Sherman School - Annual Yearbook (San Diego, CA)

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f-w'QMWrf ' SHERMAN ANNUAL, JUNE., 1922 21 The End of a Perfect Day The day was just perfect, the air was warm and moist, and the sky was blue with big, fleecy white clouds in it.. It was the last of March and Mama had decided to let Etta and me go to the park with Mrs, Aldridge, Alice and Jane. Jane was just my age, eleven, and Alice was just Etta 's age, seven. We reached the Park about 10:30, and. as the museums were very interesting we stayed in them till lunch time. 'We walked around the Park a bit and then went down to the pepper grove where we had our lunch. After lunch Jane and l decided to go and play on the slides. One of the slides was rough and you couldn't slide on it very well, so Jane and I were doing stunts on it. We were laughing and talk- ing when Jane said, l'll bet you can 't go down it sitting on your feet. Illl just show you if I can 't, said I. I quickly climbed to the top and sat down on my feet. t'Give me a shove to start me, I said. All right, Jane said, as she gave me a shove. I had nearly reached the bottom and was going quite fast, when, all of a sudden I lost my balance and over the side I went. I fell 011 my side with my wrist doubled under me. I lay there a minute and then felt a sharp pain in my arm. Oh! Oh! how it hurt!! Just then a lady ran over and picked me up. She grasped my wrist. Oh! Oh!'l I said. L'Please don'tl Iiooking at my wrist, she said, 'fYou have sprained your wrist, you poor child. Come with me and I will take you to the naval hospital.'I The pain kept getting worse and worse and I could hardly keep from crying. 'We entered one of the buildings and I thought, Now I can cry and no one will see me. But I was sadly mistaken, I was taken into a room where they had said the nurse was. I entered the room and there were two long rows of cots, and each cot was full! Oh, they will think I'm an awful baby if I ery, I thought. So I bit my lips and held my breath while the nurse examined my arn1. 'tIt is-a very bad sprain, I think, said the nurse. Take her on to the doctorf' Your.arm is very badly fracturedu said the doctor, as he ban- daged up my arm. , When I reached home mother almost fainted at the sight of me. My arm was all bound up in splints. and was in a sling. When Mrs. Aldridge told her what had happened, she turned to me and said, K'Did you cry, Lila?

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20 SHERMAN ANNUAL, JUNE, l922 it up, but I was shaking so, I could11 't hold on to it. Then I heard the rustle again. It was closer! I gave one scream and ran as fast as I could. When I was almost home I met my father. 'What's the matter with you'?' he said. A' 'A mountain lion is after me,' I cried. 'tThen my father started to laugh, Alt was only a rabbit. I have been watching you all the time you were out hunting, your mother was so worried about you.' 'tAI'ter that I did 11ot want to go out hunting, alone. Dolores Richey, SAI. A Qt! .35 Almost I ot Quite I The dam was a quarter of a mile down the road. The country around was sparsely wooded, but there was a tangle of wild morn- ing glories and grape vine, mingled with lupines and raspberry bushes. It was early one morning in August that I started to the dam alone. On either side the mountains loomed, enveloped in a pur- plish mist, and in the distance, snow capped Mt. Alta could be seen. I tu1'11ed off the main road down a narrow path. Very soon I came to the dike. The dike was a large stone wall crossing the narrow valley. Looking up the valley, I could see the stream. winding between rocks and sandbars. In the other direc- tions was the sunrise. At the point where the valley ended was the sun. Its rays were just beginning to penetrate the mist, and touch the mountain tops with light. Ahead of me I could see the dam, so I walked quickly ac1'oss the dike and around on the stone wall sur- rounding the reservoir. VVhen I reached the farthest end I sat down on the wall. The water looked clear and sparkling so I splashed in it with my hands. I had been there about an hour when I heard the distant break- fast bell at the hotel. I rose to go but I did not get tar, t'or I had splashed water on the wall until it was so slippery I could not stand. Screaming. I felt myself slip, and reached for the outer edge of the wall. Suddenly my hands loosed from their hold, I felt them slip- ping along the cement. A sickening sensation crept over me as I realized I. was in the water. IIow cold it was! for the water was al- ready to my waist. I could swim, but the current was strong! I gave a hurried look at the swirling, sucking whirlpool near the grat- ing below me. My heart sank. NVhat could I do I? Feeling with my feet I fruitlessly struggled. My foot struck something! It was a rod of iron projecting from the wall. After that it was very easy to climb out. I was soon on my way home, very wet and frightened. I was late for breakfast, but it certainly tasted good. I resolved to stay away fro mthe dam after that, at least, when I was without company. Nadean Blake, SB

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22 SHERMAN ANNUAL, JUNE., I922 Noi I snapped back. Then I ran into the bedroom and threw myself on the bed and c1'ied just as hard as I could. And that was the end of the t'Perfect Day. Lila Buchanan, 8A2. vb' .3 V59 The Ungracled Room Oneof the most interesting rooms in Sherman School is the un- graded room, which is taught by Miss Johnson. Most children in this 1'0OIIl have entered from the fifth or sixth grades. People sometimes think that the ungraded room is especially for children who are 11ot bright. This is not true. Many times a child is ill and is absent for perhaps six months. VVhen the child returns, he s far behind in his class work. Instead of going on with his class and missing much of the work, he is put i11to the ungraded room. Here he does the work that the children in his own room have accomplished during his absence. He is fin- ally prepared to do the work of his own class and is therefore able to go back again i11to his rightful room. Thus in this room the pupils do not all do the same work. One group may have sixth grade work while another group is doing fifth grade work. There are many interesting things that the boys and girls of the ungraded room do besides their regular class work. For instance, there is the basketry work. The children are taught by the instruc- tor to make these baskets and the greatest care is taken in their mak- ing. Some of the baskets are first started on round pieces of wood, which is for the bottom. Then they are made into all sizes and shapes. After two or three dozen have been made, they are sold. In this way the children are taught not only regular school studies like arithmetic, language and geography, but to use their hands as well. If it were not for the ungraded room, many children would have to stay back or miss much valuable work. which may be useful later on. So the pupils feel that Sherman School would not be com- plete without this special I'00TI1. V5 J .3 Dyingllll One day, I asked my father to tell me a story, but, as he had told me all the stories that he knew, I asked my mother to tell me o11e. This is the story she told me. When I was about ten years old, as I was coming home from school one day I saw my brother standing at the door of the house. My brother seemed to be very sad about something. Before I had time to question him, he said, 'Run as fast as you can down to Aunt Marv 's house, and tell her to come quickly, mother is dying' 'UI ran as fast as I could, until I reached my El-llllfls l101lS9- Knocking at the door, I cried, ttfome quickly, mother is dying.'