St Thomas High School - Thomist Yearbook (Rockford, IL)

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The effffl Club Early in the school year a new course was added to the curriculum of St. 'lll'lOlll2lS High School. This new course is Art. A class of about thirty pupils joined the class and have received in- struction every Friday afternoon. The faculty was most fortunate in l89l securing as instructor, Mr. Marques Reitzel, a well known artist who has won many prizes in Chicago. Under the direction of Mr. Reitzel the students have advanced rapidly, and Mr. Reitzel is well pleased with the work. Charles Russell, '28,

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I ,, ,,' Standing-,l. Culhane, I. Sullivan. E. llayes. R. Hurt, U. Sizer, A. Logli, B. Bowler. Seatedili. Petritz, M, O'l4rien, C. Hyland, Al, l'etri1z, M. Holger. The St. Thomas Offcherim Under the very able direction of Mr. Edward McKeown of Rockford College, an exceptionally talented orchestra has been developed at Saint Thomas. Very rapid headway has been made by the musicians who have furnished the music for various school functions. St. Thomas Orchestra, with the Glee Clubs, furnished some very enjoyable numbers at the Oratorical Contest on April 25th. ,e'1l?3M1', Qi, iss Nothing but classical music is played by the Orchestra, and the players have mastered many very dihficult selections in an exceptionally short period of time. It would be necessary to hear the orches- tra to realize the wonderful work that is being done by them, as every one will agree who has heard them. Arthur Cholke, '27.

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I - --f fffff --- na 1 1 rf - - f W- V -- .- MASS OF THE HOLY GHOST At nine o'clock on the morning of Sep- tember 9th Mass of the Holy Ghost was celebrated by the Rev. F. Connor, Chan- cellor of the Diocese. The occasion was a sad one, for we were mourning the en- forced absence of our beloved Bishop. Father Connor spoke with deep feeling of the love the Right Reverend Bishop Mul- doon has always had for the boys and girls of St. Thomas High School and made a strong appeal to the students to show by their lives their appreciation of the affection of the Right Rev. Bishop. THE FRESHMEN RECEPTION Freshman come and Seniors go, but the school activities move on forever in spite of the many difficulties caused by the cramp- ed quarters of our school. The social school year of nineteen hun- dred and twenty-six began as usual with the welcoming of the Freshmen into our In- higher learning. The old gym in rich, radiant colors and gay At the entrance was an arch- stitution of was attired streamers. way with the word Welcome'y above it and at the other end of the hall was another arch bearing the words Class of '27.', Baileyis Orchestra furnished excellent music for the evening. Under the efficient leadership of our class officers and the appointed committees, our Reception was one of the best social func- tions of the school year. Dorothy Tierney '27, THE JUNIOR-SENIOR DEBATES Two inter-class debates were held during the school year '26 and ,27. In the first debate, our ancient rivals the Juniors, took the afhrmative side of the question: Re- solved that the system of direct primary nomination is preferable to that of caucus and convention. The Seniors, taking the negative side, were defeated by the under class men. Both sides showed a comprehen- sive knowledge of the question and a real talent for debating. Those taking part for the affirmative were Thomas Gill and Leon- ard Condon. The negative side was taken by Harold O'Connor and T. Carroll Sizer. In the second debate, also with the Juniors, the Seniors took the affirmative side of the question: Resolved, that the 'Philippine Islands should be given their independence immediately. The juniors, taking the negative side, defeated the Seniors again. The Seniors were represented by John Green, Robert Joyce, and -lack O'Haire, while Joseph Petritz, 'Iohn Gil- mour and Paul O'Malley debated for the juniors. Edward O,Shay '27, DOMESTIC SCIENCE At the beginning of the second semester our Principal announced that a class had been arranged in Domestic Science. Twelve of the -Iunior Girls answered this call, all eager to begin under the able direction of Miss Kimball. Of the twelve girls who went to Rockford College, two were from the Classical Department, and ten from the Commercial. As we near the end of our term we all feel that we are very proficient in the science of cooking, due to the earnest co-operation of both pupils and teachers. Our teachers during the year were Miss Kimball, Miss Shepherd. and Miss Condon. Helen Lingel '28 ..., .,.., Y,,Y :,' I90I