Mount St John Academy - Veritas Yearbook (Gladstone, NJ)

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Scene Three- - - Our ,Junior Year g At Last! After threshing over in our minds the fact of finally being Juniors, we immediately began the year by having a class meeting con- cerning our Prom only 8 months away! Facing our financial problems, our first concrete action was appointing the bakers for a cake sale. By the end of the first cake sale we had our Prom arranged and the decor- ations decided. The Autumn Frolic was held at Halloween and saw our Lise crowned Queen. That was our first excitement, to he closely followed by a one act play in honor of the Marian Year, in which a few of us had leading roles. The most united class in the high school, we were accused of pos- sessing a one track mind. Of course our thoughts didn't dwell completely on the Promg we had our rings for diversion. When Christmas came around we literally squealed with delight at our new badges of dignity. However, there was nothing dignified in our ostentatious display of them. After our vacation we returned to begin preparations for the first dance we held. Modern Daze proved that our creative and artistic abilities had not decreased since our Freshman year, and we were so fired by our success that we began our decorations for the Prom. In the meantime, as soothing balm to our aches and worries, came our Retreat. It came, and went, leaving a mark on our frenzied souls, making us think, plan, and hope. they had dreamed of. our exams and were at last SENIORS. May 21 approached very quickly. F lnally our long awaited Prom was here. For weeks we secretely planned, designed, wrote letters and visited lumber companies. We drew up plans for our arbor and then made roses to put on it. It seemed that we made thou sands of roses, but we could have used twice the num ber produced. Saturday morning dawned a warm sun ny day, and we were all very joyful. That same day some of us took College Boards, but at night very happy Juniors gathered with their escorts for the night It was only a fleeting moment from our Prom to graduation and the realization dawned: we had passed

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A Scene Two--- Our Sophomore Year We came hack in September as experienced Sophomores and looked in pity at the poor bewildered Freshmen, wondering, Were we ever like tl1at?,'Besides the new Freshmen.there were other newcomers we had to meet. Four members of the faculty: Father Jude, Sister Lucy, Sister Juliana, and Sister Magdalen joined us in September, 1953. Being the largest, noisiest class, we gave the Freshmen sufficient reason for fear when we announced the dreaded initiation. But looking back, we were really thoughtful. Not forgetting the angiush we felt at the no lipstick rule, we let the Freshies wear all the lipstick they wanted. In fact, we made them cover their faces with it, then sat back and laughed at the products of our creative imaginations during those two days. During October the Congreation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist celebrated its 75th anniversary. On October 17, Bishop James McNulty celebrated a Pontifical High Mass in which the High School Choir participated. Later that day, after dinner, the Glee Club gave a concert in honor of the Bishop. At Halloween the Juniors gave the first dance of the year, the Spook Session. Besides this dance, we also went to a Student Council Winter Wonderland and a Senior Valentine Dance . Christmas finally came, Maddy Oppel drew Cherubs galore. We de- corated our room as the Sophomore heaven. We had angels on the win- phere at St. J 0seph's. elassmen. . -, gg.. ,t .131 M: . i as-Jae, + .W Ll practice were really worth it! , -1 , R 4 -- . - , 11- ' :Ji Ag' gi- .1 ' . Q,W,.,ggi,, J... in Q .sm . . ., gg! . 4. N ' we . s Q , . .. 58 1 ,V 'il' 'lsfi' , S f .r I ' Engng NR. : v, , N .. 'L . , , fa 3, . .J . -1 EHS :'. -t i Qi -rv W f, 'i cs , .1 ij 1 . w ' -L 1 ' serie '1' i..r-5- ' 1 -wa. . .. .. 3 as W U -1 ga ff ff .. ,, , f af. .., .g , K ,, ,ls 1 -as i R. 2 'e'- K -V Ewa ix . ! , - , I ,Q 2 - , .Y g .. 4.5, il fi it .S Z use are .4 is 21. ,. , 3 f ii- V X lv f u srl 1 ' ii isnt a i NIS ii: 5 dows, on the blackboard and on the bulletin board. The day before vacation we had a private party, after which we proceeded solemnly around the school, treating everyone to our melodious caroling. After Christmas we returned full of New Year's resolutions We would faithfully do our work, be quiet, obey rules and, in general be just like our Christmas angels. But this lasted only until after exams when we returned to our normal noisy selves. ' In February of our Sophomore year we began the custom of having First Friday Mass in School. That afternoon we all left for our first closed retreat at St. J oseph's Villa. We were rather awed by St. Joseph s at first, but gradually settled down to the quiet and peaceful routine of the retreat under Reverend Francis Drolet S.J. As the retreat ended with banana splits and soda, we were all sorry to leave the comforting atmos Strains of Gilbert and Sullivan echoed through the hills as we pre pared for The Gondoliersf' Sr. Mary Louise practiced with us for weeks during school practice periods and after school. We sang, picked flowers marched and sang some more. Finally we were ready, and even though most of us had stage fright, the operetta was a success. All the hours of All the talk of dances and parties came to a climax in May when the Juniors had their Prom. The Sunday after the Prom the Glee Club had their annual concert in an auditorium decorated for the Prom. Soon school ended and at graduation time we were real pp ,fit J ff

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cone Four ----- 0ur Seniorlear Senior Year at last!! lVe thought it would never come. ,lust imagine, only nine short monthsleft.This thought made us both joyful and sorrow- ful at the same time. But, no matter what our feelings were, NVE were Seniors, the ones who marshalled. edited the Year Book. held important posts. and were looked up to by the younger students, fso we imaginedj We quickly assumed our various duties and became engrossed in just being Seniors. In October. we had our Senior Retreat with the Seniors from St. John's Villa in Staten Island. We spent three quiet days at St. Joseph's Villa, praying, meditating, and listening to Father Fogarty. This Retreat held a special meaning for us: it was our last Retreat at St. John's, and only the first of a succession of lasts. The fall days began getting shorter, and suddenly winter seemed very near. The first crystal snowfall of the year came on the same day as the Student Council Dance, Autumn Leaves. a seemingly inappro- priate titlc. Our next thought looked toward Thanksgiving. not only in terms of a vacation, for there was work to be done. Our class president, Eileen Engerud, initiated a campaign for Thanksgiving Baskets for some poor families. This was given a Bon Voyage with posters and a huge red box displayed at the end of the school hall, a substitute pantry for those families not so fortunate as ourselves. Vacation arrived bringing the end of what we knew' was a successful campaign, for much food and generous contributions had been given in response to our plea. A final chilling blast, and we knew winter was here, carrying in its weight more snow., ice skating, and the happiness connected with Christ- mas preparation. The classrooms changed their dress for Christmas dec- orations. The true spirit, however, of Advent was gained by a few of us in little daily gatherings around the Advent Wreatll in which we were given opportunity for quiet reflection on the meaning of the season. Several times, we gathered with a few more of our companions and tried to share our new- born ideas. We came to realize what we had missed in t-he previous years when we had not considered Advent so deeply. All the classes held a jolly Christ- mas party together and we went home for the Christmas holiday. I