St Sebastians School - Arrow Yearbook (Newton, MA)

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l w l l l SENIOR CLASS OFFICERS Seated: President, john F. Cremmen Standing: Cleft to right! Treasurer, james Caulfield: Secretary, Francis O'Donoghueg Vice Prerident, john Kirk ated at School, could be paraded impressively before younger members of the family at home. Earnest effort also could be relied upon to produce its own re- ward, for, when the first marking period ended, we could pride ourselves on the number of our classmates who attained the select Honor Roll circle. To call suf- ficient attention to the merit of the recipients, the certificate awards were made at a School-wide assembly after dinner and Classmates Bob Fichtner, Dick Griffin, Vin Horrigan, Jack Kirk and Bob O'Shea were applauded warmly by the entire student body. About this time we arrived at the conclusion that the older students, far from isolating themselves in lofty superiority, were a companionable lot who were quite willing to exchange ideas on teachers, sports and other topics of mutual interest. Recess periods and dinner hours provided an opportunity of mingling with them and learning their intense loyalty to St. Sebastian's and everything associated with it. Fellows like Hugh Glasheen, Henry Barry, Charlie McCarron, jimmy Lydon, Bob and George Baker had attended the first class to be held here and they wel- comed us sincerely as Sebastianites who would come to love the School as dearly as they. In the Sophomore group also we found a real spirit of camaradie manifested by veterans of a year's experience such as Myron Bullock, Mike Barrette, Bob Hig- gins, Bob and Paul Flynn. To have them recognize us in friendly fashion and make us feel at home in their company was all that was needed to make us realiize that we belonged at St. Sebastian's.

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Kendrick, Bob McGarty, the McKinney brothers, Bill O'Leary, George Shannon, jack Slattery and Joe Sullivan. While the physical partition remained all year long between the two groups, it was morally broken down as the two sections in- tegrated themselves into one Freshman class. It did not take us long to discover that the classroom building was only a poor third in the School popularity poll, for it very definitely lacked the attraction of either the dining hall or the cage. As regards the former, we were quite over- whelmed by our first introduction to it. When the fourth class of the day had ended, we were shepherded to the refectory and assigned places at the long tables over which a member of the Faculty presided. After grace was said by the Head- master, white-coated students emerged from the kitchen, bearing heavily-laden trays on which steaming serving dishes reposed, and delivered them to the opposite ends of each table. We watched with calculating interest as the platters and dishes were passed from hand to hand and we restrained ourselves to moderate helpings of the appetizing viands. Attacking the full dinner with enthusiasm we cleaned our plates and then were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves con- fronted with second and third helpings that were not only permitted but en- couraged. Milk also seemed to be boundless in quantity and following the ex- ample of our upper-class neighbors, we were not too abashed to refill our glasses frequently. Thus our acquaintance with the School's most popular building be- gan and we needed no urging thereafter to report promptly at the dinner bell. The end of the class day permitted a more thorough examination of the gymnasium than the recess period of the morning had allowed, and we availed ourselves of the opportunity to search into every nook and cranny. Football prac- tice was scheduled for that afternoon and it made us feel part of St. Sebastian's to be able to rub elbows with the athletes in the locker rooms as they prepared for the day's workout. Presiding over the situation in general was a forceful, yet genial man who, we were told, was Mr. Murphy, the new coach. Spurring on the dressing preparation of his candidates, he still had time to greet newcomers like ourselves kindly and warm-heartedly. Scrambling up the stairs to the second floor, we were left quite breathless when the doors of the cage unfolded its wide expanse before us. The floor proved to be resilient peat which adapted itself to a variety of usages in accordance with the athletic seasons. Basketball backboards were suspended in permanent position at the extremities of the court and we noted a balcony which looked down into Squash and Handball courts that opened off the cage floor. The ball marked walls were a silent indication that these games might hold an attraction for us as they had for others. All in all, our gym was quite a place, we agreed, for we already felt a proprietary attitude in its regard. In not too long a time we found that the School had a definite routine from which it seldom varied and we settled down to the process of being educated. The new languages, Latin and French, did not come any too easily as replacements of Grammar School subjects and we realized the need of the three hours study each night that was being insisted upon. The civilizations of the distant past were interesting and sometimes amusing, but at other times it was difficult to fathom the logic in their actions. What we did not know about our own English lan- guage was rather astonishing and we became quite convinced that knowledge maketh a bloody entrance. However, these advanced studies could not help but give us a more mature and important feeling which, while it would not be toler-

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One of the features of Country Day School education that appealed to us most was the provision of an athletic program for students who would not consider themselves sufficiently polished to report for Varsity teams. Right from the start of the School year we were told to report in recreation togs to Fr. Keating on the Football field after the class day ended, and most of us needed no urging. Every- thing was serene as the first session started, but, when it developed that our men- tor's approach to the subject involved long stretches of calisthenics we lost some of our enthusiam. After some days we even ventured to show a bit of resentment, but we dropped that policy rather quickly when we discovered that such tactics only brought about a prolongation of the agony. When we finally reached the peak of condition in Fr. Keating's estimation, Football really began. Most of us had never played on anything but informal teams and it was a supreme treat to be coached carefully and to learn the co-ordination of team play. Then too the fact that we were given Varsity plays to work on and perfect made us feel like full- lledged big-leaguers. When we did engage in competition with outside J.j.V teams, it was a well-drilled club that represented St. Sebastian's. In the backfield we had miniature powerhouses like Ed Quirk and the Crowley brothers, while the line bristled with dynamos such as McCarron, Heavey, Kirk, Monahon and Slat- tery. The Fall months sped by rapidly and pleasantly in this fashion and it was with great reluctance that we packed away our moleskins for the year. Mean- while we had followed the fortunes of our fellow-gridders, the Varsity, with fer- vent enthusiasm as they essayed an ambitious schedule, and we were thrilled by their victories over Rivers, Brandeis Vocational and the Belmont High Seconds. With Football over, we found the School agog over the Winter athletic pro- gram that was in prospect. To begin with, the war-time fuel emergency, which had led the School officials to close the gym and forego Basketball in 1942-43, was alleviated to the extent that such sacrifices were no longer necessary. That meant the hoop game would be restored and we would have the opportunity of playing it on a peat floor for the first time. Then too it was disclosed that St. Se- bastian's was about to sponsor a Hockey team for the first time in its history and enter the sextet in the newly-formed Catholic League that would play its games in- doors at the nearby Skating Club. With such diversion in store, it did not seem that the Winter could be too unpleasant. That it turned out to be equally as en- tertaining as the Football venture was due in no small degree to the planning of Fr. Collins who doffed his cassock to put on sports attire and tutor our efforts on the floor of the cage. An enthusiast for the indoor game, he explained the rudi- ments patiently and insisted that we put them into practice carefully. When the time warranted it, we were divided into four teams of equal strength and, bearing the names of popular colleges, the quintets vied with each other in intra-mural con- tests that were re-played in discussions long after the final whistle had blown. In such competition, the talents of Bill O'Leary, John Kehoe, Bob McGarty and Bob O'Shea showed to best advantage and we felt complimented when Bill O'Leary was promoted to the Varsity squad. The Varsity games also drew our attention and it was a source of gratification to see the senior quintet engage in noteworthy com- petition and gain decisions over older schools like Browne and Nichols, Belmont Hill and Rivers. In the Hockey sphere, the student body was on hand to a man to witness the debut of our sextet at the Skating Club, and we had a special interest in the pro-