Niles Junior High School - Milestones Yearbook (Bronx, NY)

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IN THE NIGHT The school was dark and sTilI. Everyone was sleeping. YeT one's mind wasn'T peaceful any more. IT was noT so easy To go To sleep any more. There was always The Threafening Thoughf of The disasfer ThaT nighf mighf bring. In one of The large dormiTories of The boarding school I was sleeping. Suddenly I woke up wiTh a sTarT. The shrill howling of The air raid sirens cuT like a knife T rough The peaceful sfillness of The nighf. I was noT The only one To awake. The whole building became alive suddenly. Everyfhing began To move. There was a grabbing of gas masks, shoes and coafs. There was someone puffing on someone else's shoes. AnoTher one walked inTo a door. The confusion was greaf because lighTs were noT allowed during a raid even Though The windows were carefully blacked ouT. In a flash I was ready To go. I raced down To The second floor. To The room where some IiTTIe five year olds had been assigned To my care. I called oTf The lisT. They were sfanding in a line quieTly. calmly. while I made sure everyone was There. In no Time we were on our way To The shelTer. We finally goT seTTled on The cold damp floor of This shelfer wiTh noThing buT a blankef for warmTh and comforf. There we lay. crowded TogeTher noT only To find warmTh and because There was noT much room. buf also To gain courage. Affer a while The rumbling sTarTed. The whole house seemed To be shaking. IT was geTTing nearer every minufe. IT sounded as if The whole school was collapsing buT Then iT was always ThaT way. we whispered To each oTher. The rumbling grew louder. In The disfance I could make ouT explosions. The rumbling seemed To be righf above us now. Fear was beginning To creep Through me. IT The ofhers were afraid, They cerfainly didn'T say so. My friends and I crouched wiTh our heads down on The floor as if Trying To proTecT ourselves from somefhing ThaT happened rarely, buT mighf happen now We knew The only Time a shelTer was demolished was when a bomb fell To The ground wiThouT exploding, rolled To The shelTer and Then blew iT, up. Who couIdn'T be sure This wouldn'T be ThaT one occasion. Suddenly we heard a loud crash. IT musT have been very near for This Time The shelfer really shook. IT was followed by several almosf as loucl. Then iT suddenly became very quief. The rumbling became fainfer and fainfer, unTil iT gradually sfopped alTogeTher. The raid was over. Very slowly I walked up To my dormifory. The room was in greaT disorder. The mirror broken. and ofher Things bacliy Thrown around. By The nexf morning no one spoke of iT. IT was iusT an incidenT in whaT was becoming our usual roufine. This is a True experience. ' IRMA STERMER, 8A4 FOXHOLE TIME AT foxhole Time The siren sings We grab our helmefs. don our wings And fly To where iusf like a mole We dive inTo a four fooT hole. They've come and gone and now we know ThaT iT will be Three hours or so Before They chance To come again And in we go To waiT for Their men And while we waiT we sing a song To keep our morale good and sTrong ARLENE SCI-IARGAN. 9AR .. 3 -

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GRADUATION During a liTeTime There are several disTincT occurrences upon which we should like To look back. One oT These is graduaTion. As we scan Through The memories oT The pasT. This experience has never yeT been overlooked. We Try To picTure The scene. an audiTorium wiTh rows oT seaTs. There's a murmur ThroughouT The room. Suddenly. as Though by some sTrange power, all is quieT. Your pulse quickens as The principal enTers The audiTorium. His TooTsTeps echo and seem To beaT inside your brain. As you anTicipaTed, he is sTanding beTore ou. You look up aT him and all Tenseness subsides. You are no longer rigid and TrighTened. You are relaxed and unaTraid. T He begins his Talk and you lisTen aTTenTively. He pauses and seems To look direcTly aT you. And Then he smiles, a smile you will never quiTe TorgeT. You sing The NaTional AnThem, your voice rising ioyously. Then The momenT you Teared Tor so many weeks arrives. IT is Time To receive your diploma. You're sure ThaT someThing dreadTul is going To happen. You can icTure yourselT Tripping across The sTage and landing headTirsT aT The principal's TJeeT. Oh! now you can Teel a liTTle dizziness coming upon you. You groan silenTly and whisper a liTTle prayer. ATTer 'whaT seemed like hours oT waiTing, your name is called. You sTep up and walk proudly across The plaTTorm. You receive your diploma. AT lasT! lT's all over. You see Mom and There are Tears in her eyes. Tears oT happiness. You've earned your reward aT lasT. ANNA SEIF, 9BR GRADUATION OF JANUARY, I944 Many Tine pupils have passed Through The porTals oT Niles Junior School. sober. sensible. girls and boys who will become our TuTure ciTizens. WiTh The cooperaTion oT The sTudenTs each graduaTion has surpassed all preceding ones. ln January, l944. in The presence oT many parenTs. Teachers and Triends a graduaTion was held which was beyond all oThers. The ConTaTa enTiTled The GreaT Assembly Line was wrifTen by Lou Singer. IT was enjoyed by The audience as well as by Those who performed. The sTar performers who meriT considerable praise Tor Their Tine rendiTion oT war workers are Murray Goldman and AnThony D'Orazio oT Class 9B5. OTher members oT The casT who also deserve praise are: KaThleen De Maria, Gerald Yanchik, EdiTh Beusse, Joseph lacavelli, Lillian Schellhammer. Thomas Turkman We all wish To Thank Miss Tighe. Mrs. Sueur and Mrs. O'Hora Tor creaTing such a successTul program. Mr. J. F. Conroy, our,Tormer principal, who is now an AssisTanT SuperinTendenT oT Schools. was among The inviTed guesTs. He gave an inspiring, speech. Among The oThers inviTed were: Miss Johanna Hopkins. AssisTanT Super- inTendenT oT Schools. Mrs. Anna McDade. AssisTanT Principal oT Junior High Mrs. BronsTein, Former PresidenT oT ParenTs' AssociaTion. Mrs. WeisenTeld, PresenT PresidenT oT ParenTs' AssociaTion. Mr. Francis Conlon, represenTing The American Legion who presenTed The American Legion Medal To Tormer PresidenT oT The General OrganizaTion, Donald McKayle. ANNA SEIF, 9BR -7-

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Z'q'i 1 T .gewee ' . 1. is i 'O 02 X ff 'X fii' ' 5' aff by - YQJ I T ik 1- xv la ' T MOST of us have relafives in The service oT our counfry. On The following pages you will read abouf some of our own heroes. THE WAR AND DAD lT was The day before Thanksgiving and we were sTanding around him wiTh Tears in our eyes. ln his hand he held a card sTaTing ThaT OTTO Brummer had passed his h sical examinafion and was Thus qualified for service in The U.S. Army. IT also saijfhal' he was To re1oorT aT The inducTion cenTer on November 25. l942, and proceed wiTh a body of men To Grand Cenfral STaTion. Now The Time had come when my faTher would have To leave us for how long we did noT know. buT if iT was his wish To go who were we To sTop him. AfTer saying goodbye. he deparTed. leaving us for The firsT Time. The days following were noT very pleasanT. The whole family missed Dad Terribly and iT seemed ThaT everyThing we did reminded us of him. Then aT lasT a long awaiTed leTTer arrived. Anxiously. my mofher Tore o en The envelope and read aloud Tha+ he was in Camp Dix very homesick. buT oTEerwise all righT. ThaT was grand news To us and we felT like Telling The world. From Then on we received mail regularly and everyfhing wenT along fine. The younger fellows called him Pop because he was The oldesT privaTe There. One ChrisTmas Eve he goT a Thirfy-six hour pass and came home iusT in Time To Tix The Tree. We saw him once more and Then he was shipped To Cam Roberis. California, which is near San Francisco. Daddy wroTe ThaT he preferred 5aliTornia's sunshine To New Jerse 's cold and snow. WhiTe aT Camp RoberTs he gained TwenTy- five pounds which fillfed him ouT beauTifully. AT RoberTs he was in The Field Arfillery. He won quiTe a few medals for shooTing and afTer being in for a year, he received a medal for good conducT. LaTer he was senT To San Diego and soon privaTe became corporal. They also made him mail clerk for The five surrounding baTTalions. He said he enioyed This work buT iT kepT him busy especially around The holida s. Then one day in November we received The Tolibwing Telegram: EvacuaTe Navy and Marines. The Army is Taking over. Arrive Pen STaTion 3:30 P.M. 'Love and kisses for my Three girls. Dad. . ATTer a few hours The doorbell rang Three Times and in sTepped Pop looking beTTer Than he had looked in his whole life. We kepT him busy'visiTing friends and relafives and before we knew iT, a week had passed. He would have To leave us again buT This Time we knew he was well and had no cause for worry. He refurned To San Diego and resumed his job of mail man. A few weeks ago he Took his overseas physical exam wiTh flying colors. RecenTly he was Transferred To ForT Bliss, Texas. for overseas Training. Like all The resT, he is anxious To go over buT in his case There is The liTTle maTTer of age. The work is Tough and The hours long, buT for a man wiTh spiriT and endurance ThaT means noThing. We all hope and pray ThaT This conflicT will soon end so ThaT my Tafher and all your Tafhers. sons, broThers. and sweeThearTs can come home To enioy lasTing peace in This. our America. JUNE BRUMMERI 954 -9-