chapter in our growth toward maturitxy. More careful examination of thissituation, however, reveals that instead of writing Hnis and closing the book, we are merely turning to the next chapter of our lives. We are progressing from adolescence toward adulthood-from immaturity toward maturity. Iust as our world was madequp of adolescents like ourselves, so shall we find the adult world composed of adults, for the most part mature. Because it is exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to draw the line between immaturity and maturity, we Find many adolescents functioning as mature adults in our present day world, and similarly, many adults acting out the roles of adolescents. And again, since these two worlds are often brought into such close contact with one another, it is impossible for us not to feel the effects of this overlapping. Therefore, it is important for us to see the need of discharging our adult roles immediately, since with world and civic affairs in their present state, we may be compelled to act as mature adults long before we had originally anticipated. Perhaps the most distinguishing characteristic of the adult world is the opportunity which it offers- the long-awaited opportunity to put into practice all the ideals which we have formulated and nourished so carefully for these many years. We shall have opportunity, such as we have never had before, of turning our dreams and hopes into fruitful realities. W'e will also Hnd the opportunity for growth ever-increasing as we progress further along the path to adulthood and maturity. Growth in mind, body and spirit will all be ours as we move out of the restricted areas which now make up the daily pattern of our lives. But this growth will occur only if we direct our best energies toward the areas of thought and action which have proven to be the most bene- ficial to ourselves and our fellows. V That is not to say that we should not experiment, but rather that we should experiment wisely-more for the sake of proving than disproving. We have been quite fortunate in that opportunities for experimen- tation have been afforded us on numerous occasions in the home, in school, on the athletic fields and in the company of our friends and acquaintances. However, we shall soon be even more fortunate in that these chances to experiment will be more numerous and will lie in fields far-removed from our present day environments-just as our opportunities today are in fields which were quite foreign to us a few years ago. Our high school careers, brief though they have been, have helped us to prepare for our adulthoods. How much high school, and Midwood in particular, has helped us is impossible to judge accurately at this time. We can only make assumptions on the basis of what we know and have experienced, and hope that time will prove our assumptions to be correct. In Midwood we have gained a great deal of knowledge, made many lasting friendships and seen the seeds of democracy show definite signs of blossoming forth as we witnessed our student government in action. We are in, and have been in, the midst of a critical period in our high school lives. This, due to the cessation of the extracurricular activities which meant so much to us and which we had come to regard as our due. However, we found this was not so, and' upon discovering this fact, we rallied with our fellow students to support a cause which became ours because we knew it was just. How well we have fared in this matter-there again, time must tell. But we are safe in assuming that our actions have carried us a little further along the road to precious maturity. Now, as we bid adieu to Midwood and' try to add up all the things which it has given us, we find the sum total to be staggering indeed. On the other hand, when we try to track down the few things that we have given in return, we find ourselves running a very poor second. Of course we could never hope to balance the scale. But, if we in turn pass on our knowledge and give of ourselves as unselfishly as we can, we may be assured that our high school days and our years of adolescence will harden into a solid foundation, upon which to build a mature form of happiness. Seth Frank

Page 6 text:

N L

Page 8 text:

W Dr. Iacob M. Ross Miss Elsbcth Kroeber Mr. Lawrence I. Dank