Somerville High School - Radiator Yearbook (Somerville, MA)

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A TRIBUTE TO MISS SUTHERLAND Barbara Morgan '57 It was with a distinct sense of a job well done, that Miss Ruby Sutherland could retire this past September. Room 254, however, just doesn’t seem the same place without her cheery smile and friendly hello. Born in the little town of Lancaster, New Hampshire, where she attended the Woods- ville New Hampshire Secondary School, she continued to further her education at the Leland Powers Collegiate School, Emerson College, Boston University and Columbia University. She holds the degrees of B.LL, M.A. and B.S. in Education. She began her service at Somerville High School in 1922 as a teacher of History and Elocution. Throughout the years, Miss Sutherland regarded her students not as groups, but rather as individual personalities, each of whose present lives and further welfare be- came her immediate concern. She devoted her time unselfishly and unsparingly to the best interests of those to whom she could be of service. Whether a matter was perti- nent to teaching, or to church or college, she always made “Service” her watchword. During December of 1930, her teaching was interrupted because of typhoid fever, contracted in Europe where she was in a Ter- centenary Pageant the summer before. Because of her keen interest in her co- workers and her engaging personality, both teachers and pupils give to her the tribute of their warm affection and high esteem. CONSERVATION CARAVAN—1956 Paul Prentiss ’57 An assignment this short to tell about my 15,000 mile trip cuts me down to making a few pertinent observations on the highlights alone! (Just in case there’s anyone left who doesn’t know, I went to the Pacific Northwest and Alaska on a Conservation Caravan for the Boy Scouts last June.) And first on that list comes being allowed to fly the plane for thirty minutes—most ex- citing experience a person can have, I would say. (By the way, when rain hits your auto- mobile windshield, it runs down, doesn’t it? When it hits a plane windshield, it runs side- ways.) One of the most unique things I saw was the “graveyard” at the Russian Orthodox Church in the Manatuska Valley, Alaska. These people do not bury their dead under ground as we do, but instead build gaily decorated little houses for them in tiny vil- lages around the church. When you take 12 boys from 4 million boys—one scout representing about 300,000 scouts—from all different parts of the United States you get some interesting views of how the other parts live and think. One boy had never seen an olive. One declared he wouldn't go to school if he had to wear shirts and ties and shoes as we northerners do. Another did the boasting for Texas as if it were part of Oklahoma. We came home speaking a “na- tional language,” a combination of all the sec- tional accents in one. We stayed at one home with a swimming pool, but the rest were just like yours and mine, and parents gave up their beds to us, washed and pressed our uniforms even when we showed up at midnight and had to leave at 5 a.m. The 1955 Western All-American Football Coach was our host one night, and many a pretty Senior Campfire Girl danced with us and gave us breakfast at Portland. The biggest disappointment was not catching any salmon at King Salmon River in Alaska. They didn’t dare not bite for the General who was with us, though. (Turn to page 31) Five

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LIGHTNING NEVER STRIKES TWICE? Debra Mabel ’57 On June 8, 1956, the Class Day exercises of the senior class of Somerville High School were held in the renewed auditorium, which was being used for the first time since the damage to the stage in the January fire. That afternoon, after everyone presum- ably had left the building, the second major fire to strike the high school in less than five months swept the fourth floor of the Central Building. Water damage was exten- sive on the three lower floors and in parts of the two wings. For the pupils, the school session did not resume to finish the year’s studies. During the summer, the roof of the Central Building was leveled to the third floor and a new flat slate roof was put on. Barricades were constructed, both outside and inside the school, to block off the Central Building completely above the basement level. A tem- porary main office was made of room 154 combined with the main corridor of the East Wing. Classrooms 144 and 145 were com- bined and made into one, for a new Art Room. Maple floors and new lights were installed; fresh paint made it look bright and cheery; some new equipment was installed. This room was ready for use at the opening of school in September. A new floor was put on the whole basement corridor, which was also painted. The corridors and lockers in the two wings were painted, too. This fall we started school in two sessions: the seniors and juniors attending the morn- ing session, and the sophomores attending the afternoon session. The teachers were di- vided so that each would work the hours of one full session. The Music Department was given the cafe- teria as temporary headquarters; the Band was allotted a room in the basement in which to keep instruments and uniforms, although they practice on Wednesday nights in the cafeteria. The school bank was relocated on the second floor of the east building in room 254A. Room 10, the headquarters for the Good Government Committee, was redeco- rated and supplied with temporary furnish- ing. An Editorial Room has not yet been been established, and the Radiator Staff has been doing the best it could using transi- tional meeting places. The chemistry and physics laboratories were supposed to have been located at the Southern Junior High and the Trade High School, respectively, but unfortunately, due to lack of equipment in these places, the science students had to postpone their lab experience until the re- construction of our own laboratories is fin- ished. The teachers’ cafeteria and the gym- nasium are functioning as usual. The me- chanical drawing rooms and the manual training rooms in the basement of the Cen- tral Building were redecorated and are in operation. The auditorium on the first floor will be completely out of use until all work in the Central Building is completed. We pupils have all been doing the best we could with what we had left since the fire. Everyone has been inconvenienced, but we’re sure that once the construction is finished, the Central Building ready for use, and the school routine back to normal, everyone will profit from our greatly improved school. Four

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STOP AND THINK Marjorie Howe ’58 “What is my primary goal in life?” “How can I begin to realize my ambition now ?” Sometime during our busy high school days, we should take time out to ask our- selves these very important questions. In- deed, as high school students, we should feel the necessity of looking ahead, apprais- ing critically our plans for the future. This is our time of preparation. It we were asked to name our choice of work, would we be able to give a fairly conclusive answer? If we only shrug our shoulders and reply, “Well, I dunno yet” or “I haven’t the faintest idea,” then we had better settle down and really do some serious thinking. Unless we give serious concern to our future now, it may be too late to do what we prefer! We should all, therefore, have some ultimate plans in mind. Although they may only be vague, these plans should serve to stimulate our enthusiasm now. Once we become en- thusiastic, it becomes necessary that we al- ways be on the “qui-vive.” Being alert will enable us to see the many opportunities which surround us. Only by showing interest and industry will we begin to realize our am- bitions. It is said that each one of us has been given the ability to do some specific work, which will assure our happiness in future life. Such a natural inclination should be en- couraged now, and not be disregarded through inexcusable laziness. It is impor- tant, therefore, to apply ourselves earnestly to whatever learning and training will best prepare us for the future. Our spare time might prove invaluable to us, if we would spend it in wholesome activi- ties. Sports, educational hobbies, and reading classical literature are pastimes that will in- evitably make us far better persons. Our everyday actions, although seemingly trivial, should be governed by our ambitions, also. If we mean our lives to be significant, we must begin to consider the other fellow. We should strive to overcome such faults as greed and selfishness. Remember real suc- cess in life goes to the person who can Be trusted and respected. Yes, stop and think! We, as teenagers are striving for an honorable position in the modern world. We must begin to mold our futures now! N.E.S.P.A. While most of the SHS students were en- joying a three day holiday on the weekend of October 26, six members of the Radiator Staff, along with their adviser, Miss Mac- Pherson, attended the two day and evening New England Scholastic Press Association Convention sponsored by the Division of Journalism of Boston University. Those who represented SHS were Carol Fields, editor; Herbert Weene, business manager; Debra Mabel, Rosalyn Perrone, Judy Tarentino, and Dotty DeMita. Approximately 350 students and advisers from all over New England convened at the opening session to hear welcoming talks by Mr. Robert Baram, Director of N.E.S.P.A., and Dean Hatch of the College of General Education. The principal speech, “Your Role in the Battle for Freedom of Information,” was given by Dr. Joseph DelPorto, Director of the B.U. School of Journalism. After this, the students attended the semi- nars of their choice. Included also among these were “Magazine Content and Make- Up,” “Sports Writing,” and “Writing the Feature Column.” During the afternoon, the opportunity was afforded to any senior to take the N.E.S.P.A. Scholarship Examina- tion. An applicant for this four-year $1000 scholarship was required to write a feature or news story on varied subjects. At the session on Friday evening, two critiques, one for students, the other for ad- visers, were held. The most interesting and informative event of the evening was a col- legiate press panel comprised of the staff members of the B.U. “Hub” Yearbook, their adviser, and reporters from some of our greater Boston newspapers. The following day, two interesting groups of seminars took place, one of which on edi- torial writing was conducted by our own ad- viser, Miss MacPherson. The delegates then met in the Dome Room of the Hotel Lenox Six