Randolph High School - Vergisz Mein Nicht Yearbook (Randolph, OH)

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SENIOR CLASS Ray Heisey Harold Minnich Esther Leiber Leon Jay Dewey Woolery Fred Berry

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VERGISZ-MEIN-NIGHT ' the old adage, that a rolling stone gathers no moss, is not true in this caseg for if ever the High School had a Golden Age, it must have been during this period. The cause for success of the school at that time is well expressed by Judge Martin, who has said, High School in those days was in no way compulsory, but was attended only by those who had a burning desire to gain knowledge. However, this burning desire was not gratified so easily, for, as the early students trod the fiow'ry path of knowl- edge, they were confronted by many obstacles which are unknown to the students of today. The High School of the former period was not graded. Those wishing to attend, appeared the Hrst day to have the searchlight of an examination turned upon them to determine their eligibility. lf the student passed the examination successfully he was permitted to choose from the subjects offered as many as he could properly handle. Of course, he was then expected to burn midnight oil, and he had the privilege of attending school till he was either satisfied with his educa- tion or had taken all the branches given by the institution. Since the High School was not graded, a stu- dent may have attended five years, yet he was no nearer graduation than he was the first year, for he received no diploma or certificate for his work. Yet, as Mr. G. W. Brumbaugh expresses it, he did have the satisfaction of knowing that he really learned something. The school terms covered a period of only six months. The faculty consisted of only one per- son, and tho all the teachers were considerate, they were also, with- out exception, quite firm and al- ways demanded the goods. As to the pupils of this time, it may be said that they were specimens of that rare type who are not afraid of work. They had a purpose in life and they went to school in or- der to better prepare themselves to carry out that purpose. Very credible and commendable work was accomplished by the school during this period in differ- ent directions, but one phase some- what neglected was the literary field. Nevertheless some steps were even taken in this direction, and among literary undertakings may be mentioned the reading con- tests. These were conducted by Prof. S. A. Minnich and consisted of having each pupil read a selec- tion from some very dramatic piece of literature, then the school voted for the one whom they thought had read the best. Before leaving the literary ques- tion we may mention that in the first year of the High School, Mr. J. L. Heise gave a literary enter- tainment at Union. It seems that one of the boys, whom we shall designate as Johnny, had learned for the occasion the poem, Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight. How- ever, thru excitement or from some other unknown reason, when he appeared before the audience, his mind became a blank, and try as he would, he could not catch the miss- ing words. Poor Johnny took his -'Gig

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VERGISZ-MEIN-NICHT seat, and whether Curfew rang or not, it seemed at least that Johnny was not to speak that night. In the event of the location of the High School being so frequently changed during these years, the difficulty to some in reaching the School was surmounted by se- curing a convenient place to board. This plan was followed by some when the school was located in Englewood. The term Bachelor Boys was applied to a group of seven boys who boarded themselves in an old house on the east side of Main Street, near the entrance to the brick church. Perhaps to some the mere mention of this name will recall memories of tricks and plots propagated by those worthy Bach- elors. However, even in a High School it seems that once in a while some- thing is bound to occur which is out of the ordinary. One time Mr. Fox and the school at Salem was fa- vored by a visit from two lads who resided in the vicinity. They were no doubt sincere in their motives, but as their knowledge of school ways seemed rather slight, they did not conform very closely to the established rules. Their actions being rather annoying to Mr. Fox, he felt it his duty to inform the lads of the consequences should they persist in such conduct. The boys, however, were not anxious for further trouble, and even for- getting to say Good-bye, they proceeded without delay to make their exit through the window. During the year of 1882 another incident occurred. It was in the dead of winter, with the thermom- eter standing at 14 below. On a certain morning when one of the boys arrived, after trudging about four miles through snow and icy weather, he felt his ear, and, as he expressed it, It was numb, giving the sensation of a frozen dishragf' Of course, his ear had been frozen, and when the teacher, Mr.Hershey, arrived, he found to his dismay that his ear, too, had been tam- pered with. After holding a con- sultation they decided to repair at once to the office of Mr. Boone, the doctor. Perhaps we have considered the former period of the history of R. H. S. long enough, we now take up the latter period. PART II After the discontinuance of the High School in 1886 there ensued in Randolph Township a long period during which the little red school- houses of the rural districts were the only means of developing the intellectual faculties of the chil- dren. However, during this period the young people still had a strong desire for an education, and being deprived of any higher course, they often attended the common schools until the age of eighteen or twenty. Seeing these conditions and real- izing the need for better educa- tional facilities, there arose in the person of Mr. G. W. Brumbaugh a capable man who determined to re- establish the High School. Tho the old method of conduct- ing the school on a basis of indis-