New Haven High School - Elm Tree Yearbook (New Haven, CT)

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Q o o 4 SN HIE'-EIISVTISIPItThCD1-CITCIII1 aiiiifii iilgngkf ment of athletics Gardner Crabb and Bus Friedman demonstrated their versatility by defeating their two Senior opponents. The reputation of the junior Class was raised many a notch through the efforts of the girls, basketball team. This team easily defeated all opponents and gained the coveted championship. But with Viola Smith as captain, Gertrude Sternschuss as cheer-leader, Natalie Jacobson as manager, and Charlotte Peck, Edna Lane, Mary Chamberlain, Katherine Morrison, Blanche Cameron, Doris Clarke, Helen Fidler, Glenna Bullis, Virginia Toole and Delia Tracy as players, can anything else have been expected? The boys' team followed the example set before them by their fair classmates when it conquered the proud and haughty Seniors. But in a spirit of unselfishness and generosity, it lost the game and likewise the championship to the lowly Sopho- mores. In giving the athletic achievements their full measure of praise, let us not overlook the dramatic accomplishments of the year. These consisted of two plays, The Maker of Dreamsi' and The Atonement . The former was given at the Christmas assembly and provided pleasure to all who witnessed it. The latter was written, presented and acted by the Senior Public Speaking Class. However the matter of being a Senior didn't bother Abe Bawarsky, since he obtained a part in this production by some method mysterious to most of us ordinary juniors. One of the most successful events of the year was the exhibit given by the Science Department. Naturally, the Juniors took care of everything pertaining to Physics. It was the duty of those in charge to explain to the onlookers the experiments which they performed. jim Birney, after expounding the theories involved in his experiments to an elderly gentleman, even blushed when he found out that he had been trying to increase the knowledge of a professor of Physics at Yale University. In the field of debating, Demosthenes himself would have rejoiced had he heard our own orators in the forensic clashes against the neighboring high schools. Our representatives earned a complete victory in the Triangular Debate between New Britain, Hartford, and New Haven by defeating their two opponents. These decisions have placed New Haven in a favorable position for acquiring the VVes- leyan Cup. VVith such success, we are not surprised to learn that three juniors, Herman Levy, james Rirney, and Russell Flanagan, were the mainstays of the regular debating teams. Less satisfactory, however, was the result of the Dual Debate against Bridge- port, which ended in a tie, both affirmative teams being victorious on the question, 'fResolved, That Trade Unions are Essential to Successful Collective Bargaining . In this debate, which was the last of the year, Myer Mermin and the three juniors previously mentioned were active participants. The class team, consisting of Saul Gamer, Abraham Bawarsky, and Harry Ratner, easily convinced the judges that the arguments of both the Seniors and Sophomores were invalid. By doing this, the Juniors won the interclass champion- ship and the debaters were awarded Demosthenes medals. ' 24

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r-s.f'vyv----if ..- FIFH' f'Zm s rrp 'A 'errors via' s .ss ' 'mmf ,, Sv 2 UI H 1' 01121 H Lanai 1 H. ..,-Jlll.1EJE-E. Zluninr lgmr lVith a feeling of pride and happiness we entered that delightful period of our High School career known as the Junior Year. Mindful of the favorable circum- stances that existed, we all took advantage of every possible opportunity for success and the record of those who were successful is in reality a history of the Junior Year of the Class of Nineteen Twenty-Three. School opened as usual in the early part of September. At that----time four hundred and seventy-four of us, to be exact, registered as third-year students. YVith little delay or confusion we settled down to work and were soon accustomed to the regularity of school life. Two weeks later Coach Murphy issued his call for football candidates. To this announcement over sixty students from the three upper classes responded. However, as only the best can be selected, the squad naturally contained a goodly number of juniors. XVhen the season, which was rather successful, finally ended, Friedman, Peters, Crabb and NYa'lker were awarded their letters, while at the same time Fred Beck and Danny Dorchester received class numerals. The ability of 'fBus Friedman earned for him the captaincy and also a position on the All-State Team chosen by a Hartford football expert. The first assembly of the year dealt with the subject of fire-prevention. This topic proved to be of extreme importance, later, when the Rialto Theatre burned down and caused a great loss of life. Herbie Bernstein took advantage of this disaster, in order to gain sympathy, by posing as a fire victim. Needless to say, his efforts were quite futile. i Before many of us realized it, the Christmas vacation was actually upon us with its merry round of social activities. Especially noteworthy were the frater- nity and sorority dances held at the Lawn Club. These affairs, which many of us attended for the first time, constituted the high points in the social life that charac- terizes the Junior Year. After the vacation came a period of time which seemed to have been utilized mainly for the purpose of forming societies. The Chemistry Club was the first of the so-called study societies which appeared on the horizon of school activity. Fol- lowing close in its wake came the Spanish Club. However, the athletically inclined were not to be outdone by their more studiously inclined classmates, and conse- quently we find that the girls have brought the Outing Club into our midst. Moreover, these were not the last of the societies, as two sororities, namely, Epsilon Nu Sigma and Pi Epsilon Pi, were' recognized about this time by the school authorities. The winter sports were now in full swing. Danny English distinguished him- self on the basketball five while Spencer Hoyt, besides being manager, was one of the star performers on the swimming team. For the first time in the history of the school boxing and wrestling were indulged in as miiior sports. ln this depart- 23

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. ,J-1, .. ..Y,. Fd-V-H--.. 1' F53 nii n-134011 a i57l1ITnit 1 i1iT1HTfiiiibTiBWm ' About this time the question of the hour was, 'KXVho will be the officers of the class ? From Freshman days this thought was often uppermost in our minds and always a matter of keen interest. The opportunity to end this doubt and uncer- tainty presented itself when Mr. Kirschner announced that the Class of Nineteen Twenty-Three would be allowed to organize. Nominations were then held, fol- lowed by a campaign the like of which has rarely been seen. Finally came the day of judgment when it was decided that james Birney was to be President, Frederick Chapman, Vice-President, Herman Levy, Treasurer, and Edna Lane, Secretary. Another event of considerable importance was the election of four juniors to the recently organized Student Council. Of eighteen proposed, only jim Birney, Fritz Chapman, Ken Martin, and Herman Levy were picked. Thesdiagting in an advisory capacity, well represented our class in all school matters. The literary and journalistic efforts of this year were on the whole not very successful due to the lack of support from the student body. Nevertheless, the S6'7ll'f7'l0l and the Crescent managed to surmount their obstacles and came out, for the most part, regularly. On the Scfztinvl Editorial Board were Herman Levy, VVarren Hughes, Claire Schoenberger, Gertrude Sternschuss, and Eileen McManus, while john Hall ably managed the business end of things. But Herman Levy and Dud Stillman didn't stop with High School publicationsg they obtained positions as 'reporters on the Register and the U nion respectively and wrote up the York Square news. V Y Spring athletics were now Hourishing. johnny johnson, then of our strong band, and Ed Peters, maintained the honor of the class on the baseball diamond. Likewise Sturgeon, Beck, Slocumbe, and Haczela were the stars of the Track Team which defeated Hartford and New Britain in the annual triangular meet. Jackson, Carl johnson, and Chapman were also conspicuous in gaining honors on the championship Tennis Team. Finally, the year drew to a close and ended the activities of scholarship, ath- letics, journalism, and dramatics, in which the Class of Nineteen Twenty-Three excelled. These accomplishments will long remain in our memory and serve as an inspiration for greater efforts in future years. HARRY RESNIK. 25