Siskiyou Union High School - White and Gold Yearbook (Weed, CA)

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THE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION A group of teen-age clerks founded the Young Men's Christian Association in 1844. Their first meetings were held in a dingy bedroom of the loft of a wholesale dry goods house, under whose roof they Worked, atc and slept. Like thousands of other young men they left their homes on farms and in villages of rural England to fill jobs offered by the stores, oilices and factories of the new industrial sections of metropolitan centers. Work- ing conditions were bad. A 14-hour working day was not uncommon, pay was small, recreation was an unknown word and the social environment was vicious and degrad- ing. Greedy employers exacted profits at the cost of human welfare. What happened to employees apparently was of no concern to the employer. George Williams served as the leader of this little club of his fellow workers. At their first meeting in his room he reminded them of the hard lot of clerks and challenged them to organize for the achievement of Christian character. A regular Bible class was scheduled and a few courageous fellow clerks were recruited to its membership. The group remained small but its influence increased rapidly. Personal relationships among employees improvedg friendliness replaced distrust, viciousness decreased and a spirit of good will began to prevail in the lives of one wholesale establishment in London. Word concerning the new Christian Youth organization spread. London employers, managers and workers became interested. Requests for assistance in launching new YMCAs poured in. Each step in the growth of the YMCA program was wisely guided by George Williams who had been elected its president. He aided in organizing club facilities and in providing the kinds of activities desired by young men. From the beginning, mem- bership in the YMCA was opened to any young man of good character. By 1851, the YMCA had pushed out beyond the British lsles and across the Atlantic to North America. In rapid succession YMCAs were established in Boston, Washington, Montreal, New York and within a few years in San Francisco and other coast cities. Today standard YMCA buildings are a familiar part of the life of every large American city. Not so well known are the YMCAs that provide social, educational facilities and educa- tional leadership for youth in smaller communities. Of particular interest is the Shasta District YMCA and its outreach to the youth of 21 high schools of five northern California counties. In Siskiyou county, YMCA activities have had the wholehearted support of the joint Union District High Schools. Delegates have conducted panel discussions and participated in other activities of conferences at Redding, Richardson Springs and Etna. Among the speakers at high school assemblies and conferences were President William C. Jones of Whittier College, Mr. Ralph Schloming and Mr. Charles Van Winkle of the Area YMCA of Los Angeles and Mr. Carl S. Metzger of the Shasta District YMCA. YMCA membership and participation in YMCA activities are open to all young people and adults. The YMCA unites youth and adults in a world-wide fellowship, loyal to Jesus Christ, for the purpose of developing Christian personality and building a Christian society. I2

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SISKIYCJU JOINT UNION I-IIGI-I SCI-ICDOL DISTRICT From a thin line of thirteen states on the Atlantic seaboard, Americans of many origins have builded a nation across a continent to the shores of the Pacific, Writing as they pressed on and on the American saga of freedom, equality, and opportunity. Along that march they paused to build public schools, all dedicated to the same high purpose, education for democracy, and Liberty and Justice for all. Today, in peace as in war, our country is claim- ing from these schools leadership they have every right to expect in the difficult work of preserving for ourselves and our posterity, the principles of freedom, justice and democracy. Our very way of life had been jeopardized with the attack on Pearl Harbor and our Coun- try accepted the gauge of battle which was forced upon us by the totalitarian govern- ments. Into this battle for the right went the might and force of a free people fighting in defense of a cause which they know to be just. When their Country was in danger, great numbers of students and former students of the Siskiyou Joint Union High Schools cour- ageously entered the Armed Forces and gallantly defended the faith of America, on land- on sea-and in the air. Our students distinguished themselves in all branches of the service. Unfortunately, though, over a hundred of our high school students in the county have been killed in action, and over a hundred others have been wounded. Several of our former teachers have given their lives for our country too. The coming of peace and the postwar era have brought problems to our Country just as challenging and perhaps even more com- plex than those of the war, even if less dramatic. The Seniors of the Class of 1947 have chosen World Prosperity Through Productionv as their central theme for the 1947 White and Gold and have dedicated this issue To America-the Hope of Mankind. As students and citizens the two main goals we should keep before us are: First, to win and secure the peace, and second, to preserve our Ameri- can way of life, which is based on our Democratic American system of free enterprise and private initiative. The American Way and Democracy are synonymous terms and the Public School is the foundation stone of Democracy. The Seniors of the Class of 1947 of the Siskiyou Joint Union High School District are gratefully appreciative of the fine system of high schools and the splendid educational opportunities the Board of Trustees of the Siskiyou Joint Union High School District is providing for the boys and girls of the Siskiyou Joint Union High Schools. We are ever mindful that the creative men who served us as Trustees and give so much of their time and energy to youth and our schools are themselves true sym- bols of the American Way and our progressive school system. When the Pilgrims came to America, one of their first acts was to establish a school for their children. And when the early pioneer settlers came to Siskiyou County they early established schools for the benefit of their children and their children's children. We are grateful to those early Pioneers of Education, and we are deeply grateful also to the men who make up the present progressive Board of Trustees of the Siskiyou Joint Union High School District, whose consciousness of the faithful and unselfish discharge of their civic duty can be their only reward and through whose efforts we are enjoying the benefits of one of the finest educational systems in the State. The Seniors of 1947 are truly grateful and appreciative for the fine group of men who make up our progressive High School Board, and for the excellent system of high schools provided for us.

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SISKIYCDU CQUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY The design reproduced above was adopted as the book plate of the Siskiyou County Historical Society in November 1946 from a contest held among public schools of the county. About thirty entries covering a great variety of historical subjects were submitted but this was selected as being best from a standpoint of art and its representation of Siski- you resource background. It was the entry of Miss June Hildebrand of Mount Shasta High School. Other prizes were awarded to Donald Gaubitz of Edgewood and Alan Clayton of Yreka, both students of Yreka High School. All entries were striking in their originality and composition and the society was well pleased with the results. Prize money was dis- tributed as above, Donna Naves receiving .honorable mention and a complimentary mem- bership in the society given to each. I3