Smithfield High School - Shield Yearbook (Smithfield, NC)

Page 9 text:

th It nit an We, the Senior Class of 1951, dedicate this second edition of The Shield to our class sponsor, Mrs. A. G. Glenn. It is fitting that her beloved Shakespeare should furnish the theme for this annual. In recent years every graduate of Smithfield High School has felt Mrs. Glenn ' s guidance throughout his senior year. She concentrates her amazing energy and ability not only on teaching the principles of grammar or giving her dramatic best to some choice Shakespearean line, but she also finds time to direct the class play, to coach debaters and contest entrants, and to chaperon countless school parties, as well as to advise The Shield Staff. If Mrs. Glenn has one great gift, it is her ability to develop the personalities and talents of her students. Patiently she guides us, all the while moulding character and culture. Skillfully, hidden talents are exposed. Her only reward is the knowledge that another boy or girl enters the outside world with greater confidence and poise. This record of our final high school year we leave to Mrs. Glenn with love and gratitude.

Page 8 text:

111 1 ll j 1 4- I mill II I 1 XT MR. A. G. GLENN Principal MISS LUCY HARRINGTON History, English MRS. MARY SPHANGOS French, English MISS MARY TAYLOR Science MR. ROY J. BROWN History, Coach MRS. A. G. GLENN English, Speech 4J MR. DAVID WALKER Algebra, Band MISS ELIZABETH EDWARDS Mathematics MISS SUSAN BYNUM Home Economics MISS DE LENA JONES English, Latin MISS IMOGENE NARRON Commercial MISS ANNE PRUITT English, Librarian

Page 10 text:

Class tstor Lights dim. Curtains part. And on this stage of life the characters ap pear, each knowing well he has a part to play. This drama is a strange one for even the players do not yet know whether it is comedy, tragedy, or his- torical drama in which their parts are cast. A hushed stillness prevails in the audience as the play opens. As Act I unfolds, we, the actors and actresses in this drama realize that this is the beginning of the most important four years of our lives. The first yea.r in high school found every freshman alert and anxious not to miss his cue. Yes— one had to be alert to become accustomed to changing classes, attending school dances, taking part in athletics, and fitting into the high school pattern in general. In Act II as in all Shakespearean plays, the plot begins to thicken. We now perform our parts with on air of self-confidence not evident before. The highlights of this, our sophomore year, were the highly successful magazine campaign, the World Peace Oratorical Contest, and the honor received by a few of our classmates of attending the annual Junior-Senior Banquet as waiters and waitresses. Ah! The third act! Each word spoken was filled with special meaning, because we were juniors and next in line to be the school ' s most honored class. Such on active year we had never experienced before! Our football heroes began to come to light as our arch rival was defeated in the Thanks- giving game. And the taste of victory was still sweet as we danced that night under our traditional red and white canopy. Along with the honor of being upper classmen came responsibilities and many they were. Among the first of our duties was to present a class ploy. We discovered that those long nights of practice repaid us in a deep sense of satisfaction at having produced a successful performance. Then came the time for us to put aside our dramatic abilities and concentrate on the more down-to-earth school activities. Then into our hum- drum existence suddenly came the overwhelming knowledge that this year it was our job to make the Junior-Senior Banquet a success. Everyone was looking to us to make that climax of the social calendar the great success it had always been. Once again we felt that inner satisfaction which comes from participating in a job well done. The curtains part; this time for Act IV — our final and climactic scene. We perform our ports with enthusiasm. There is comedy — speech class, chapel programs, the halls during recess, stale jokes told in the locker rooms, good friends laughing together. There is tragedy — a broken test tube in the smoke-filled chemistry lab., the bitter sting of defeat on the foot- ball field or basketball court, the painful memories of some faded romance. Even the historical drama, Shakespeare ' s third type of play, is represented, for after all, will not the class of 1951 be rememibered by posterity? The curtain slowly begins to close on this the final act. Nothing stands between us and the adult world but a scrap of paper to be clutched by our eager hands. Even as we speak our closing lines the scenery is being changed for another drama. The characters will be different; the plot is the same. We feel only deep regret at being so quickly replaced but . . . ' All the world ' s a stage . . .