Somerville High School - Radiator Yearbook (Somerville, MA)

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IN THE NAME OF SPORTS Leonard Flynn ’59 The sport of football is erroneously labeled “a game.” Football is no more of “a game” than any other sport where a person is driven to a frenzied pitch to win, to conquer, and to vanquish. What is this compelling force which drives a person to the limit of his physical abili- ties, to punish his body until every muscle aches and every nerve screams from tension? Is it all one moment of glory, or to be able to say, “I’m on the team”? But what glory is there in dirt, complete exhaustion, bruised muscles and aching bones? Match one team against another, and although they have never seen one another, they spontane- eously become deadly adversaries, each want- ing to defeat the other------each willing to pay any price for victory. Some people call it team spirit or the will to win, but it is really the desire to prove one- self. The players practice their “game” until the perspiration clouds their vision. Constant- ly driven by the thought of being a hero, any player would gladly give his last bit of strength to snatch victory from defeat. But, is the victory worth the price? Is it worth the aches and pains, the bruises, the bleeding, the hours of practice and the complete ex- haustion which follows a game? Sports are brutal groups of physical competitions in which all that is important is victory. There is no place for defeat in sports. It is suited for only the strong, who can endure its pun- ishment and pay its price. Sports are “games” only for fools. But, then, who am I to call one a fool when I would gladly give my strength, my blood, my sweat for “victory.” Seven

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THEY NOW KNOW THE INSIDE STORY On November 6, Peter Vidito, representing the Junior Class, Marilyn McKenna, Senior, the “Poster Girl for '59, and Pauline Amber representing the SHS Home Economics De- partment, attended a Breakfast Press Con- ference sponsored by the Greater Boston Better Breakfast Committee of the New England Dairy and Food Council. The com- mittee is comprised of leaders in the field of Left to right: Richord Lovin, Jill Gifford, Tom Flonnigori, Morilyn McKcnno. of education, nutrition, and public health. The conference was held at The Boston Club on Beacon Street, in Boston. Each year advanced research has proved conclusively that Breakfast, the most vital meal of the day is often neglected. Unfor- tunately many teen-agers fail to eat adequate breakfasts. They are unaware that nutrition- al negligence at this time of their lives can lead to physical inadequacies that may hinder them in their present activities as well as in attaining their future goals. After a sumptuous breakfast of hot baked apples with ice cream, honeydew melon, a heaping bowl of hot oatmeal with plenty of cream and sugar, scrambled eggs and bacon, all sorts of danish pastries, assorted hot muf- fins and rolls, and plenty of milk, a panel of well known personalities with their knowl- edge of nutrition and the actual needs of the body, spoke about the importance of well- balanced breakfasts. The panel included Fernie Flaman, of the Boston Bruins; Maribel Vincent Owen, form- er Olympic skating champion and trainer of Tenley Albright; Commander Thomas Col- lins of the U. S. Naval Airforce, Dave Rod- man, WNAC-TV, newsman; and Alice Leven- thal, Chairman of the Boston Better Break- fast Committee, who was the M.C. Commander Collins stressed that a vitamin packed breakfast is of prime importance for airmen to bear up under the stresses of flying. He added that smoking definitely im- pairs vision and the judgment of distances. Fernie Flaman, who gets up at four each morning to practice with the Bruins, said, “The hockey players are in bed at eleven or even ten some nights. On the night before a game there is strict enforcement of this rule. If a player performs poorly at practice the answer is usually that he has not eaten enough breakfast. We take the juice of oranges for a quick energy pick-up. Maribel Vincent Owen who began her ac- quaintance with skating when she was two years old, is up at five every day. “Precision in figure skating and the stamina required in long hours of skating can be possible only with the proper fuel and that means good food, properly cooked. Tenley Albright likes to eat a lot of all kinds of cheese to give her the extra nutritional value she needs for her rigorous practice.” Dave Rodman and Alice Leventhal both agreed, “Breakfast is like a furnace, no feeding, no working.” Another factor to remember is that break- fast should include one-third of your caloric intake for the day. So, start off the day with a sunny smile and sit down to a good, vita- min-packed breakfast. It will do wonders for you. Your classmates will notice your im- proved personality, too. Six

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Can You Find Yourself in this Crowd? 1. Eileen DiCiaccio, Janet Resteghini, Karen Kelly, Morion Van Stccnsburg, Nancy Noble, Vivion Santos. 2. Mary Foppiano, Robert Tourosi, John Troniello, Gennoro DiSarcino, Phyllis Forget, Annemaric McWeeny. Absent when photograph wos taken: Charles Anderson, Albert Bowen, Constantine Cacos, Carmen Gailcy, Morgorct Haddock. Doesn’t there appear to be something wrong with the above picture? Isn’t this a scant number of NHS members considering the group of seniors we have at SHS ? Last year, thirty-nine seniors were mem- bers of the National Honor Society when they graduated. For the last few years the number has been declining. What is the rea- son for this? Do you qualify for National Honor? You very well could, you know. The requirements for this organization are well within the reach of every high school student. Each spring, members of the faculty offer the names of students of the junior class who might be considered for National Honor. Any teacher may nominate any student on the basis of the four qualifications of leadership, scholarship, character, and service. Good marks are not the only prerequisite. Service and cooperation are also required. If the student plans to attend college, be- ing a member of National Honor is one of the best references he or she can offer to a university. If, on the other hand, the student plans to enter the business world immediately following graduation, National Honor mem- bership should indicate to a person hiring him that he will be a truly valuable addition to the firm. As for leadership, a pupil should be active in the classroom; volunteering to recite, listening attentively while the teacher is talk- ing, and, in general, being a good addition to the class. Also, being active in one or more of the many clubs in school will be a good quali- fication to have. A pupil should have origi- nality in his ideas and reasonings and be the type of person the rest of a group listens to and respects. Character is a quality that makes people trust us, obey us, respect us, and most im- portant of all, imitate us. Character is as much a part of us as our name and we are known to others by it. Whether it is good or bad, it is our contribution to society. Service is that extra effort that makes your school an important part of your life. It is a cooperation that alone shows you are interested. It is not martyrdom or a thirst for publicity, but a true inner will to be of help Eight