Parkersburg High School - Parhischan Yearbook (Parkersburg, WV)

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JA? THE RED AND WHITE ARKERSBURG HIGH SCHOOL is not a school of spontaneous growth, but like all glorious achievements it is the result of hard earned experiences and a period of struggle, the mastering of A situations, and the surmounting of opposing factors. Its in- cipiency is the direct result of the concentrated efforts of a group of splendidly intellectual men and Women, such as Ella, Flagg, Mr. R. H. Rice, Mr. Cox, and others Who, Way back in the isle of time, let us say about 1874, visualized the -necessity of higher education, the dominating force in present day life, and established the first Parkers- burg High School. For it was in this year that the State Legislature granted us the privilege of graduating students. , The high schol of today upon which so many speculative eyes are fixed is unmistakably the produce of a series of events and circum- stances arising Within the last fifty years. Parkersburg High School can only be appreciated after a rigid investigation of these particular oc- currences Which have served to mold it. My caravan of thoughts carries me along through the period of years to the intellectual oasis of 1926. Radical changes occurring during the space of fifty years are strikingly illustrated in the progress made in the last decade. A record discloses the fact that in every branch of activity highest levels were reached. The football team, always considered a sport cornerstone in every high school and collegiate circle, has produced such celebrities as: Joe Lidder- dale, Gilbert Welch, Pete Barnum, the Murrin Trio, McHenry, Hoben- sack, and various others Whose names are known to every football en- thusiast in the state. Yet, in looking over the school record, We find that until 1916 football was not placed on a sound basis and played no prominent part in the school life of Parkersburg High School. But Parkersburg now boasts a real athletic' significance and has erected a stadium Where all games can be witnessed in comfort and pleasure, a stadium which is symbolic of the splendid aggressiveness of our high school. Music is indispensable and has made its entrance as a permanent art, is one of the splendid mediums of intellectual advancement no phase being neglected. It is surprising to find that music had no place in the curriculum of the high school in the early years of P.H.S. We now have a band, one of the most complete organizations which is recognized as one of the best in the state. The orchestra bids fair to surpass any like organization in the state, having developed a taste for the most artistic and classical numbers. Their programs are an anticipated pleasure for the music lovers of the city. The Marcato Club has sung its Way into the hearts of the most discriminating audiences with interest in nothing but the highest type of music. Dramatics have not been overlooked, but such credible offerings as Polly With A Past, Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Be An Optimist, and l 'M Args?-di - ff! H. -4