Plymouth High School - Pilgrim Yearbook (Plymouth, MA)

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we Fi English III, Misawa, H. S. Misawa Air Base up Honshu, Japan January 28, 1956 To the Pupils of Plymouth High School: Greetings from Japan. Although greatly removed in time and space, none of you at this moment is very far away, for memory reduces to a minimum the months and miles that separate friends. You ask me what Japan is like. Well, in partial answer to your question, Japan is an exotic land of pagodas, Shinto shrines, and Torii gates, of sculptured pines and feathery bam- boo, of southern rains and Siberian snows, of tiny homes with sliding doors and highly polished floors. Kimono-clad women carrying children on their backs are a common sight, the staccato clippity-clop of getas an ordinary sound. Strictly ad- hered to is the custom of removing one's shoes before enter- 4 ing a home. All this, however, represents only one aspect of the total picture, for Japan is also a modern, up-to-date country. Its cities, like those at home, are bustling centers of activity with heavy traffic, conservatively dressed people in native or West- ern grab, modern buildings, and well-stocked shops. Indeed, Japan's world-famous Silks and brocades, its lacquerware, china, cultured pearls, and lovely prints make it a shopper's paradise. Figuring prominently as an integral part of Japanese life is a strong aesthetic sense. Beauty lies in the landscape, it is found in the homes and in the very souls of people. Delighting the traveller's eye is the well-tilled, neatly cultivated countryside, studded with small towns and villages nestling in leafy loveliness against a background of green pines and, occasionally, of tall, graceful elms delicately etched against the sky. The Japanese people themselves live, work, and play much as people do in America. In the morning ,they rise, have breakfast, and rush off to work or school, boarding crowded subways, trains, or streetcars and, in many cases, buses or bicycles. For rec- reation, they attend the latest movies or listen to the radio. They celebrate national holidays, travel, and visit friends. Right now with a foot of snow covering Honshu, the chief concern of both Americans and Japanese is keeping warm and enjoying the winter sports. Lacking modern plumbing facilities as well as heating systems to protect them against severe winters, the Japanese are, nevertheless, an extremely clean people who love hot baths and fresh air. They're extremely fond of baseball, skiing, animals and children. As one becomes better acquainted with the Japanese, he realizes that they differ greatly amongst themselves in looks and personality as is the case with all peoples. He also looks behind phyical features to facial expressions which more frequently than not mir- ror kindness, intelligence, patience, and a poised deference. The visitor finds the Jap- anese an honest, literate people 69022 of the population? who are as polite to strangers as to one another - a people as eager to know and to understand us as we are to know and understand them. There's so much more that I'd like to tell you about Japan that it's difficult to know where to stop and I realize that although I've written much, I've said little, hardly mentioning important and inter- esting subjects like Japanese art, drama, religion, government, and education-the warp and woof of any culture and civilization. For the present, though, may I leave this parting thought with you-namely, that no matter what the immediate or remote future may bring, I thank the Lord for having given me this wonderful opportunity of getting to know a people who, fundamentally, have the same human needs, thoughts, and desires as we. My best wishes to all of you, and as the Japanese say, Sayonara. Sincerely, IRIS E. ALBERTINI Imperial Palace Grounds Tokyo JAY'S ARMY and NAVY STORE

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ti 1 , in SCHOOL COMMITTEE Standing: Mr. Robert Bowler, Mr. Spencer Brewster, Mr. Alton Cavicchi. Seated: Mr. Mauro Canevazzi, Mr. Ralph Weaver, Mr. Donald Welch, Mr. Joseph Contente. At the left: Mr. Donald Welch, Superintendent of Schools Mr. Welch graduated from Bridgewater State Teachers College, B.S. in Ed., and from Boston University, Ed. M., and earned a certificate of advanced graduate specialization. After teach- ing in Middleboro Junior High and becoming principal of the elementary schools of Middle- boro, Mr. Welch was assistant principal of the junior high and the elementary school principal in Bridgewater. After coming to Plymouth, he was the Cornish and Burton School principal, acting superintendent, assistant superintendent, and became superintendent in November, 1952. At the right: Mr. Walter Snyder, Assistant Sup- erintendent of Schools Mr. Snyder graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, B.S. and M. Ed., and is doing ad- vance graduate work in School Administration at Harvard, where he is also working for his doctors. For four years, he taught in Baltimore County, beforecoming to Plymouth last August. Mr. Snyder is working with the faculty on re- vising the P.H.S. curriculum. rffgt . CUSTODIANS Back Row: Mr. Thomas Goodwin, Mr. John McCarthy, Mr. Joseph Bernardo. Front Row: Mr. Peter Savard, Mr. John Robischeau, Mr. Francis Balboni. li !71?TW 't' ' ' 4 I A as an f - ff rf ' +1 it N fe Q S . 4 5 ti, 4 gl - A M , ',, U --2 7 :f:f m ' Fi'-'mrs'-3-'f'Tf7f'i 'fiiII2f-' 'HMkuHmWN Vryyy M- M 1, i gf---f--f .W ,,,,, ...-,1r. WW....w . . . W-fx bf, , wg., ' .,.. -law ,V lfy-.. . ..,..,ffQ f v- f' ,. - - -- ' , . W W- -5191.-I -A ' H ' f vw- s-1 ' ., i 's- a 'T'?I'3 - iff 'K t- -' .Q f . 1. . . 1 - f ,L V L ,ref . ...A V 4.53332-X, --V CAFETERIA HELP Left to Right: M.rs. Lillian Thomas, Miss Mary Zucchi, Mrs. Mary Scagliarini, Miss Helene Doherty, Mrs. Dora Zoccolante, Mr. Thomas Longhi. N53-.

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