Newport News High School - Anchor Yearbook (Newport News, VA)

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HISTORY OF THE GLASS OF FEBRUARY, 1924 By Amanda Gray, Class Historian After four years of hard work and good times, we, the class of February ’24, have at last reached that goal towards which we have been struggling. But forget the present for a while and go with me back to that cold day near the first of February, 1920, when eighty-four shivering, shak- ing, staring individuals first entered the Walter Reed building as high school students. We were told to go to the assembly hall and there, after a short speech hv Mr. Alexander, we were assigned to our respect- ive class rooms with Mrs. Sommerall and Miss Robinson, now Mrs. James, as our home-room teachers. In the meantime, that awful sound of “Rats, Rats” came from every direction. And we continued to he “rats” throughout that term. Five rooms on the third floor of the Walter Reed building were occupied by two 7-A and three 7-B classes with Mrs. Mae ' Marshall Edwards, Miss Pearl M oore, Miss Florence Richardson and the two Miss Powells, as teachers. As we were in the high school building and were junior high stu- dents, while in the seventh grade we were not quite as “green” as the majority of freshmen. Although the periods, societies, assemblies, et cetera, were perfectly familiar to us, Ancient History, Science, Algebra and Latin were entirely new. After we had gotten settled in our home-rooms great pamplets with the curriculum, courses and periods were distributed among us. We discovered that there were three courses offered: the elective, aca demic and business. Then with the aid of Miss Packman we made out our schedule; the majority of us, I think, chose the elective, while some took the academic and others the business course. Even though the first half of our freshman year was one terrible struggle with Latin, Algebra, Science, Ancient History and the constant 29 (

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CREED OF THE CLASS OF FEBRUARY, 1924 By Frances Yolk We, Hie class of February, ’24, having reached the end of our high school career, wish to write the creed by which we have lived during our four years here. Although it may seem like the creeds of other classes, we believe these things so deeply that we feel we must express thi ' in. However widely our class may be separated after we graduate, we feel sure that each member will remember and be true to its “Creed.” We believe in the ideals for which the Newport News High School stands, and we shall endeavor to live up to them. We believe in Fred M. Alexander, our principal, and in our faculty, who have been so untiring in their efforts in our behalf, and we wish them to know that we appreciate all they have done for us. Wo believe in athletics as the promoter of the splendid spirit of our school and we believe our coaches are the best we could possibly get. We believe in the Beacon as representative of the students of the Newport News High School. We believe in the orchestra and all other forms of expression of the school spirit. We believe in the School Board and in our Superintendent, whose combined efforts have made possible the new high school building, and who are constantly planning to help and improve the school. We believe that the spirit of the school will never die, but will be ever present in all the students. We believe in Virginia, the mother of states, as the best in this great Union. We believe in the United States of America as the greatest Democ- racy of the world. Above all, we believe in God, our creator, and in Him do we trust. 28

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cry of “rats” we finally completed that term’s work and came to that elevated position of “Educated Rats.” Our second half of freshman year was no “hed of roses.” We began that term in September, 1920. This proved to be a very event- ful year. Our football team were state champions; that year also saw the successful organization of the Student Council. We finally com- pleted our freshman year with probably a few failures and one or two stopping school. Our sophomore year was rather uneventful, as most sophomore years are. but we were now getting symptoms of those things known as school and class spirit and “pep).” Our home-room teachers that term were Mr. Oaks, Mr. Koenig and Miss Carr. Also, during our 2-B term the school and city had “The Xew High School Campaign” terminat- ing in a large parade in which all school children took part. In February ’23, we entered high school as juniors and we thought ourselves extremely mighty. Our class had become by this time much smaller. The majority of us have occupied room 9 for the past two and a half years. Mr. Bennett and Mr. Keith were our home-room teachers. That year was marked by many good times. Although good times were combined with hard work because some started chemistry. A few were taking four years of Latin and some started Spanish and others shorthand and typewriting. Then, in February ’23. we became seniors. This year saw the intro- duction of the Safety Patrol as an aid to the Student Council ; but this has been abolished and this year we have students stationed in the halls to regulate traffic between classes. We had Mr. Keith the first half of our senior year and Mr. Miller the second half, as home-room teachers. During the summer of ’22 a large number of our original class went to summer school, enabling them to graduate in three and a half years, and so, with a few failures, several stopping school, and those who graduated in three and a half years, there were only about nineteen of the original eiglity-four who started out on that long, rough road together. But we have some “new comers” with us and we have about thirty-one graduating in the class of February ’24. 30