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

Page 27 text:

FIRST PLACE POEM I God, Who Touchzst Earth with Beauty God, Who touchest earth with beauty, Make my heart anew, With Thy Spirit recreate me, Pure and strong and true. Like Thy springs and running waters, Make me crystal pure, Like Thy rocks of towering grandeur, Make me strong and sure, SECOND PLACE ESSAY Like Thy dancing waves in sunlight, Make me glad and free. Like the straightness of the pine trees, Let me upright be. Like the arching of the heavens, Lift my thoughts above, Turn my dreams to noble action, Ministries of love. VIOLA PARKINSON '57 Weed High School The Theater Which ls School Imagination can lead people to many strange and beautiful places. And so it was that as I read the theme of this year's White and Gold, I began to visualize the story of these, our youthful years. High school is truly one of life's finest produc- tions, with enough drama to make it spellbinding and spiced with comedy to make it interesting. It is a four-act play, complete with directors, man- agers, stars, and bit players. As these four acts unfold, knowledge is gained, characters are molded, and personalities are de- veloped, enabling the actors to face without stage- fright Iife's other dramas and comedies. We must not forget that a production is not complete without an audience. This play has the world around it to view the scenes, but, although this audience can be expected to praise or criticize, it cannot be expected to understand fully the prep- arations and the work which goes behind the scenes. It would be impossible to realize all the prob- lems of the teachers who are the directors of this LITERARY SECTION play. With them rests the iob of preparing the inexperienced actors. The work of the faculty is not easy, for it deals with teaching fundamentals to all types of students, and, as is the rule with actors, each has a distinct temperament. It is the earnest desire of these directors that each actor make the most of the role in which he is cast, and, with this thought in mind, they set about their work. If the play is a success, the directors share the glory, but if it should fail, the blame is uniustly theirs. This is a life of rewarding honors and heart-breaking failures. Theirs is a great respon- sibility. The audience iudges the actors by their per- formances. The parts they play form inthe mind of the public a definite impression which is diFfi- cult to erase, therefore, the student actors must be careful to know and to perform these parts well, for their actions are being watched by critical eyes. The stars of this production are the school leaders. To them goes the respect of the public as. well as of their fellow workers. The spotlight

Page 26 text:

FIRST PLACE STORY Into the Sky Winnie sat on the grass mat in front of her tepee. Gnarled, stubby fingers worked the reeds in and out as she wove her basket. Tell us a story, Grandmother. Come on, one like yesterday, two happy brown children skipped forward. Winnie's head turned toward the sound, a smile crossed her wrinkled face. Well, grandchildren, she started, what about the time the Great Spirit saved me? Yes, Grandmother. Yes, tell us, they chimed. Many moons ago, as a child, I- lost my sight. Many thought that I would die young, that l would have no strength, or be killed by some wood crea- ture. Yes, but instead of eyesight, I was given the gift of great hearing, she smiled, but soon a puz- zled look crossed her face. Listen, my children, do you not hear something? she whispered with her fingers at her lips. The husky boy rose to his feet, his young sister after him. No, Grandmother, he smiled after awhile. Maybe your hearing is not so good, he grinned at his sister. Yes, it is wea ker, but still strong, she frowned. Listen once more. The boy listened again and smiled, but before he could speak he saw horses almost upon the village. Riders, Grandmother, he gasped. The braves are returning to the village, she smiled. No, the leader rides a white horse, he said. Captain Riley! Quick, Little Eagle, warn the women and children fast. Run to shelter, she cried in a frightened tone. A You come, too, Grandmother, he urged. Never mind! do as l say, she pleaded. The children jumped to their feet. The warning was spread throughout the village. The women and children escaped, all except Winnie. She sat motionless on the mat, still working at her basket. The thundering beat of the horses' hoofs came closer. At last the noise ceased, all except the snorting of a horse. The crazy savages have left the confounded place, the leader began, as his white horse pawed the ground. They must have heard us coming, another replied. At this time one of the men spied Winnie on the mat. Well, what do you know? A big fat old squaw, he roared. Look again, the leader replied. She's blind. Yes, another said. Her eyes have no color, 'cept whites. Winnie's fingers shook, but she kept working on her basket. Must be deaf, too, one laughed. Let's show her some good ol' hospitality, Captain Riley suggested. Two men seized her roughly and took her to the center of the village. Winnie pleaded for mercy. Cut it, you squaw. I can't understand that kind of gab anyway, the captain snarled. He threw her to the ground. Now find something to burn this thing up with. Let's get this over, he shouted. How about these mats and baskets and stuff, captain? asked one of the men. Okay! that'll make good kindling, the captain replied in a gruff voice. Winnie pleaded again. Her reply was a rough kick in the face. She lay bleeding as the baskets and mats were piled over her. A match was struck and the flames roared. The men stood around, but the odor was too unpleasant and they left, the fire roaring in the background. Towards dusk, when nothing remained but the ashes of Winnie's body, the children and others returned. The search began for Winnie. Long after the last rays of the sun had fallen behind the mountains, they searched in vain. Finally discouraged, with tears in their eyes, Little Eagle and his sister sat on a-rock on the ground near the ashes. Do you s'pose the Great Spirit saved her again and took her away? he gazed toward the sky. l Uh-huh, replied his small sister, a tear rolling down her cheek. A cool breeze fanned the dying embers as the children watched the few remaining ashes drift into 'he SkY- MARILYN cALKiNs '55 Weed High School LITERARY SECTION

Page 28 text:

is on these few during the entire play, but these actors must realize that stardom is not security. It can be lost through errors. Many stars have be- come has-beens because they failed to arrive at the high standards established b'y their fellow players. In order to preserve their present prestige, stars must constantly study and improve their roles. This calls for many sacrifices, but the results bring great personal satisfaction and rewarding acclaim. The bit players and extras consist of students whose lives spice this production. These bit players are by no means failures. For them, this is the be- ginning. Many will become stars of other greater productions, because a small part often leads to a star role. It takes patience and the strong desire to attain a goal. g There are the comedians who know very little of their parts, but who are always ready to ad lib when an emergency arises. Then there are the dramatic students whose every line is overacted, no matter how small the part. Many other types of players can be mentioned, but each is an individual with a part which helps to bring about a polished production. SECOND PLACE SHORT STORY As is true in show business, each actor must have a manager to advise, encourage, and take personal interest in him. Parents have this im- portant role, and they know and understand that a good manager can make a star. To them goes the ioy of seeing their child become a professional. Now the play is ready to start. Its ioys and sorrows, laughter and tears, belong to the cast as well as the audience, for these are truly some of Iife's most cherished years. In this, the actor's first and last performance in high school, there is a mixture of teenage love with its seeming reality, hours of study for final examinations, suspense when grade cards are finally distributed, talking with friends in the well-known corridors, and many other scenes which must appear when we are growing up with others. Then as graduation day draws near, we arrive at the climax of this unforgettable production, memories of which will live forever in the hearts of all who had any part in its success. The people who played their parts well, face unafraid the world of tomorrow, for they have taken with them the most valued treasure of youth -education. Theirs is the security which they found by performing well in the theater which is School- JANET iw-xRcHi '55 Weed High School Suddenly Life Was Exciting I was trying to talk Mom and Dad into letting me do it all the time while I was getting ready for school and eating. Finally Dad said, No, and that's final! So I had to stop talking about it. I thought they were doing me a great iniustice. After all, I iust wanted to stay all night with Carol. Mother said, You lust stayed all night with Sandra last night, and Gail thelnight before that! I didn't answer because since Dad had said no there wasn't any use talking about it anymore. I went into my room to get my school books. My room was simply a mess. My clothes were strung all over the room so that you could hardly get into it, and some of the pictures of Tony Curtis, Bob Wagner, James Stewart, John Derick and some other of my favorite movie stars were coming down. I also had souvenirs-pennants, canes with monkeys on them, New Year's hats, and pom-poms -on my walls, and they were so dusty you coughed iust being near them. I picked up several dresses andghung them in the closet. Perhaps if I cleaned my room Mother would take my side and persuade Dad to let me go. I closed a dresser drawer and picked up one of my best shoes from under a chair. I looked around for the other shoe. I didn't see it. I got down on my stomach and looked under the bed. There it was way back against the wall. I dropped the other shoe on the floor and sat there hugging my knees. I decided