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Page 10 text:
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HARD 71 WES YIELD ATWO FOLD EDUCATION “Good times” reigned throughout the 1920’s. Ex- tra curricular activ- ities such as dances, pic- nics, and weenie roasts were common place. The ’20 ' s also brought changes closer to Valpo’s school system. On September 1, 1927, the Park and Camp- bell streets building open- ed its doors to students. The $250,000 structure included a $112,000 gym- nasium in honor of Chaun- cey W. Boucher, superin- tendent from 1915-1928. The class of ' 28 took advantage of the spacious stage, ample seating ca- pacity, and extra floor space to produce a Senior Circus. Acts included Weary Winge, the Yukon Blizzard, Hunkey Hunet, the Amazonial Banana, and the Follies Girls of 1928. The additional space also provided for a rise of new clubs. Girls formed their first basketball team which later became GAA. Hi-Y, originated in ' 26, based its organization on “clean liv- ing, clean speech, clean thoughts, and clean ath- letics.” The “do-gooders” of the school, Y-Teens, supposedly performed worthwhile services but ac- tually socialized more in its early years. Little money and scar- city of jobs characterized the 1930’s. With the De- pression in full swing, VHS students were faced with hard times. Harriet Rex Smith, ’39 graduate, com- mented on student activ- ities at this time, “Money wasn’t that available. In- stead, we did alot of walk- ing along Lake Michigan. That was the aftermath of every date. Money didn’t make much difference. There wasn’t anywhere to spend it.” Students still tried to keep active. The ' 36 gym classes produced their an- nual May Festival. The theme, Retrogression in Rhythm,” had acts such as a Southern Plantation Scene,” Gay Nineties” and a tap dancing group. GAA was available for girls interested in some type of sport. The club met after school and partici- pated in acrobatics, arch- ery, basketball, and tumb- ling. Eligible boys flocked to the sports department for positions on the ' 39 football team. For the first time in VHS history, the team was undefeated. Mr. Robert Rhoda scored 129 points which is still an unbroken record today. By the end of the ' 30’s, normalcy was returning to the U.S. and VHS as well. The “economic standing” was no longer a much talked about issue. But the nation’s recovery came to a standstill when the U.S. entered WWII. Valparaiso and VHS were highly affected by the war. Calf-length skirts common to VHS halls were shortened to conserve on material. Students rallied for the nation and helped in the war effort at VHS. Girls were in charge of selling war stamps and bonds every Tuesday at noon, while scrap metal drives occupied much time on weekends. The school also co-operated with the gov- ernment by practicing air raid drills throughout ’43. The end of the war in ’45 brought celebrations and parties throughout Valparaiso, but the ending also signified an expan- sion year at VHS. By ’49, VHS was fortu- nate enough to obtain a new gray Ford sedan for the first driver’s education class. Mr. Wiggins, in- structor, was in charge of the class which began January 2. The building and stu- dent body matured during difficult periods. Their hard work and enthusiasm through the hard times was rewarded in the 1950’s. Above: A Ford sedan became the first drivers education car in 1949. Left: Students line halls for practice air raids of WWII. Right: GAA members of 1933
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Page 9 text:
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By 1903, students had grown into a new Central Building. High school stu- dents occupied the entire second floor while grades 1-8 remained down- stairs. A new feature of the building was a 250-seat assembly room. Here, stu- dents presented orations on timely subjects before the entire school. “Per- sonally, I hated them. I used to sweat bullets when I had to get up in front of the whole school, especial- ly when I was only a fresh- man or sophomore. But, you know, some of the top- ics were just excellent. They dealt with areas that are being talked about yet, today; capital punishment and prejudice against Ne- groes, for instance. ' 17 graduate Teachers channeled stu- dents’ ways of thinking to- ward academics. “We went to school to study-period. There were no sponsored social activities for us to attend. Besides, we had to get the most out of our ed- ucation w h i I e we could, because t o m o r r o w we might be working in a fac- tory or on our parents’ farm . ' 08 graduate The only academic class which offered a break in the day was orchestra. Since originating in 1907, its enrollment had increas- ed from six to 19 mem- bers by 1910. B e si d e s playing at all the VHS functions, it performed at church suppers and so- cials. Athletics provided a school related activity. By 1906, the Valparaiso High School Athletic Associa- tion was in the making. They were responsible for the creation of the first basketball team in ’05-’06. With a team composed en- tirely of juniors, victories mounted over fellow se- n i o r s , Plymouth, Ham- mond, and Valparaiso Uni- versity. They closed the season with a successful 8-3 record creating much optimism for the next year. Unlike basketball, foot- ball met with difficulties as the 1908 Valenian il- lustrates: Football has never had a place in our high school. Athletics being judged . . . as a brutal game indulged in only by those who wish to die, but are afraid to commit suicide. For the first few nights, football aspirants turned out plentifully, but as the novelty of it began to wear off and parental objection became s t r o n g e r , the squad dwindled down to 12 men. By the end of the season, the team was glad to get anyone who could stand up in a football suit . A few clubs did shift students’ minds out of the classroom. The Bridgets and the White Apron Brigade, cre- ated in the early teens, in- structed girls in cooking. However, Rag Doll Order and the Old Maid Society were non-sensical clubs that lasted the high school span of their originators. Their purpose was un- known. In the mid and later teens, students focused their attention on more acute matters at hand. “Well of course we didn’t realize it then, but WW1 was starting in 1914. We weren’t aware of it here, but two or three years later most of us were in it. ' 14 graduate While the boys went off to war, the girls stayed home to aid the war effort for as long as the war du rated. As WW1 finally drew to a close, students and fac- ulty members alike began to shed thought of war and devastation. The era of the Golden 20’s was at hand. Social activities surged for the first time in years.
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