Southwestern Central High School - Centralian Yearbook (Jamestown, NY)

Page 12 text:

To all my friends: Before I say good-bye, I wish to tell how much I have enjoyed this year I spent here and how grateful I am to all of you. I wish to thank my family, the Hendlers, with whom I have been very happy, the American Field Service, that made my stay here possible, all my teachers who have been so kind, and all of you at South- western, that have been friendly with me. Even if I did not have a chance to know all of you very well, I will never forget all the smiling people who said Hi to me on the first day of school, making me feel really at home. I'II always remember the wonderful time I had living in Lakewood and going to school at Southwestern. The schools in Brazil are quite different from the American ones, we go for five hours a day and take ten to twelve subjects a year, though we have each of them just two or three times a week. We have very few extra- curricular activities and sports at school. I really enjoyed participating in different clubs in this school, playing the role of a witch in our senior play, Macbeth, and going to the games. I don't think, like some people do, that school work is easy here and that the American stu- dents don't work hard. The American system of education is a wonderful one, you should be proud of it and always do your best to improve it. We never get to really know people until we live with them, do the same things as they do, and learn about their customs and traditions. That is what makes the American Field Service exchange program so great and so important. Now I feel that I know the United States quite well, and I think it is a wonderful country. As you know, I come from Brazil, a large, beautiful, sunny country in South America. Rio Am bassadors-To An ANGELA BRASIL American Field Service Exchange stu- dent from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1958-1959 de Janeiro, where my home is, is supposed to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with its hills on the edge of the Guanabara Bay, the modern buildi-ngs and parks, the palm trees and tropical flowers. I hope that some day you can come there to see me, and like my country as much as I like the United States. If you don't come, I would love to receive a letter from each of you, so l'II leave my ad- dress: Visconde de Piraja 571, Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro. GORDON PULS American Field Service Americans Abroad from our school to Mett- mann, Germany, Summer, 1958. Once again, thank you very much and good- bye, or as we say in Portuguese: Adeus. Angela Brasil In the spring of 1958, I was very fortunate to be chosen to rep- resent Southwestern in the American Field Service exchange stu- dent program. I spent a wonderful and richly rewarding summer with a host famiIy in Germa-ny. My famiIy consisted of my father Ernst Julius, my mother Elizabeth Julius, and my two brothers Rolf and Arnd. They were as fine a family as one could possibly find anywhere, and they took me many places, all very beautiful, some historical. During my stay with the Juliuses, I traveled through Switzerland, to the magnificent WorId's Fair at Brussels, Belgium, and to many parts of Germany, like the beautiful Black Forest, and the Rhi-ne River with its majestic cliff top castles. My knowledge and understanding broadened with every trip I took and every friend I made. That is what makes the AFS program so extremely worthwhile-the understanding gained by all the people it touches. I shall always be grateful to the American Field Service and its many volunteer helpers the world over that made this experience possible for me and many others. . , y ,

Page 11 text:

MISS FLOY PARKER Former Librarian The Faculty and students of S.W.C.S. join in paying tribute to Miss Floy Parker of Cas- sadaga, New York who retired from active service in our school last June. Miss Parker has given more than half a century of untir- ing service to the schools of this state. We hope in this small way to show our ap- preciation for her helpful and untiring assistance and friend- ship to us while she was in our midst. Miss Parker is a graduate of Fredonia Normal School. She has a B.S. degree from Buffalo State Teachers College and a B.S. degree in Library Science from Genesee State Teachers College. Some of her year's service include rural schools, Stockton, Silver Creek and Dunkirk. She came to us in l935 and taught in Glidden School. Later she taught upper grades in Celoron. In l94O she became grade librarian in the Celoron school and later transferred to the high school. She also served as librarian in the newly organized Central High School. Miss Parker is admired by students and teachers for her individualism, her sincerity and her great desire to induce us to read, understand and appreciate good literature. Her first love was poetry and she seemed always to know lust what poem was needed to fit any occasion which might arise. For these things, we wish to extend our many thanks and to wish her happiness in her well earned years of retirement.

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From Our chool MY TRIP Around the World in Eighty Days seemed so impossible when Jules Verne wrote the book by that name. Today a tenth of that time would not be required. We left Buffalo around I p.m. a-nd were scheduled to reach Los Angeles at 7:45 p.m. Pacific Time on The American Air Lines. The plane was heading into a strong wind and be- fore we reached Chicago our pilot announced that we would probably be hours late. On the Pan-American Air Lines we took off from Los Angeles on July first around 9 p.m., refuelled at Hawaii and Wake Island, crossed the Inter- national Date Line and arrived in Tokyo, Japan, July 3rd. Note that twenty-four hours were dropped from flying time going westward across that date line. We stopped for five hours in Hong Kong, China and for parts of three days or more in Bangkok, Thailand, Rangoon and Moul Meink, in Burma, and reached Calcutta, India on July I lth in the early evening. These dry statistics omit the exciting sight seeing! Mt. Fujiyama, The River Quay, the huge Sleeping Buddah were outstanding experiences along with many less noted sights. The Taj Mahal at Agra was omitted this time because I had seen it on a previous trip. Ma-ny of the trips around India were made by plane. The Indian Air Lines already use jet-propelled engines on many of their planes. The three-day trip to Darjeeling was made in less than twelve hours. Delhi has many more buildings - beautiful ones-than on that previous visit, twenty-six years ago. Railroad stations and service are greatly improved. Schools have increased in number and improved in equipment. Bicycles and motor vehicles have increased the traffic hazards that formerly were caused mainly by flocks of sheep and herds of cattle or goats. Even the temperature was higher. One newspaper claimed that the weather was the hottest on re- cord. Another was content to claim the hottest in fifty years. For three months the average temperature reported by the newspaper ranged, with few exceptions, between 950 and lO5o On our boat from Bombay to Naples the passenger list was largely Indian. Students, some married, and many bringing whole families were seeking to better their conditions in a foreign land. The trip through Europe was fascinating. In Italy the Cardinals of the World were as- sembling for the Conclave that elected Pope John XXIII. The Sistine chapel and other ad- joining areas were blocked off to visitors because the voting took place in that portion of the Who Traveled Around the World from July to December 1958 Vatican. ln spite of some cold fall weather we had a warm enough period to eat our Sunday dinner i-n Venice on the sidewalk in front of our hotel. The gondola rides on the Canals, a visit to Venetian Glass Factory, and adventure across the Bridge of Sighs were prized experiences. Switzerland weather hid the mountain snows of Zurich and the Jungfrau the day we adventured up that mountain from Interlaken but we had sun in Luzerne for an experience that was one of the highest of the high spots - a view of the Lion of Luzerne. The League of Nations Building in Geneva reminded us of the United Nations Building in New York City on a far smaller scale. Paris was all we anticipated both shopping and sight-seeing. At the Louvre we enjoyed originals in Sculpture and Painting and other works of art of which we had heard and studied all our lives. Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace, visits to the Parliament Buildings, Westminster Abbey and a session of the House of Commons were thrilling, indeed. So also were Win'dsor Castle and Stratford-on-Avon. Four days from Le Harve to New York City on The United States, the fastest boat afloat brought us back to our own country in time for Thanksgiving. Truly we gave thanks with especial fervor for the many many incidents that made this a truly wonderful trip.