St Sebastians School - Arrow Yearbook (Newton, MA)

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'47 AIDS CATHOLIC EDUCATIONAL CONVENTION Seniors: Kehoe, Kirk, Horrigan, Shannon work with Mr. Gilchrist of the N. C. W. C. I WANT TO SEE THE FOLLOWING AFTER DINNER The Headmaster reads a proscriprion list in the refectory

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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-

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ceedings for our contribution to the line-up was considerable. Two Freshmen were among the six Red and Black skaters who took the ice against St. Mary's of Wal- tham and hence we cheered every movement of Ed Phillips and jack Slattery to the echo. While our icemen went down to defeat on that occasion, they more than atoned for that failure in later appearances as Jack Mulhern and Ed Phillips led them to third place in the final League standing. Apart from the interest provid- ed by the games, it was wonderful to note how the contests worked magic in ob- taining parental permission to venture forth on Saturday nights. At the conclu- sion of the season we were quick to vote the ice venture a complete success and we hoped that Hockey would be a permanent feature of the sports cycle on the Hill. Meanwhile, the Christmas vacation had come and gone, to be remembered especially for the Christmas party which preceded it. We learned that this too had become a tradition of the School and we more than enjoyed the banquet and the varied entertainment that followed. On that occasion, Varsity and J.V. athlet- ic rewards were distributed and we were thrilled to have our prowess so publicly noted. We were quite impressed also by the importance of the juniors when it was announced that they were permitted to hold the first St. Sebastian prom under the able direction of Charlie McCarron. All in all, the year would have been en- tirely a succession of pleasant surprises had it not been for the death of His Emi- nence William Cardinal O'Connell in early Spring. As students of the last educa- tional institution he had established, we felt deeply affected as we assisted at the Requiem Mass for the repose of his soul in our School Chapel. To end the year on a memorable note, we had the experience of playing j.V. Baseball under Fr. Flanigan. From workouts that began in the gym cage we passed to the outdoor diamond as soon as weather permitted. Daily practice and insistent coaching eventually molded together a nine that took on strong compe- tition in the weeks of the scholastic year that remained. As moundsmen on that aggregation we had Dick Griffin and john Gallagher who turned in creditable performances despite the fact that their support was a bit on the porous side. Of- fensively, our attack was led by Ed Quirk, Bill O'Leary, and Bob Bullock against competition provided by teams like the Mission High J.V.'s and St. joseph's Acad- emy of Wellesley. While the defeats exceeded the number of victories, that fact was lost sight of as we watched the Varsity pile up seven wins in eleven starts, the season's highlight being jimmy Collins' bid for a no-hitter against Browne and Nichols. To close the academic year we attended the Year's End Party at which awards for scholastic excellence were announced and Baseball letters were distributed. We were particularly pleased when Dick GrifHn's attainment of a scholarship for the year ahead was revealed by the Headmaster. Thus the first chapter of our St. Sebastian career drew to a close most pleasantly, marked by the compilation of a treasury of memories which we hoped would be increased in the three years ahead of us. After the rest and relaxation of the Summer months, we were rather resigned to a return to School routine and we speculated interestedly as to what St. Sebas- tian's would be like with a full complement of classes from Seniors to Freshmen. We were not quite prepared, however, to find the Chapel just about filled with students as we filed in for the Mass of the Holy Ghost on the opening day. Once