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

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fi? M, It Happened in June, have discovered talent which will again be heard of in various colleges. Last but not least is debating. This ac- tivity which has brought P.H.S. great honors is still in its infancy, but is now walking and talking, to the satisfaction of all has made a credible showing in all her interscholastic debates. Harvard, Columbia, Ann Arbor, and Cornell may yet boast of their proteges from P.H.S. I could go on and on speaking of the different phases, but I shall leave to the Parhiscan, whose christening has been one of the most recent events of the school, the task of exonerating each duty and achievement. Our school boasts one of the finest mediums of enlightenment in iVest Vir- ginia, and it has assembled the best talent available in our school in order that it may chronicle the events of each year in a most interesting and pleasing manner for the readers. True it has been very charitable, and in years to come we shall read where our acts of indiscretion were not recorded, but we masqueraded under the caption of the beautifully sublime, thanks to the Parhiscan staff, whose thoughtfulness shall ever remain a blessed memory. Comparison of the past and present will convince the taxpayer that he is receiving a real intellectual compensation for the maintenance of our high school. A survey will show that P.H.S. of yesterday taught such subjects as Latin, Literature, German, Algebra, and English Com- position. Students were not given the privilege of choosing electives, in fact there were so few subjects taught that there was no field of choice. But diversification is the slogan of our high school today, the curriculums are made up of a wide field of subjects, and it is not only the college bound student who finds his desired courses here, but the commercial student, the normal student, and the boy and girl who likes to do things with their hands. So today the student of the high school enjoys the splendid social and cultural side of life whi.ch gives him a prestige in his community, yet at the same time developing his intellectual life. Clubs of every description have a place, and these rob the daily routine of its monotony, stimulate interest, and awaken undiscovered tendencies. Parkersburg High School is symbolic of true greatness, creating idealists out of each student who believes in hitching ,his wagon to a star, and that the accomplishment of the altogether great is not beyond him, and to encourage him in his pursuits, our predecessors established a wonderful institution, standing aloof in its dignified beauty, surround- ed by a wonderful campus. There is about it a certain atmosphere, a majestic grace, which calls forth the best in each student. When he enters her portals he is no longer an individual, but a part of that in- stitution itself. It is in this school that genuine democracy is fostered within each boy and girl, and each meet on a common level for one common good. . VIRGINIA SHEPHARD jg' if 1 7 xg! ,' -1- 4-v-H , l 1 3 xl, , g