Steinmetz High School - Silver Streak Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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On the very same day that the National Honor Soci- ety had its first meeting at Steinmetz, the first edition of the Silver Streak appeared. The sponsors were Mrs. Dorothy W. Bade and Mr. Perry Gifford. The Steinrnetz Flag was presented to the school by Mrs. Charles Roehl on behalf of the P.T.A. in 1936. The design of the flag is the creative work of a student, Frank Pikrone. Cooperation, service, schol- arship, culture, loyalty and sports represented by the six bolts of lightning in the design stand for the six-fold motto of our school. The Show of Shows was the talk of the month of March, 1936, sponsored by the physical education teachers for the fund for needy pupils. May, 1933, saw the first water ballet at Steinmetz. Named the School of Fish, it was quite a spectacular event. This month also found the R.O.T.C. boys shining their buttons for the first federal inspection of their unit. The opera club and boys and girls of the glee clubs gave a musical called Le1aWala on May 26, 1936. The director of the orchestra at Steinmetz then was Mr. H. Ray Staater. May, 1936, also brought the Steinmetz Clean-Up Campaign an honorable mention in the city-wide contests. Sigma Quad sponsored the Foolish Follies of l937 in December, 1937. It was a hilarious event and the scripts were the work of a student, Everett Glave. Mr. 1-lenze was the club sponsor at that time. The Quad also distributed Christmas baskets for the needy with the aid of the Dardanelles. The P.T.A. gave a Christmas play, using student talent. Guests attending were asked to bring canned food for the Steinmetz needy. The big first of social events was the first Senior Prom, held at the Belden-Stratford Hotel on Iune 5, 1936. As the club activities, classes and musical depart- ments moved along to greater achievement, so did the athletics progress at Steinmetz. A few cheer- leaders appeared to spur the players on at early games. As time Went on, greater athletic prowess was developed and the cheerleading squad grew in number as the fans turned out in greater volume and cheered with increased enthusiasm and school spirit. Steinrnetz was prominent in football in 1936. We tied with Roosevelt and Schurz for the North Section title. We played Schurz at Spencer Coals for a Homecoming and Dad's Day in November, 1936. Tony Canadeo was the captain. He and Bob Hep- burn, Alfred Schwass and Richard Rossi, team mem- bers, Were selected for all-city teams. We were tied but lost the toss to Schurz that year. The team Was rewarded by the students when the Sigma Quad gave a football dinner in their honor. Our basketball team reached the semi-finals in mon ntmfinff nnninst Calumet in that game. 1002 -n1nr11 l1'1r'f f'1f'1!T'lT1S1' il 'I ODD, ,,1n.lcfJ1':11'1r'T f'ffT!'T'11'1S11' QM:-fl? .LEARN

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., Before the stock market crash of 1929, plans were made for the building of a high school to relieve the congestion at Austin, Schurz, Foreman and Kelvyn Park High Schools. The foundations were laid in 1930 and the steel erected, but the Work progressed slowly and only when federal aid provided funds could the building be completed, in 1934. The build- ing cost three and a-half million dollars and has been lauded as one of the best public high school buildings in the country. Classes began in September, 1934, with 2207 pu- pils. When the junior high schools were closed in 1935, Steinmetz had to add a ninth grade and the enrollment went so high the Sayre Branch had to be opened. In 1939, enrollment went up to 4246 students including the Sayre Branch membership. It is now around 3400. The only person who can boast that he was with Steinmetz more than ten years is our engineer cus- todian, Mr. Edward H. Bade. He came in 1930 and watched the construction of the building with the most profound care. Our engineer recalls that ridges twelve feet high had to be removed from the center of Barry and Wellington Avenues to provide passage for materials. One of the traditions of Steinmetz is Mr. Bade's talk to each incoming class of 1 B's. The first class graduated on February l, 1935, with 57 members to its credit. The first musical, Chonita , was presented in April, 1935. May, 1935, saw the Steinmetz Civic League begun with its first big spring Clean-Up Drive. Members of the community were encouraged to aid in boosting and improving the neighborhood. That year also saw the beginning of the annual study trips to the nation's capital. The portrait of Charles Proteus Steinmetz was pre- sented to the school in 1938, by the General Electric Company. It is a beautiful oil painting executed by H. M. Mott Smith and presented by Mr. E. W. Allen, vice-president of the company. Among the prom- inent persons attending the ceremonies were Mayor Edward I. Kelly, Dr. William H. Iohnson, Superin- tendent of Schools, and Mr. George F. Cassell, Dis- trict Superintendent in charge of high schools. Mr. O'Hearn's portrait was unveiled on Friday, December 3, 1937. lt was painted by Oskar Gross and presented to the school by the graduating classes of 1938. The school felt elevated indeed when a chapter of the National Honor Society was installed on Iune 7, 1935. Mrs. Florence Young was the sponsor of this organization. Frank I. Reid, president of the first Iune class, planted the first ivy to climb the walls of Steinmetz. That ceremony is a respected tradition which has been solemnly kept through these ten years. Although well launched in music in all other respects, Steinmetz had no band until Capt. Dowse came to join the faculty, in 1937.

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frown? One of many community events was the Night of Stars , an evening to be remembered for its array of talent, its brilliant performances. The G.A.A., a very young organization, was found to have the aston- ishing membership of l,ll0. It was guessed at the time that it was the largest extra-curricular activity group listed in the city. The first president was Ioan Iovini and Miss Anne G. Rolence was the first sponsor. Our bare campus was the bone of contention among students for some time and in September, 1936, a three-cent tag day was held for the purpose of buying grass seed to be sown on the grounds. The true solution came much later, after some earn- est efforts directed by a committee of the P.T.A. had borne fruit. Tons and tons of good dirt had to be brought in to cover the hard clay, and then months of work were needed before this ground was prop- erly prepared for the landscaping. Eventually, it was completed and on November 10, 1939, we saw the dedication of our campus. It was the epitome of pride for those who fought for the landscaping of the ground and also for the Steinmetz students beholding their Steinmetz Beautiful . That same fall saw the interior of the building beautified. The walls were cleaned and painted, woodwork varnished, desks in classrooms refinished and a general decorating orgy resulted in a more beautiful school throughout. The delicate coloring in the small auditorium, the soft tones in the offices and even the more substantial colors used in the classrooms were attractive. The inconvenience caused by detours around the ladders and paints and scaffolding for weeks was well repaid by the outcome. The first Band Concert was held in March, 1937. An operetta, Hollywood Bound , was produced about then by Mrs. Elisabeth Sorensen and Mr. Wil- lard L. Groom of the music department. At the 13th competitive festival at Roosevelt High School in 1938, our girls' choruses rated an They repeated the following year. Bow Day had become a tradition at Steinmetz by this time. The bows are made and sold by sophmore girls and the proceeds have usually gone to supple- ment the Clean-Up treasury. One of the big events that took place about then was the Open House conducted in the evening. The entire school was open to visitors, and the people of the community were invited to come and see classes and shops in session and meet the fac- ulty. One of the persons many parents wanted to meet was lVlrs. Benson, our matron since the opening of Steinmetz, for she had befriended so many of the girls at school that their parents wanted to thank her personally. ' From a new school without even external trim- mings , Steinmetz had developed by now into one rich with traditions. This picture shows some of the souvenirs gathered by a typical graduate.