Ventura Junior High School - Log Yearbook (Ventura, CA)

Page 49 text:

t at lllllll llllllllliilil Portraying scenes from famous Roman myths, the first and second year Latin students ioined together to entertain their mothers and other guests with several plays at their annual party and program Tuesday, March Zl, in the school auditorium and girls' gym. Warren Mann opened the program with a speech of thanks to the many people who helped to make the party a success, Carrying out the classical theme Newell Zaph played two well-known piano selections, Moonlight Sonata and Raindrop Prelude. The first play was an enactment of a court trial testing the Latin language. The last two plays, which were in Latin, dealt with heroic, mythical characters, the plots of which were told before they were presented. Following a musical program, refreshments were served in the girls' gym. Those taking part in the program were Helen Pendleton, harpist, Janice Adams, pianist, Nina Johnson, songstress, Bettyiean Wilcox, accordianist, Mickey and Richard Hembree, guitarists, Melvin Kirkman, saxaphone player, and Walter lsensee, singer. -siemens: El3llllSll Hllllllll Cie llllilllllllllf' December I3 was not bad luck as predicted but remains vividly stamped in the minds of the second-year Spanish classes, for that was the date of the annual Spanish Christmas party at which they enjoyed gay, quaint customs and observances. The highlight of the affair was the gaily bedecked pinata. The pinata, an old Spanish Christmas custom, is a huge crock filled to the top with delightful gifts, nuts, fruit, and candy. lt is hung from the ceiling, and the participants are blindfolded, then given a strong stick, and turned around three times. They are then told to hit the pinata and break it, but it finally had to crash to the floor to break. Alice Valera and Evangeline Guzman were in charge of decorating the pin- ata, Helen Alexakis and Norma Dahlgren, with the aid of their refreshment committee, served punch, ice cream, and delicious cakes, and Cecil Thacker headed the brigade making up the clean-up committee. Nllllllullllillllillllllll Successfully handled by three charming hostesses, Lois Todd, Phyllis West and Betty Cook, the ninth grade girls' party given by the Girls' L ague So ial Service committee was held in the lounge of the girls' gym, February Zl For entertainment, two dancing contests were held, a waltz and a iitterbug Betty Curtis and Nina Johnson won the waltz, and two couples, Phyllis West and Lois Todd, Colleen Watson and Marie Miles, won the jitterbug Refreshments were served by Jean Ann Weir, Helen Pendleton and Jean Hinsdale, members of the Social Service committee, who sponsored the affair The glasses of punch, accompanying small tea cookies, were attractively arranged to form a large V. J. H. l 45 l

Page 48 text:

de 3 Ellllllf lEllllE Pioneering in junior high, Shore Leave made its sensational debut on Friday, March Bl, l939, and was received with intense enthusiasm. The whole school, including teachers, dressed up in some type of costume and wore them throughout the day, ln the afternoon, after shortened classes, the main events took place in the stadium. First on the program was a Rugby game between the ninth and tenth grade boys, in which the latter won. A mixed boys' and girls' track meet and pie-eating contest followed the game. Winning the pie-eating contest was Mary King. The events of the track meet were a girls' 50 yard dash, sack race, eight-man shuttle relay, and eight-man 440 yard relay. A Grand March followed for the purpose of selecting the outstanding costumes. Ernie Rolls and Edith Hawkins received a wallet and a gold compact, respect' ively, as prizes for their originality. Edith was dressed as Huckleberry Finn and was near perfection in the role, Ernie, in an outfit that suits his personality, was dressed as an umbrella clown. The only two entries for the beard contest were Bill Reed for the fanciest and Bob Smith for the heaviest. The two received tubes of shaving cream. tiiiuii liiiili Color week was held during the week preceding our first football game and was truly the most loyally colorful week of the school year! Everyone wore our school's colors-royal blue and glittering gold-or else! Officers were posted in the halls to take the names of people who violated the law, who if caught off guard, were placed in the custody of Judge Gilfinkus of the Kangaroo Kourt and then were scheduled to appear before the court sometime during the football season to receive their penalties. The Kourt was held in the stadium on September 20 following a football game and Judge Gilfinkus, alias Gale Graham, presided. After taking vows and ceremoniously kissing the red arithmetic book, each of the offenders was taken to the Judge and asked a leading question. lf he replied truthfully a white light shone, but if he answered th question falsely, a red light flashed accom panied by the embarrassing whirr of a lie-detecting bell. B if lit Rf if H Sillllll Ill-lllEfS Swinging to the steps of the Suzie Q and the Lambeth Walk ninth and tenth graders have crowded the girls' gym during the past year enjoying the excellent music of the iunior-high dance band and the splendid floor at the gym All of these dances except the first, at which the A. S B Commissioners were hosts and hostesses, were sponsored by three or four homerooms under the super vision of Miss Bidwell and Grace Moore. These matinee dances were held at month and a half periods and were invitational to a few eighth graders. The only school dance that accepted seventh graders was the Shore-Leave dance, which was the climax of that eventful day At each dance, student talent furnished an interesting intermission ln addr tion to the regular dances, special dances such as the lemon dance German dance, and the whistle dance were added to the programs T441

Page 50 text:

t D presented by VlHlilY SHUW The most important and probably longest remembered event in connection with V. J. H. S, talent is our annual Mariners' Variety Show. This year, l939, gave to the student body and community a top-notch show with all performers turning in splendid performances. Grumps, a crotchety, bitter old man was excellently portrayed by Gale Graham. Another stellar performer was little Toddy, played by Russell Hodgson, who encouraged the troup of performers that were stranded by a halted train to strut their stuff. Patient, understanding Grandma was ably done by Genoa O'Neal. The time was early dusk and the place was Grump's garden. ..lnto the calm, peaceful night came the chatter of worried actors and actresses who had wandered into the vicinity of the garden, The performers, who, finally, with the aid of Toddy and Grandma, went through their acts, included such stars and novelties as Bettyjean Wilcox and Chuck Kane in an accordian duet, beautiful, soft, harp music, played by Helen Pendle- ton, a novel comedy act done by Helen Wagner and Rose Peddicord, dis- guised as the old gray mare, some popular melodies by our songbird, Anne Broadbent, a song and saxaphone solo by our maestroes of melody, Melvin Kirkman and Walter lsensee, a novel and different Book of Nursery Rhymes, the Girls' Glee club, ably assisted by prominent seventh, eighth, and ninth graders, a sweet and hot popular ditty gayly sung by Margie Pren tice, the melodious Boys' Glee club in an amusing minstrel act, those two little iitterbugs, June Arnold and Irene Smith, who sang and rated three encores and a hilarious skit promoted by La Verne Weisel, Wilbur Jensen and other H i -Y boys. Other numbers on the program included several tap dances by Bgty Ragland Patty Fix, Betty Higgins, and Georgianna Hedges, a current song by swing ster de luxe Colleen Watson, a charming combination soft shoe and tap dance by Mary Martha Morgan, a beautiful aria, ltalian Street Song by Nina Johnson. Pat Atwood proved her musical accomplishments by a difficult piano solo. Returning from her success of last year, Barbara Greenwood executed a complicated acrobatic dance, those musically inclined guitarists, Mickey Hem bree, Richard Hembree, Donald Wilson, and Elwood Case enraptured the list eners with melodies from Hawaii, and the ever-popular dance band set hands to clapping and feet to twitching with many popular swing numbers I 3 8 if 8 3 ilEHlH EHHUE PAHlY The popular Easter bunny made an unexpected visit to the annual eighth grade girls' party Thursday, March 30, in the lounge of the girls' gym. Begin- ning at 3.30, the girls had an hour of fun, playing games and dancing. The gym was decorated in typical Easter fashion with charming, green and yellow appointments, and refreshments of cookies and punch were served. An original holiday program was prepared under the direction of Shannon Jones, who was appointed by Helen Pendleton. Those taking part were Betty Swift, Neiva Butler, Louise Sandoz, Donna Arrants, Nadine Doran, Jean Miller, Elsie Tatum, Ruth Tuttle, and Salonge Barr, i451