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

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% From game enthusiasm of the 30's to today's perplexities, deans have been good listeners. Miss Van Gorder was an important part of the school life. Times changed; problems didn't. As Miss Pittenger and Miss Van Gorder did, Mrs. Smith watches over student events. Keeping up with present student activities. Miss Van Gorder hitches a motorcycle ride with a friend, Chris Prohl, in Michigan City. 21

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Miss Martha Pittenger was South Side's first dean, serving from 1922 until 1950. Three Deans Counsel Kellys, Plan Social Events, Calendar Three women have filled the position of dean of girls during the past 50 years of South's existence. Miss Martha Pittenger came to South Side from Central High School in 1922 to fill the position as the first dean of girls. As is expected of the dean, she welcomed the opportunity to assist any- one in need of advice and attended all social activities in the school. She was dean until 1950. Miss Pauline Van Gorder was dean of girls from 1950 to 1967. She said that she particularly enjoyed the position be- cause of the variety of tasks she was given. Since each day brought new ex- periences, she was never bored. Miss Van Gorder said that, over the years, students have changed physically, but are just as spirited and courteous. New fashions and fads constituted most changes. She distinctly remembered the days in which the model outfit was a skirt, sweater, saddle shoes and bobby socks, and a bow in a girl's hair. The only clothing Miss Van Gorder said presented problems at school was the wide hoop skirts girls wore. Traffic was often congested when students walked single-file to accommodate the wide hoops in the small halls. Mrs. Mary Smith is the third dean of girls at South Side. Like those preceding her, she is in charge of guidance, plan- ning and watching over school activities, writing the school calendar, and taking care of welfare and student aid. Mrs. Smith said she is pleased at the rebirth of school spirit and the enthusiasm of students at South. ■ .-..'■..-: Discussing students' personal problems was a job that the dean of girls handled. Mrs. Smith and Miss Van Gorder talk with Rinn Brooks about her high school problems and her plans for after graduation. 20

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Three Principals Fill Station, Direct Administration's Affairs Mr. Robert C. Harris, his picture from the 1923 Totem, was also a noted inventor and author. When South Side first opened in 1921, Principal Robert C. Harris laid the foun- dation of rules to guide the new school. He fostered athletics and, like the prin- cipals following him, gave his support to all school activities. Mr. Harris served as principal until 1926. Mr. R. Nelson Snider left a teaching position at Smart School to become the second principal at South Side. Mr. Harris went to Smart after he left South. Recalling his years in the administra- tion, Mr. Snider remarked that the years of renovation to the school were also the years the basketball teams won the state championships. In 1938 the first part of the second story, containing the office area, was under way; and in 1 958 the east wing, with the cafeteria and the girls' gym, was being constructed. Mr. Snider is remembered not only for being principal at South Side, but also for being a strong figure in the com- munity. Honors paid him during his life- time include not only small tokens, such as his picture in the school library, but also having a Fort Wayne high school named after him. The last of the three principals in South Side's first 50 years is Mr. Jack E. Weicker. He was a history teacher, guid- ance counselor, and assistant principal at South before becoming principal in 1963. During his administration, Mr. Weicker made changes in the curriculum to im- prove the courses for average and below- average students without lessening the chance for a superior education for above- average students. He also tries to stress the necessity of better human relationships. The adminis- trators, the faculty, and the students have had to make adjustments to new stan- dards and styles during change in rules, tradition, and dress. 5 Mr. R. Nelson Snider, South's second principal, maintained the position for over 35 years. Archer fans, as these in the 1938 Totem, have been led in spirit by the three principals. 22