Milford High School - Oak Lily and Ivy Yearbook (Milford, MA)

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12 THE OAK, LILY AND IVY Class History. Iti the life of the untaught Indian boy, Hiawatha, the slaying t f his first deer was a momentous event. It marked the achievement of his earliest am¬ bition. It meant to him what the completion of the grammar school course and the entrance into high school means to Uncle Sam’s more civilized nephews and nieces. There is the flush of triumph and satisfaction in their feeling, coupled also with the instinctive expect incy and awe of the mist- enshrouded future. It is no different, except perhaps in the matter of inten¬ sity, from the emotions of all people on entering upon a new and untried path of action. With a whimsical feeling of amusement tinged with the sadness of part¬ ing, we recall tonight the welcome extended in the September issue of the Oak, Lily and Ivy by a sedate senior to the entering freshman class. The welcome ended with these words: “Little freshmen, enter and be happy.” We on this platform tonight were those little freshmen. And it is that feel¬ ing of welcome and good-will exhibited by teachers and schoolmates alike which have made our entire four years so pleasant to look back up m and so hard to leave. We numbered one hundred and thirty then, and are seventy-three tonight. Our first acquaintance with Mr. C. A. FitzGerald was as sub-master of the school, but four weeks afterward he became our principal on the resigna¬ tion of Dr. Derry, with whom we did not have the opportunity of becoming very well acquainted. It did not take long, however, for us to feel the in flu- ence of Mr. FitzGerald’s kind and sympathetic interest in each one of us. We might with heart-felt sincerity expatiate upon the generous instruc¬ tion of each of our teachers, but we must pause only long enough to extend our thanks to them all for their patience and interest. There are few important events which very directly concern a freshman class, for newcomers must wait awhile before they may attain to any distinc¬ tion or recognition in school affairs other than by faithfulness in study. But an honor fell to one member of the class during the freshman year of which we are justly prou 1. A prize, to be competed for by our class, was offered for the best essay on “Why Milford is a good place to live in,” and it was won by Helen Broughey. As is always the case, a numbtr of those who entered with us grew weary and dropped out before we had well started-on our courses. During our first two years two of our members died and two mairied. In our sophomore year we made our first appearance on the rh( torical platform, and found the experience not nearly so fearsome as we had anticipa¬ ted. During this same year we were represented in the celebration, which was held in our Assembly hall on April 16, of the three-hundredth anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. Warren Chilson took the part of the school-boy in “The Seven Ages of Man” from “As You Like It.” So happily and busily the days and months flew by and we became mem-

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CAST OF A ROSE O ' PLYMOUTH TOWN.

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THE OAK, LILY AND IVY. J3 bers of the Junior class. We organized and elected our o fficers on the fif¬ teenth of November, 1916, with Elmer Nelson as president; Jessie Henderson, vice-president; Lester Shea, treasurer; and Margaret Cronan, secretary. It was our first experience of voting, and we re3ill that one of the girls asked if she should sign her name to the ballot. One member who entered with us, Rose G.igliardi, completed the necessary work in three years and was gradua ted last June with the class of ’17. At that same graduation we were happy to learn that Francis Gaffny was to receive one of the Patrick Peace Essay prizes a varded at that time. At the outset of this year we suffered the loss of our principal, Mr Fitz¬ Gerald, who w is called to the country’s service. Mr. Quirk, chosen acting principal in his place, has won the gratitude an l appreciation of the entire class for his unfailing courtesy and sincere interest in all sdi ol activities. We also missed two of our classmates, our president, Elmer Nelson, and William Sprague, both of whom enlisted during September and are now fight¬ ing “over there”. At a class meeting in October, George Luchini was elected class president to fill the vacancy left by Nelson’s departure. In February two more of the boys went away. Chester Avery and Arnold Davis were ad¬ mitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This spring the class was highly pleased over the appointment of Thomas Raftery as a student at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland This year a change was made in our rhetorical program. Instead of speaking in Assembly hall once during the year, we spoke once a month in our home rooms, having optional rhetoricals weekly in the hall in preparation for a prize speaking contest which was held December twenty first in the school assembly hall. The first prize for the girls was won by Anna Calabrese, and that for the boys, by James Catusi. On April the twelfth our class held its Senior Hop in the Town Ilall. The evening w’as greatly enjoyed by the many guests and we realized fifty - five dollais from the affair. Our Senior Play took place two weeks later on the twenty.sixth of the month, when a very pretty colonial drama, “A Rose O’ Plymouth Town,” was presented in the Opera House. The proceeds of the play were two hundred and sixteen dollars. During the third Liberty Loan drive, themes written by Hazel Clarridge, Alice Cairoll, John Grady, and James Zurlo were chosen for their special ex¬ cellence to be read at exercises given in the Assembly hall The writers were awarded diplomas signed by Secretary of the Treasury .McAdoo andcountei- signed by Principal Quirk. For our class colors we have red, white, and blue ; for our flower, the sweet pea, and for our motto, “Impossible is Un-American.” As we look back tonight through the smiling vista of our four happy years spent under the tender care of our dear Alma Mater it is with a icluc- tant yet pleased satisfaction that we turn our back upon it all to face an al¬ luring but unknown future. Esther A. HASKARn.