Peru High School - Narcissus Yearbook (Peru, IN)

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THE NARCISSUS G. .W. YOUNGBLOOD A Challenge TO live in the twentieth century should be a challenge to each high school student. With the advantages offered by modern inventions and discoveries, high school students have greater opportunities for growth and development than have ever before been afforded. With better buildings, better equipment, better trained teachers and greater per capita wealth, more is expected of you. Your parents appreciate the blessings that result from physical, mental, and moral growth, and have a wider vision of education. They are very anxious that you take advan- tage of educational opportunities. Are you measuring up to these tremendous responsibilities? Many of you, leaving school, will become the success- ful and honored citizens while others will be content to live the selfish life. As the Narcissus mirrors the activities of our school, so will the annals of your community in the next decade measure the outgrowth of these activities. Parents have sacrificed much for their chil- his school. his parents, and his God with a worth- dren. It is hoped that every student will honor while life. He profits most who serves best. G. W. Youngblood. V292 SCHOOL BOARD A. H. COLE, O. B. ANDREWS, H. A. THRUSH, GLADYS McDOWELL, Secretary President Treasurer Clerk. Page F 11'

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THE NARCISSUS OUR HIGH SCHOOL two paved state roads cross at right angles in the heart of the business district. Keeping abreast with the times an airport has been established, just outside the city limits, thus, making accessible air transportation to the citizens of' the commun- ity. To note vividly the progress in transporta- tion that has come to this community one can go two miles east of the city and there see the strides that transportation has taken during the past decades. Here one sees the Wabash river, the Wabash-Erie Canal, the Wabash Railroad, the Wabash Valley Traction, the new paved State road. and flying overhead the modern air liner. A great impetus was given to the schools of this section of the country by the Ordinance of 1787. This Ordinance stated that land grants should be set aside to provide for a system of free public schools in each county. However, it was not until 1833 that a school was established within the limits of Miami County. In that year a school was conducted during the winter months in a log cabin that stood on the site of the present village of Mexico. In 1834, William Smith, who had opened the school on the present site of Mexico in 1833, open- ed the first school in Peru. This school was locat- ed on Third Street in a log building 18x24 feet. As was the case in most early schools Smith oper- ated this school on the subscription plan, each pupil being required to pay a tuition fee of S'b2.50. The teacher. however, frequently experienced dif- ficulty in collecting his fees, as many patrons in- sisted on paying with produce. During the decades that followed the school system of Peru grew from this one room school into the present day organization which consists of six elementary buildings, operated by the city school board, two Parochial schools, operated by the Catholic and Lutheran churches and a Junior and Senior high school, operated by the school board. Thus, every advantage for a free educa- tion is offered to the youth of this community. Industrially Peru has grown from the agri- cultural stage, in which grinding was the chief in- dustry, to an important railroad and manufactur- ing city. The industrial importance of Peru has been stamped indelibly upon the minds of past CContinued on Page 65 . i .R ,ww M nl?.-W Page Three

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THE NARCISSUS Progress DUCATION in the spirit of life must recognize and use the great motive forces that control living. Life is pro- gressive. It is continually advancing. Education must dis- card the out grown categories of thought of a by gone age and require a scientific attitude in order to understand and carry forward the amazing discoveriesof our age. Scien- tific achievement has upset the old social order. Education must be open minded, flexible, and ready to cope with new situations, mental, social and physical. Education must be usable. We should train a group of people who will not only be good, but good for something. We must know what work means and realize that the ma- jority of our successful citizens have worked their way up through years of experience. Education must be vital, alive, active. It is deeply con- cerned with the social and industrial problems of the age. We are all caught in a veritable whirlpool of change and dis- covery. Our schools cannot resist the tide. We can no long- er be conservative and purely academic. We cannot sit back and be content to observe and refiect. We must act. Special surveys and investigations of all sorts should terminate in a definite course of action for the betterment of so- 1 ciety. The progressive, scientific attitude should carry on into accomplishment. We must train for leisure. Here again the changes in our physical environment have upset the old way of doing things. Machinery has given the Workman more leisure and hence more tempta- tions. Increased leisure brings with it a possibil- ity of social disintegration. There is quite a de- mand for a constructive program in true recrea- tion both in a spiritual and physical sense. Edu- cation for leisure will include a comprehensive health program which will teach the joy of physi- cal exercise, clean athletics, and will stress the ap- preciation of all that is fine in music, art and liter- ature. I want to congratulate the magazine staff on their co-operative spirit and upon the excellent work which was necessary to produce the Narcis- sus of 1931. I hope the magazine of 1931 will as- sist the student body to catch that intangible thing called School Spirit. This School Spirit, which - i I -.1 we possess in boun e asure, is exemplified in many ways. It ' own in the justifiable pride in our school bec se of the high attainments in scholarship, success in the different contests, pre- eminence in dramatics, music, and debating. It is shown in the excellent manner in which the stu- dent body supports all school activities, and in the cordial relations existing between students and teachers. In past years the students of Peru High have brought fame and renown to their Alma Mater, by their noteworthy achievements in their undertakings. I sincerely hope that you as stu- dents of today will keep progress uppermost in your minds and that you will strive to emulate or surpass the attainments of former students of our school. I am very happy to have been one among you. and I wish each one of you success, happiness. and ' . . C DIAN Youi' friend iaiidGPr'ii1ici1iai,'i 5' Z! J. P. CRODIAN. FIRST ROXY Y YYY Y Blzirc-el Thomas ' Virginia tluisinger liillizln Bappert S t n l'4'lUI'l'Iil'1' liikenberry Ina liornisli LaYonnn- Hutton lmlsx Galbrezxth Tlenjznnin liufc SECOND RONV Illlizzibeth VVilson Fern llolfnmn Dean Finch M:n'f:ai'ct xvYY4'l'b0I'g Mrs. lim-lu-I knallis lilzxrjoric Gray Nm-llc Rfbfeml Hester NVooll lil-rtlia Terr-ba THIRD HOXY t'l:u'4-nce Oury Wxvliliillil liitti-l D. H. Room- ! 1.1-olin Long , Clayton lilzick l Alvin Ahrens. Yictor Duwnlfl Jann-s U. Loveless R ' J l':lfI1- FIU' ii i c A T-iiafifif . we 4 IJ X- j Q XJ: J X RQ a progressive future 57 J' fyf' JZ ,lr Mary stu 1-sum Q, 44 Dfl ' Ruth XYz1u'neI' l l l l J