South Bend Catholic High School - Victorian Yearbook (South Bend, IN)

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The Need of Religion in Education In our present day, the most critical period which makes or breaks the human being is the transition from childhood to adulthood, the time when the young adult is at the cross- roads of his life and will be compelled to meet and solve his problems with dutiful responsi- bility and mastery. inevitably, the steadiness and firmness of his success depend upon his early acquired foundation during the dear old golden rule days at school, his education. Was it an ade- quate one? If there was no religion in his curriculum, his education lacks completeness, in fact, the vital and most essential spark of life is absent. He may have had sufiicient nourishment for the body and ample food for his mental capacities so that both were Well developed and functional, but if the soul should remain unfed, it would starve and so would the true essence of life. Religion is not something added to educa- tion nor something apart from it, but it is an education in itself, which forms the center about which the other subjects are grouped and the spirit by which they are permeated. It gives us a divine enterprise of righteousness and love that will be carried out among our neighbors through the years to come. Train- ing in religion furnishes the best motives for conduct and the noblest ideals for emulation, moreover, it will guard and build the bundle of habits upon which our character and ulti- mate success will depend, materially, and pri- marily, morally and spiritually. The students in Catholic schools are taught to keep a radiant faith that every wrong can be made right and every right can be made. He will be inspired by the faith that the divine good will is operating for a better human so- ciety and will seek to be an ardent helper in the beneficial enterprise of righteousness and love, and the explanation of the true mean- ing of life and man's ultimate end. -GERALDINE RYBICKI Seniors Tribute to Their Alma Mater Four years have passed since the class of 1939 first entered the doors of South Bend Ca- thoiic High School to serve a short but im- portant period of apprenticeship before going out to take up their work in the World. These four enjoyable years have been the source of numberless fine friendships and a great many good times. But they have been also the source of something much more substantial and consequential. The development of a young American citizenry that is conscious of the fact that it has definite duties to perform, and guarantees to perform them. To some these duties consist primarily, if not solely, of a mere passive obedience to man-made law, while attaining as much worldly prominence as possible. To these people our high school would be functioning at its best if it should turn out a student capable of behav- ing himself in society and advancing to the highest realms of his vocation or profession. They are not so much wrong as they are in- complete. They look truth right in the eye, but they are too shortsighted to see it. Here is where South Bend Catholic High fills the breach between truth and secular education. A well-known Catholic university in this country declares that the three-fold emphasis in Catholic education should be on spiritual, mental, and physical development. That the spiritual element is placed first is especially Page Twenty-Four significant today because it stands out as never before, a brilliant badge universally identified with Catholic education., Again, the secular educators are not so much wrong as they are incomplete. What they propose to turn into the world is a half-educated man. He has been taught only that he has a mind and a body: consequently, he develops and perfects and cares for only his mind and his body. Not even knowing that he has an immortal soul, how can he be expected to attempt to care for it? Here, then, is the whole concept of Catholic education. It not only teaches men to behave and to make something of themselves, but it also urges them on to something more im- portant-the salvation of their immortal souls, man's highest destiny. And so it is that we are at once sorry and glad to find ourselves graduating from South Bend Catholic High School. We are sorry be- cause we find it hard to detach ourselves from a life we have learned to love and cherishg we are extremely happy because we realize that there are greater and more fruitful years of Catholic living and Catholic action ahead. To our parents and our teachers we give heart- felt thanks for the truly wonderful opportunity with which they have presented us. God grant that we may continue to live lives worthy of the real Catholic. ESTHER PAJAKOWSKI The Victorian w

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Class Prophecy qContinued from Page Twenty-Twoj tomb digger at a cemetery. It will be a grave matter - his customers will wind up in a hole! Loretta Ruszkowski and Jean Gaszewski . . . whether it should be banking or school teaching will depend on the principle of the thing. If they should lose interest in one they can study the other. L. Nowakowski . . . A lady Senator from Missouri. Passing bills should be her liking, since in school she was an expert at passing the buck! Joe Hartwick . . . An heir to extensive timber lands in Western Canada. He will ship lumber to the principal parts of the world-a wood-pecker. Modest Wendowski . . . Upon leaving school he'll bounce into a rubber factory, where he is apt to gum things up. This may be a wee bit stretched. Gertrude Nowakowski . . . Vice-President of' a concern manufacturing pins and needles. If her product won't sell she will be stuck with them. Roman Kowalski . . . He will be in the glass business where he should get his share of breaks. Though in school he was a first- Glass-student he'll find the job isn't what it cracked up to be--this is a hard one to see through. Ed Szaulewicz . . . A railroad engineer that will be easy to keep track of as his work will keep him tied up. In good shape from the constant training, Ed had better follow a clear track, as he usually doesn't give a hoot! The Victorian Lucille Maternowski and Jane Kujawa . . . will be associated with a cannery. The great responsibilities will keep them bottled up. If either should get canned, it would be quite a jar! Gertrude Chelminiak and Gladys Ncwal: . . . will operate a natatorium which will be fiooded with swimmers, who should have a whale of a time. If they're not careful of deep water, they will be sunk! And I do mean Gertrude and Gladys. Zenobia Orszulak and Yolanda Kielton . . . Will be intrusted with the care of a bee cul- ture. The output cf honey will be rather low since these bees are pretty STINGY. But it will be class A honey . . . out of a HB culture? Mary Jane Poore and Loretta Starczewski . . . will operate a factory manufacturing artificial flowers. If business blooms, visitors will be welcomed at the plant. Offices will be centered in the main stem! Irene Lepkowski . . . After several attempts with the same formula, produced either an un- satisfactory fortune or none at all, and at times a good past rather than the future was exposed, and rather than I should tax myself to the limit, let us relax and before we near the end of our journey, recall the pleasant memories of four years of true fellowship, the last of which will soon fade away into the great past, where the future of our forefathers is already delving in deeper and deeper and is as historical as this prophecy will be to our descendants. TIME MARCHES ON! IRENE LEPKOWSKI Page Twenty-Th ree

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The Romance of The Thirty Ninera Too soon has the summer vacation ended, but knowing that we were to enter high school, somehow it made a difference--- And, so cn September 7, 1935 one hundred and sixty am- bitious students gaily paced their way toward a long, white, wooden building, the St. Hed- wige High School, which they humbly chose as their laboratory of attaining a true, Ca- tholic education thai was to lay the founda- tion for their future life. On that day about fifty graduating students from our four respec- tive Polish parishes were able to Hnd this Ca- tholic institution that was to further the edu- cation which they had been receiving in the elementary schools. Wife thank God that He had given us the opportunity and helped us find our true goal. . Recognizing our frail condition and timidity upon entering school, our dear upper-classmen decided to promote and assure our sociability and cooperation with the rest of the school by means 'of holding a Freshmen Initiation Day which concluded with a matinee enter- tainment. Under the splendid care and guid- ance of our sponsors, Sister Danielita and Sister Alice Marie, we showed our qualifica- tions by studying diligently and earnestly sup- porting the various school activities. To widen our interest in the Polish literature and his- tory, Polish clubs were organized namely, the Kosciuszko Club and Conrad Club. It wasn't long before we witnessed the final examina- tions, and with the happy news of our promo- tion to the sophomore grade, we anxiously awaited our second year. The happy faces that appeared the follow- ing year in September still were smiling how- ever, their number was slightly decreased. This year we were fortunate in having as sponsor, Sr. M. Agneta, who enormously strenghtened our characters through her re- The Victorian liglous teachings. Acquaintecl with the school. we became more active by participating in dramatics. A Polish play titled, VVithout Mother's Blessing, went off with great suc- cess. As our sophomore year climaxed, every- one within the school experienced a sad loss, the replacement of the Hcly Cross teachers by those of Resurrection. It was our principal and great pioneeress, Sr. M. Severina whose hard and patient work everywhere and every- time turned the spark of the school's existence into a fiame, and we felt her change. Through her efforts the Poles cf South Bend were given more recognition and authority. However, in our Junior year we greeted our new succeeding principal, Sr. Pauline Agnes and the Resurrection Sisters whose kindness and solicitude we realized at once. We con- tinued cur class studies with the ambitions that become Juniors, and we made strides and efforts in all classes and school activities. Gertrude Chelminiak brought our class glory by winning first prize in the Anti-Tuberculosis oratorical contest. At last our final year had come, and it came with elating news that a spacious and well equipped building was granted to the Poles of South Bend to replace the former St. Hedwige High School. Our heart and soul craved for great things. We plunged into studies, we resolved to be the most alert classg we followed instructions, and in all we proudly stood as one. The interest of the whole school was at heart, and in all instances we deemed it necessary to be what was expected of us dignified Seniors. As the year ebbed into eternity we yearned to stop its rapid flow, but so goes each year and ours is finished. ZENOBIA ORSZULAK JEAN GASZEWSKI EDWARD SZAULEYVICZ Page Twenty-Five