Peabody Veterans Memorial High School - Meta Yearbook (Peabody, MA)

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OUR ALMA MATER

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2013 . 5.99 Yearbook Jfiin ' liuirit Our days together are numbered and soon we’ll say “good-bye” and march forward to meet life’s joys and sorrows, to contend with the tide of depression to reach the cove of prosperity and success. These we must face alone, with- out the guiding hand of a friend and teacher which has safely piloted us through our five years in high school. But we would remember these happy days and the dear associates which lightened every burden. We could not forget their little characteristics, their charms, and yes, their faults. Yet we are reminded that time dulls memory, and obliterates those faces which now so vividly fill our eyes. Td this end, that of preserving the faces of our friends, their ambitions and hopes, we present this book. Its pages are filled with little incidents that have bright- ened our busy days; records of athletic events that have placed us high in the realm of sport; accounts of our various organizations which have kept our affection constant. We sincerely hope that this book will tend to keep alive for you, your recollections of Alma Mater and her associations. In after years of responsibility, when time has robbed you of things you would remember, may the contents of the Year Book open for you the gates to memory, that abstract haven which holds the secret of true happiness and contentment. May you feel the inclination to rekindle old attachments and revisit the scenes which shall always be deep within your heart. Let the “Meta” serve as a link between you and your classmates; let it perpetuate friendships; let it make the five years of your life at Peabody High immortal.

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META: — To the curious passerby it is a charming three-storied building of yellow brick, fronted by a wide green lawn, leafy, handsome trees bordering the sidewalk. To a nervous Sub-Freshman on the opening day of school, the dignity which its size and structure guarantee seems to speak of an awful majesty incorporate within it; it is a building of mysteries, portentous, — promising only vaguely-defined things. But to the Seniors, at Com- mencement, leaving the clocks still marking the minutes in the silence of the classroom, leaving the corridors still humming and rustling with the school gossip of the undergraduates, it is a familiar and dear possession, some- thing like an old, worn, and well-loved book, or yet the portrait of an old friend. This feeling of “belonging” to our Alma Mater has its outward and visible signs. There are the brightly- lettered navy sweaters of the football squad, our various clubs, our school paper, our class ode and our school song, but our sense of loyalty to our school has a deeper signifi- cance yet. We are extremely proud of our school, of its high scholastic ranking, of the thorough training and edu- cation its name stands for. Alma Mater has meant for us increased ability to think and appreciate, enlarged MATER” knowledge, instilling of high ideals, preparation for life, many new friends, and immeasurably happy days. Small wonder that a conscious gratitude mingles with our regret as we find our years at high school at their close. An institution of the type of our Alma Mater is a feature which would redeem any civilization. It is a model democracy within itself. Its aim is noble: it is an ideal the monks of Medieval Europe, instilling learning and piety in the few children near the monasteries could only dream of. Alma Mater’s counterparts are legion through- out this country; yet mingling with the happy memories of our days here should come a serious thought, a re- membrance of the millions of youths in the Old World to whom the privilege we have been enjoying is impossible. Viewed from their eyes, our school must indeed seem a “Beneficent Mother.” Her influence upon us, already noticeable, will be life-long. She found us rough diamonds; surely now the stones reveal enlargening sparkles. She gave freely a firm foundation. It is now up to us to build high and well upon it. And meanwhile the clocks tick, and book-laden students hurry thi’ough noisy corridors. Our Alma Mater is never idle: she is again busy at her consecrated service of edu- cating her city’s youth!