Thornton Township High School - Thorntonite Yearbook (Harvey, IL)

Page 12 text:

I ' m the ghost of Thornton Present. I watch Thornton work and play. I see her build strong, intelligent citizens from giddy grade-school youngsters. I see her send boys and girls off to war armed with the best weapon of all, knowledge that is power. Let me tell you about the other things I see at Thornton today. I see lathes, cylinders, engines of all kinds being studied by, of all things, girls ! In their grimy overalls they are preparing themselves for war jobs. There are boys too. They are preparing themselves to release a man to fight or to be better fighters themselves. I see more students than ever before studying the ever-important mathematics, a necessary tool for better pilots and officers for victory. I see the homemakers of the future. They will be well-fortified with information on how to build a healthier populace. I see people preparing themselves for the business world. They are answering that desperate call for more typists, more stenographers, more and better trained business people ! I see and hear those talented students who bring cheer and comfort to a downhearted world, the musicians. Through their experience in the musical organizations, Thornton- ites learn to appreciate both vocal and social harmony. I also see and hear boys and girls learning to speak correctly, to write entertainingly, and to understand more thoroughly the English language. The students of today will be the leaders of tomorrow, inspiring the world through pen and tongue. Speaking of tongues, I see and hear them twisting in all directions in the mouths of the foreign language students. These linguists will help to bring about better inter- national peace through their understanding of the other fellow. I see bubbling acids, smoking Bunsen burners, dirty test tubes, all agents for teaching practical chemistry to the rising Curies and George Washington Carvers of Thornton. My science department builds a sound foundation for the knowledge and practice of better things through better living . I see strong and healthy bodies being formed in my physical education classes. This department offers practice in good sportsmanship, which is so essential in our lives. And I see boys and girls studying history. They are learning of modern man ' s ante- cedents, they are studying political history, they are learning the principals of democracy. They will make intelligent voters for the future. This is Thornton today, living for the present, preparing for the future.

Page 14 text:

I ' m the ghost of Thornton Future. I foresee in my crystal ball the future of Thornton Tov nship High School. I could say that students of the future will no longer have to climb stairs period after period, but will instead be able to hop on an escalator and be deposited on the next floor with no effort at all. Or I could say that tomorrow ' s pupils will sit in plastic chairs, write on glass desk tops, study in sound-proof rooms, read by natural light. I could go on to tell you that future educators will teach through advanced visual aids and that pupils of tomorrow will not have to drag home millions of books, but will simply gaze into their television screen and let the knowledge sink in. But neither I nor anyone else can promise these things to hopeful students. The only thing that I can promise is that Thornton students will always be working toward the highest goals in scholarship, in sportsmanship, and most of all in spirit. They will be leaders because such is a part of their training, bred in them through association with each other and with faculty members. From Thornton will come the leaders of tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. This I can promise you, for this is Thornton.