Peru High School - Narcissus Yearbook (Peru, IN)

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NARCISSUS, 1933 s History of Peru I-ligh School LL schools must have a history, even so with our high school, but judging from the number of applications that I had to make, I began to doubt if ours could be collected. But finally, after unearthing a term paper by Kathryn Loughran on the subject and after obtaining an interview with Miss McDowell, I found that I had a good portion of the interesting information about the past of Peru High School. All of the public schools of Peru were originally held in the Central School Building, which stood where our present school is located, until 1893, at which time the School Board asked for an appropriation for the building of a high school. The money was not obtained and the Board leased the brick building at the corner of Broadway and Sixth streets at S800 per year. This building was located where West and Stevens book store now stands, and at the time of leasing was being used as a livery stable. This building was used until the present edifice was erected in 1910. People at that time came to school, not to obtain the social advantage offered, but to gain an education. In testimony of this fact I offer the statement of the Prin- cipal of the year 1899. Then the rule of conduct for pupils is simply, 'Be stu- dious, be courteous, be young ladies and young gentlemenf Such pupils are welcome and sought for, all others will be excluded. A further testimony may be found in the size of these classes. The first class was graduated in 1870. There were seven members, John A. Faust, George Chamberlain, Mary E. Miller, Joseph A. Faust, Alice fLovelandJ Morill, Richard H. Cole, and W. B. McClintic. The last surviving member of this class died in the fall of 1926. There was no graduating class in 1874. The smallest class was that of 1881, containing only three members. The greatest difference discernable between our school of today, and the school of' that date is in curricular and extra curricular activities. Ours are most extensive, theirs were most limited. In general schedule their choice of subjects was limited to four courses, namely: English, 6 Latin, Science and Mathematics. All of these subjects and more are now contained in our College Entrance course. Their extra curricular activities were confined to the High School paper, literary contests, and in a small meas- ure, athletics. This may seem to have been a rather elaborate program, and the student might be considered fortunate but it should be remembered that they had no athletic equipment, no gymnasiums, no athletic field, and no funds. The only event on record was a field contest between Peru and our ancient rivals, Wabash. On the appointed day, a special train conveyed the Peru delega- tion to Wabash, where the exercises took place amidst the greatest enthusiasm, resulting in a victory for Peru of 45 to 27. fThis information was taken from, A Manual and Course of Study, dated 1899.5 The school paper was not always known as the Peru- vian. Oh, no, its name at that stage of its existence was The High School Echo. It was published once a month and at that time 118995 was quite popular. No informa- tion is available as to how or where it was printed. Just thirty years ago our predecessors originated the year book. At that time the high school was located on the present site, although it was a different building. The two upper classes had their assembly hall on the second fioor, while the other two classes prepared their lessons on the first floor. Before the edition of the annual was started, the campaign for a name was begun. In the upper assembly, two factions developed, one contended that the name should be The Peruvian, while the other group tried to present the advantages of having it called The Narcissus. The leader of the Peruvian faction, after a talk with the upper assembly, decided to put it to a vote, and The Peruvian received the majority. Not being satisfied with these results, the opposing leader, after an influential talk to the lower assembly, called for a vote. The results were unanimous for The Narcissus. By this interesting episode, our year book acquired the name that it now bears. fContinued on Page 401

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FAITH in EDUCATICN by J. P. CRODIAN NE sometimes comes to feel that on the shoulders of the school is laid the burden for all that is wrong in modern life. Confusion in government, confusion in business, confusion in morals-all are laid at the door of the school. There is apparently, too, little realization of the fact that the school is only one of the cooperative agencies which support and advance civilization, and that it cannot take the place of all. We are molded and shaped by the forces of our environment as a whole, not altogeth- er by any one part of it. The neighborhood, the home, civic influences, movies, radio, popular literature, newspapers, personal examples and influences in business, in the pro- fessions, in politics, in public and private life-all of these work to set and determine standards. I do not believe that any attempt to justify what education in the American high school has accomplished can be complete or accurate that does not take into account the fact that the school has to do its work against many things in our life that tend to de-educate. We try to develop a certain intellectual and yet all about our students are powerful maturity, appeals addressed to the immature mind-the more sen- sational of our newspapers, a Hood of cheap magazines, bad movies, a whole equipment for developing and fixing a stock of ideas at a permanent childhood level. We try to speak of civic responsibility, and yet we know how much there is against us in American life. We work for character formation, in an age that is confused and uncertain regarding its own ethical standards. We cannot judge the results of what we do as though formal educa- tion were the only force at work in our lives. What hap- pens to the individual is the result of the complex inter- relation of the whole battery of forces, of which the school is but one. I do not believe that, judged in such terms as these, we need to apologize for our results. The American high school, like all human institutions, has its limitations and its failures, nevertheless, the officials of the school always look to the future for ways of improvement. Let us not forget this fundamental fact: that it has opened the door of increased opportunity, usefulness and happiness to millions of American citizens. Our system of education, broadly conceived, is and must be the main reliance of our country for its future. Out of these troubled times there comes a new challenge to us, a challenge to our faith in education. NARCISSUL1933 J. P. CRUDIAN High School Principal Sixty-five years ago the Southern states found them- selves in a condition of destitution such few regions have faced. Every institution was bankrupt, currency was without value, the best of the South's young men were dead on the battle field. What lay ahead was a rebuilding from the foundations. It took a generation for the South to be able to satisfy the elemental necessities of its life. It could do very little beyond that. But as hope came back, and the people began to have a little leisure for thought and for anticipation of the future, they began to be con- scious that among a self-governing people the road to ad- vancement must lie through education. Governor Aycock of North Carolina spoke with the voice of that generation when he said, in a phrase which embodies a whole philos- ophy of education, We in the South are too poor not to educate, and, today, in the midst of our difficulties, those who have a genuine faith in education and in what it means to a self-governing people must agree that we are too confused, too depressed, in too much trouble not to educate or to seek an education. The school can no longer live apart from the realities of American life. The American tradition, American as- pirations, the conditions of American life today-economic, political, moral, aesthetic-must be subjects of study in the American school. A large number of educators of to- day believe that education will be far more significant in American life in ten years than it is today. The American people have not lost their faith in education. They are clamoring for more education. They see that education is indispensable. Modern society does not welcome the rough diamond. His popularity vanished with the fading of the frontier. Education, that is, refinement, has become The immediate jewel of our souls. 5

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NARCISSUS, 1933 SENIOLU-A55 CLASS 'OFFlCEl2S Motto: Worlc Conquers All Things. Colors: Purple and White. Flower: Violet. Sponsors: Miss Tereba and Miss Wood. CLASS HISTORY OW that our four years of high school are over, we look forward to the coming years. We do not realize the many and difficult problems with which we will come in contact. They will be far greater than any we have as yet encountered in our high school career. The class of '33 is well prepared to meet these problems, to see and feel the heart aches, the many hard knocks, and, above all, the numerous joys. On entering Peru High School in 1929, we were prob- ably as green as any freshmen ever were or ever will be. It didn't take us long, though, to become accustomed to the ways of high school. We were considered one of the most intelligent freshmen classes. For the iirst time in the history of the school, one of our home room classes won the scholarship cup twice. We were proud of the fact and thought it quite an honor. When juniors, two of our members, both girls, won first place in the State Shorthand Contest. Competing with all of the other good teams was certainly not what you would call an easy task, and they were compelled to do their very best to become the victors. Another girl won the Miami County Latin Contest. The high scholastic standing of this class is shown by the large number of names that appear on the honor roll each six weeks. One of the most important activities in the history of this graduating class is athletics. Everyone is more or less interested in sports. We take with us six players out of the first eight on the basketball team, including John Bruce, who has played on the varsity team for the entire four years. He certainly deserves the position of honor- ary captain of the team. But without the other fine mem- bers of his class, the successful season of this year would have been impossible. These other players gave their best and should, by all means, be commended for their work. In football our boys played an important part. When freshmen, not much notice was taken of us. We knew very little and others did not seem to be concerned with us. The next year the boys knew a little more and were given some attention. One or two were on the first team. But during our Junior year the boys who participated in football greatly assisted the team through a successful season. And this year, we have shown what the seniors have done for the team. We are very proud to have eleven graduating seniors on this undefeated team. We especially wish to commend Robert Antrim, Honorary Captain, who through his leadership contributed greatly to the team's success. Track is not so prominent as basketball and football, but there are several participants in the class of '33, We have two all-around athletes who have participated in basketball, football, and track. Dramatics, debating, and music are well displayed in this class. All of our plays have been great successes and several students had leading parts in the operettas. Last year some participated in debating and were good enough to be on the team, which went to the state Hnals in North Manchester. PAUL HOLLAND ROBERT SMITH President: Vice-l'1'1-siclent of Hi-Y, Football 2, Ii, 43 Bas- ketball l, 2, anrl 43 Track 1, 2, and 43 I' Club: Secondary Council 4: Stuilr-nt Council 4. MARJORIE BEAL Secretary: lfhlitol'-in-Chief of Narcissus 43 .Junior Assist- ant 33 Honor Society: Port- er Oratorical Contest 33 Dv- bating 33 Svconmlary Council l and 43 Loyal ltootorsg Girl Reserves: Social Science. M Vice-I'1'esident3 Si-cfonrlary Council 23 Basketball 25 Latin Club: Vice-Prusimlent, Sophomore Class: Intramur- al Manager 23 Pri-sizli-nt of Junior Class: Studi-nt Coun- cil Zig State Golf Tournament 3 and 4. ARY ALICE LEFFEL Treasurer, Honor Society, Vicmz-President 45 Narcissus Staff 3 and 4: Treasurer of Girl Reserves: Loyal Root- orsg Social Science Club. We were well represented in the rodeos and other spe- cial activities. Looking into the art of music, we see some wonderful talent. One of our classmates won Hrst place in the violin contest at Indianapolis three years ago. We have several accomplished musicians and some vocal talent of which we can be justly proud. Several students have developed their talent along the line of art and should be commended for their work. As we look back on our high school career, we recall the joys and good times we have had. We forget the undesir- able things and remember only the desirable ones. We wish to express our appreciation of the Principal, teachers, and our parents, who have helped us prepare for our strug- gle with life. We certainly regret leaving good old P. H. S., and only hope that we have set good examples for the class that will soon take our place.-MARY ALICE LEFFEL. 7 1 1 i i 1 l i