South Side High School - Totem Yearbook (Fort Wayne, IN)

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THE TOTEM 1939 ll FEUJ BIICHUJIIRD GLIIIICES By JOE BEX When we South Siders came baclc to school last fall, we found a remodeled building. The new sec- ond story greatly improved the outside appearance and removed completely that one-story, factory look. South Side had grown up. More important than this were the results of the reconstruction work inside the building. The added story provided many much-needed rooms, and notice- able remodeling had been done on the first floor also. Expansion had been demanded by over-crowded con- ditions, but, along with this expansion, there came many other improvements. This was not altogether a surprise to 1110513 students, however. Tn the spring of the preceding school year, the reconstruction had been heralded in, you might say. The not un-welcome interruption of study by the tapping, scratching, scraping, hammering, grind- ing, and pounding of men at worlc immediately dis- closed to the brighter students that the remodeling had begun. By the end of school, even the 1110512 confused freshman realized that something was going on. At any moment during those days, the teacher was lilzely to find himself tallcing in direct competition with a compressed-air hammer. Some teachers even developed a teaching technique to suit conditions: They would speak rapidly during the brief respites of silence to get in as many words as possible before the racket began again, when it did, they stopped and permitted the pupils to ponder their teachings Not Rembrandts, maybe, but they learn Their aim-to make extinct the granite b during the interval, and then when the noise ceased, they once more resumed their part in the game. Then there were the entertaining conversations that floated into the classroom, of workmen talking, not too ener- getically, about how hot it was, how much time there was until quitting time, etc. On some occasions two or three men would enter a classroom, make a few measurements, tap here and there mysteriously, nod lcnowingly to each other, and then silently depart. On other occasions they would make similar in- vestigations and then proceed to discuss quite audibly ways and means and facts and figures for a while and then leave the room, still arguing. Those were interesting days. Students found the new second-story rooms all shiny and modern, with better linoleum, better black- boards, better windows and blinds, better electric fixtures, automatic electric ventilators, and movable seats. The new rooms were: the big study hall be- side the cafeteria, which can be used excellently as a small assembly room or cleared of chairs and used as a dance floorg the Greeley Room, with a greatly- appreciated built-in stage and an excellent compact little kitchenette, the additional social science, public speaking, commercial, and mathematics classroomsg the offices for Mr. Flint and Miss Pittengerg the en- larged general olqiceg the big recreation room which can be used in many ways and has been used for tumbling, high jumping, etc., with mats laid down, for talcing group pictures for this yearbook, for play- ing ping-pong, and for general getting together of to appreciate art. As ye rip, so ye shall sew.. . iscuit ..Physics students puzzling over the mysti- fying mysteries of matter in the laboratory In the chemistry laboratory one can always expect the unexpected-explosions, etc. Mr. Gould's botany class studying the science of Howers and trees and plants and things, Ili' Y' 1..a 1l.v'.4s , x

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Master craftsmen in the making in Mr. Henry Chappell's advanced drawing class Now the cameraman would turn to wood turningg Nlr. Bex here teaches this fascinating craft In the study hall these students resent the interruption of the photographergmaybe Learning to type with more than one finger A few aspiring journalists perspiring for The Times and The Totem Irish and I-larkcy, our linotype operators, struggle with the verbosity of the student scribes. students and talking or watching the various activi- ties going on. Other improvements were: stairways, not inclines, at the south end of the building to connect the two stories, Mr. Null's office, where the Voorhees room used to be, the Voorhees room changed to the typing roomg the enlarged Times room and press room equipped with a mammoth new press, the new glass- enclosed Totem office, a room within a room, in the Times roomg the visual education office in the former Totem hole,'g the new public address system throughout the entire school with the broadcasting studio and switchboard in Mr. Snider's office. In this improved building, the largest group of students ever enrolled at South Side have just com- pleted another lively year. The football season, al- though we hate to acknowledge the fact, was not, so far as scores are concerned, a complete success. Al- though we did lose out in the tournament, the basketball season was actually a very successful oneg we were the only major school in the state which had gone through her regular basketball schedule un- defeated and we reigned with Frankfort as co-favor- ite according to state-wide opiniong and that is not exactly failure. The track team this season staged a splendid comeback by winning the first meets in two years. The Junior prom, the Senior one-act plays, the G. A. A. revue, the Senior fun-fest, and Senior dance were all memorable events. Five of Mrs. Reike's public speakers became elig- ible to compete in the national contest by winning in state competition. South Side's Latin contestants swept the county and district contests and Violet Steinbauer won first place in the state contest. The Times continued its almost monotonous first place winning in state and national contests. Bruce Brad- bury won high honors in Quill and Scroll contests. Many South Siders took part in radio programs and contributed articles to the News-Seiitinelis Youth's Passing Show page. The senior plav, with Margaret Gross, Kitty Clin- ard, and Bill Newhard handling very competently the leading roles, was another finished production under Miss Margery Suter. Margaret played the part of a domineering mother who, with good intentions, tried to force certain careers on her daughter, played by Kitty, and her son, played by Bill, who both even- tually did what they wanted to, of course. Again this year, South Side was the first school to put over some new ideas. The survey by the Red Cross of our school for possible organization in case of disaster was the first such survey made of any high school in the United States. Mr. Wilbtirn Wil- son saw his brainchild, the Indiana Student Forum, grow into a chattering youngster QNO refiection on the discussions of this group by the unhappy choice of that word uchatteringw, is intended or should be impliedj . Such an excellent organization for encour- aging young people to learn and think about vital questions can well be copied by other states. Those are some of the high spots of the past yearg but something more is needed to give a true picture of 1938-39 at South Side. We must say more not about the spectacular but about the usual, the every- day happenings, the common life at school--the things that the average student of us did for had done to himj on an ordinary day. Perhaps you have already detected that we are slowly but inevitably coming to something which might be called, A Day in the Life of a South Side Studentug but be tolerant, for, after all, it is a com- mon plan and not a bad one either. Policemen, poli- ticians, chorus girls, debutantes, and prizefighters have all been written about in the day-of-the-life-of