Reading High School - Arxalma Yearbook (Reading, PA)

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Fi, l Through the years the Oak tre h , es ave always been regarded as the strangest and sturdiest of all the trees They are strai ht , g , upright, and symbolic of a higher mode of living, The faculty in our school reminds us of the oak trees because it is they who are strong when we need strength, it is they who provide a firm guiding hand when we need help. .lust as the oak is indispensable for the building of durable structures, sa our faculty is vital for the development of sound spiritual and cultural values in the youth of today. As always, our teachers strive dili I gent y to instill in us the principles of tol- erance, sincerity, integrity, and leadership.

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i Mzcqfafk jfkssage How very fitting that your yearbook should be developed around the theme of forests, Forests, like schools, have individualities of their own, features which make each one distinct from every other one, yet all have in common some essen- tial elements and components. The distinctive feature of all forests is trees, just as the distinctive feature of all schools is students. The infinite va- riety of trees reminds one of the infinite variety of pupils, The sturdy oak, unaffected by the buffeting of wintry winds and summer storms is like the steady, plodding student who proceeds with the business at hand unaffected by the whirlwinds of controversy which characterize all human affairs. The straight-growing poplar, the graceful pine, the decorative maple all have their counterparts in a student body. Other forest features, too, have their comparables in schools, The paths striking out in various directions remind one of the numerous curricula and courses of study leading students to a variety of educational experiences, adventures, and objectives. The play of sunlight and shadow is like the constant interplay of pleasures and disappointments throughout your school days. The secluded glens and cool, inviting retreats of the forest are like the little havens of calm and peace you learned to find in school. One might continue indefinitely to point our parallels between forests and schools, but one final illustration will suffice. There is an old adage to the effect that you can't see the forest for the trees . Only an over-all view from a distant vantage point reveals the forest as an entity and submerges the individual features into a composite whole. Similarly you have been so close to your school that its individual features, rather than the school as a whole, have formed your conception of what is now your alma mater. Only a more distant vantage point, in time, will blend these specifics into a composite unity and bring to you a deeper understanding and appreciation of Reading High School. All of us join in expressing the hope that your forest adventure has been pleasant, meaningful, and valuable and the further hope that, as your school days recede into the past, you develop a conception of the wholeness of your high school and the experiences you have had there.