South Hadley High School - Spotlight Yearbook (South Hadley, MA)

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2 The SPOTLIGHT CLASS HISTORY ln looking back upon the events which have happened to our class during our four years in South Hadley High, 1 reached the conclusion that, since each year has been so greatly different and such a marked transition from the preceding one, our class history really should be divided, just as a book is, into distinct and separate stages, and in this way, 1 shall try to give you some idea of those four years which, in my opinion, at least, have been and will always be the happiest, most important, and most memorable chapters of our lives. CHAPTER 1 A New and Strange World Well, without doubt, September Sth, 1929, will always remain, a Red Letter Day in the annals of good old South Hadley High. W'hat! You don't mean to say that that doesn't im- mediately ignite a spark of remembrance in your minds! This if a surprise! W'hy, that day was the memorable occasion when the present Senior class graced the portals of our worthy school with its presence! O, of course, we did enter rather humbly, Cprobably that is why you didn't rememberj but those upper classmen gave us plenty of reason to be humble. The Seniors snickered condescendingly at our mistakes, the Juniors openly laughed, and the Sophomores merely smiled knowingly and sympathized, but we did our best to be nonchalantv. However, it wasn't very long before we began to come into our own . ln the first place, there were quite a few new teachers that year. We were greeted by a new principal, Mr. Gifford, who, in spite of the fact that he was a newcomer himself, certainly did his best to make us Freshmen welcome, and I only hope that we didn't make him feel too discouraged. Then came the most important event of the year, the operetta. It was through this affair that our class first entered school activities for the Freshmen had a line representation, both in the chorus and in the cast. However there is one shadow cast on the memory of J 7 that year, and it was caused by the passing away of one of South Hadley High's former principals, Mr. Allan C. Cummings, whose death affected each and every one of us deeply. On the whole, though, it was a most pleasant year, and we looked forward with eagerness to the remaining three before us. CHAPTER 11 Making a Name for 0ur.felr.'er Ah, who says that our class Wasn't an uup and coming one ? VVhat a change that first year had made in us! Now we were no longer shy, timid, or insignificant, as those upper classmen were wont to consider us when we were Freshmen. The members of the class of thirty-three were now Sophomores, and just to prove that we were made of the right stuff we began to do things! We had two class members on the Spotlight Board, and that was something of which to be proud. The Home Economics girls had learned how to make jell-o by this time, the commercial students were struggling over vouchers, trial balances and 'What-nots,, and the college preparatory people held many a session with Miss Pratt in an almost superhuman effort to master une plume or me, te, se, nous, vous, se. But did we let little things like that bother us? W'ell, we should smile! just at about this time, also, some of '33's great athletes began to warm up . We didn't intend to lose out on anything! During our Sophomore year, also, We re- ceived the most unwelcome news of lV1r. VVhittemore's coming resignation. No one was any sorrier than we to see him go. That year finally came to an end, as all good things must, sooner or later, and we left the Sophomore ranks with a feeling of satisfaction, because We had done our best in everything. CHAPTER 111 ' N earing the Final Stage: Here we were in 1932 and the class of '33 were Juniors! How quickly those first two years had passed! It didn't seem possible that

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The SPOTLIGHT The Faculty The Spotlight Board ,

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The SPOTLIGHT 3, already, one half of our active existence at South Hadley High was over. However, We had very little time in which to wonder about the future or to recall the past, the present was all-important, for this was a big year for us. First of all, there was our new superin- tendent, lXfIr. Tucker, whose arrival, of course, aroused a great deal of excitement. Then there was our new principal, Mr. Stevens, upon whom we might inflict ourselves. Upon the arrival of Mr. Stevens, South Hadley High's activities increased doubly, he organ- ized the Student Activities Society, clubs too numerous to mention here, and brought about many changes and improvements which the student body greatly appreciated. Toward the end of the year, we held a class picnic at Aldrich Lake. We had planned picnics, sleigh rides, and various other things before this, but somehow they had never materialized, so we worked doubly hard to make this one a success. Regardless of the fact that a rather small number attended, and that a severe storm almost washed us out to sea , up at the lake, we all had a great deal of fun, and it turned out to be a most enjoyable ending to a practically perfect year. CHAPTER IV Thr Fivzixhivzg Touche: At last, that long-awaited, much hoped-for, grand climax had come. We were Seniorsi These three words certainly meant a great deal to us last September. Each Senior re- turned to school in the fall with a spring in his step, a haughty glare in his eye, and im- portance , with a capital I evident to the casual observer. We had come prepared to smile condescendingly upon the Juniors, to regard the Sophomore with icy stares, and to ignore completely the Freshmen. Of course, we weren't quite as bad as that, and after a few days, the novelty began to wear off, and we soon fell back into the old, familiar routine of classes, study periods, extra sessions, and homework, yes, particularly homework! This has been, of course, our busiest and most active year. From the very start we traveled at a great speed. One of our first scores was the fact that our honor society, the Pro Merito, when announced at the beginning of the year, boasted a larger membership than ever before, namely: twenty-four pupils. That's something to be remembered! Then also, members of the Senior class figured largely in all the fields of the school's sports. Next came one of the most important affairs of the school year, the Senior-Junior Prom , with which the Seniors entertained the Juniors. Once more, our class scored another social success. The Juniors seemed to enjoy them- selves immensely, and the Seniors-well, need anything be said about the Seniors? The long-awaited, biennial Senior play, Clarence, came next on our list of activities. The cast, which was composed of both Seniors and Juniors, was very well chosen, and, thanks to them and with due thanks to all others who had any part in putting it over , it surely was another feather in our cap . just at this point in the year, an event occurred which caused us all to stop abruptly in the hustle and bustle of our school life, an event which unexpectedly brought to the heart of each and every Senior a deep feeling of pain and loss. This was the death of Walter Nloody, a popular and most amiable classmate, Walter occupies a fond place in the memory of the Senior class. It was now the Junior's turn to entertain the Seniors, and, we must admit, they recip- rocated beautifully. The Junior-Senior Proml' would be a credit to any class. The hall was charmingly decorated, the music left nothing to be desired, and it was an affair which the Juniors should be proud to record in their experiences. After the Junior-Senior prom , the main events of this school year were over for the student body as a whole, but, for the Seniors, it was the beginning of the end. We im- mediately began preparations for class night,