Valparaiso High School - Valenian Yearbook (Valparaiso, IN)

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Valparaiso ' s own temperance movement in 1871

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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.