Mount Vernon High School - Hoop Pole Yearbook (Mount Vernon, IN)

Page 15 text:

Quo ..2g. . tzx..-f L.-- ' It had one large auditorium and nine class rooms--and with the larger build- ing came sports and a few organizations of the 90's . . . the fin de siecle . . . passed trom the calendar. From the first the spirit of M. V. H. S. had been apparent. Now it began to blossom-it began to enter into the life of the M. V. H. S. student. More than book learn- ing he carried away now when he grad- uated: he was in an atmosphere of com- radeship, of being someone. The Old Castle was a long time in passing into the limbo of undesirables -but finally the State Board of Educa- tion determined that it no longer could satisfy the needs of the twentieth cen- tury . . . so plans were begun to re- place the building that the students had , - cared for so long. The Mt. Vernon MAIN1.I?ERSIg3Ff:IlJ1SgHP??L school board eschewed anything that would not be the best in the educational world. But we will not here go into de- tail ot the midnight oil they burned planning its type, its equipment, the means of financing it. Let it sufiice to say that money was not copious, but the Board in its masterly way finally got the building under way, and the impressive New Castle of Tudor-Gothic design is the result. This article was not written to pass ecomiums on the city, or to give a eulogy of the school board-but the Hoop-Pole ot' this year cannot ignore the mighty spirit with which M. V. H. S. has been en- dowed. Although the present high school system has at times been discussed with asperity, there can be no doubt that the recitation system where the students can clarify their notions by filtration through the minds of others, their comradeships with each other, that the high school of today is a permanent quality. As has been said the Hoop-Pole of '29 can not ignore the spirit of M. V. H. S. In order to appreciate this spirit it is necessary to understand what it really is . . . what is it? Is it that which impels a wild-eyed student body to scream, PRESENT CENTRAL SCHOOL Eleven

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'Que ...35. . fdf,.. ' M. V. H. S.---OUR IDEAL Mt. Veruon's various high schools have followed the course or nature, at first like the creeping worm, then the gay butterfly. since Mt. Vernon has been large enough to have a secondary education system, more have been four high schools. Each has been bigger and better than the pre- ceding one, The iirst Mt. Vernon high school was erected in 1870, at the site where Central Building now stands .... And was affectionately called Old Cen- tral '. Rather plain in appearance-a di- mlnutive building when thought of in the terms of today, one with classes in few subjects and taught by a. small faculty . . . this was the sum total of the activi- UOLD CENTRALVY ties of the time. There was no frenzied shouting at athletic contests, there was no school paper, no annual, no social organi- zation, ostensibly at least, with their various pursuits. Although in these quiet stages the spirit of M. V. H. S. was operating. An old grad says Plus poetic quam humane locutus es - perhaps we have spoken more poetically than hu- manly , but it has been very little exaggerated on our part. But as with other things, Old Central outlived its usefulness. The Senior classes no longer consisted of only live to twelve students-so a new building took its place. This structure was the Main Street school. However it did not supply the needs long, as it was not much larger than its predecessor. It served from 1887 to 1896. Then came the third high school. This was heralded as one of the best in the state at the time of its dedication-it was to the city what the present High is. Erected at a cost of 517,000 at the corner of College Avenue and Fifth Street, it presented an imposing view . . . gingerbread it was said. Built in Gothic style, with its towers, turrets, and arched portals-it well deserved the ten- der, loving epithet of the Old Castle . 'nerr-. -' , :rv --e ffw i --.- Evil,-i f' u-...M W . , I p ,N '-1v..:?'5-H- .t:.:' Q4-1- '-- .. ' '- '-'W f . mf----' 7 be - A e ww, .r,.,...., N- . K W:.7...,..a. A G THE NEW CASTLE Ten

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4,4- J il? 1 .fi . . 5 '11-iz:- ABE BURLISON+ Janitor for 24 Years To Head Pilot a X L Win the county tourney ? In a way, this is but the ebullitiong however, somewhat small .... The true spirit of M. V. H. S. is that which causes the students and graduates of the Castles to be true to themselves and true members of society in which they are placed. Soldier, statesman, scientist, it matters not . . . the part is a minor thingg each is an old grad . M. V. H. S. does not consist of stone buildings, but of the students which constitute the school. M. V. H. Sis spirit is eternal! Long after the present buildings have crumbled away, and the children of the students of today have passed into history the spirit of M. V. H. will survive. The school that taught- It matters not whether we win or lose, but how we play the game - its spirit must be great. It is altogether fitting and right that the Hoop-Pole of '29 embody as its ideal- The Spirit of M. V. H. S. Cabin Clerks To Ship Captain DORIS LIMBERGER CATHERINE HOGAN Twelve