Vergennes Union High School - Blue and White Yearbook (Vergennes, VT)

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BLUE AND WHITE EDITORIALS “SPRING IS HERE!” Spring is here! Every minute of the day we are conscious of the fact. This (time of year holds much for each of us—a special promise, a rise of spirit. Cases of the so called spring fever are prevalent, classes lag, stridying ceases. With a million and one other things in the foreground, and with the real purposes of “school going” far in the background, we go gaily on our way. But—let us pause to think of things to come. Weeks are simply packed with activity from now until June. Do not miss a thing— yet, do not do all and let the thoughts of work fade away. Finals are inevitable. Let your case of spring fever be one to boost you on to both work and play. S. M. S. WHAT IS V. H. S: ATHLETIC FUTURE? Why hasn’t V. H. S. good athletic teams? What will they be like in the future? Will we continue to rank second or will we emerge with a first division team? These and many more questions are on the lips of a lot of students who are looking ahead to 1941-2-3-5-8-50. Many are wondering just what the future V. H. S. teams will amount to. And I, too, am wondering. Certainly the students and others outside the school want V. H. S. to come up with a winning team. But getting down to facts we will attempt to answer the foregoing questions. First: Why hasn’t V. H. S. good athletic teams? Well, for several reasons, the main one being lack of good material. By that I mean, lack of experienced material. The teams are made up mostly of inexperienced men who never played 'till they reached the first year of high school and who through lack of previous years training are green; therefore, not producing winning teams. I’m not blaming the players themselves but the system we have at present to train the players. A pupil comes up from the sixth grade and starts playing in the seasonal sport. With no real effort to learn the right way to play he dabbles around fitting himself to whatever seems easy to him. This could be remedied with a little extra time and very little financial expense. The plan is simple and compiled very accur- PAGE FIVE

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VERGENNES HIGH SCHOOL View and Review —Your Editors in this issue . . . Here we are with another “Blue and White,” our Spring and Easter issue, which is bigger and better than ever—we hope! Because everyone cooperated so well and handed in good contributions, the Literary Department is a healthy one. You’d better take a look. A big bouquet should go to our Art Editor, Carl Shaw, whose new lot of cuts are exceptionally smooth. We hope you like the photos of the basketball teams, too,—we do! In fact the whole paper is made up in an effort to please you—anyhow—Happy Easter ! success or failure? . . . With the coming of spring comes, also, another sport. Yes, your guess was correct. Baseball. What does this coming baseball season hold in store for V. H. S.? That, no one can foretell. But—let us stop right here and make a firm resolution that, success or failure, we will back our team with every ounce of spirit and encouragement we possess. Too, don’t break the resolution! Great things have been done by the weakest of teams when a little support was offered— on with the play . . . This year, for the first time, V. H. S. is to enter in the One Act Play Contest. What with a good play, a good cast, and a good coach no one can tell what heights of achievement will be reached. Of course, it must be rfemembered that our representatives will meet in competition, schools which have much greater dramatic advantages than ours. Their best acting is all they can offer—may they win at Middlebury! applause . . . Here we wish to offer a bit of praise where we believe it is due. Fist off—and “hats off” to the Girls’ Varsity for a swell record this past season. Girls, you’ve put V. H. S. back on the map and in the running. Thanks . . Congratulations to the “Spotlight” staff, too. You’re doing a good job although we understand how tough the going can be! Keep up the good work! . . . Lastly, to the Boys’ Varsity Squad—some would say sympathy; we say, “our praise.” You did your best and when that proved not to be enough, you took the breaks on the chin. You’ll be rewarded—. PAGE FOUR

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VERGENNES HIGH SCHOOL ately by Whitey Killick of the Free Press in a recent article in the aforesaid paper. Mr. Killick said, “ . . . large schools, in some instances, not only have junior varsities and class teams in junior and high schools as feeders, but also reach down into the grammar grades, where leagues are established and each team coached by experienced players. Naturally the opportunity to play is what makes basketball players (we might add baseball and football, too) and many of these youngsters are ready for fairly stiff competition by the sophomore year in high school as a result of this extended opportuinty.” Now this plan would be possible here at V. H. S. and could be worked out to our best advantage. During basketball season if the grades from four and five to eight had separate gym periods two or three times a week (under the guidance of varsity men or a physical instructor) it not only will develop them into athletes, but will develop their minds as well. It would teach them the fundamentals of the game both from a competitive and sportsmanship side. Look out on the playgrounds anytime and see the boys and girls playing. They are wild and disorganized ; which, if under direction, would turn the tide and produce (in the future) your winning teams and return the prestige V. H. S. has lost in recent years. It not only would benefit the players themselves but start up school spirit and a competitive feeling among the other pupils. I feel that the whole reason may not lie in the previous discussion but I also feel it is the main cause for our failure. Taking the second question into consideration I believe that it has been answered in part in our preceding paragraph. There are a lot of other difficulties to be overcome, though, and mainly they are the financial situation. Basketball just about supports itself now and cross country never did. Baseball is a dent in the red and football would be, too. But go back several years and you’ll see that games, in baseball especially, were attended in mobs. The field would be surrounded and the sport would be paying its way. People didn’t go down to cheer the 'local boys on, but went because they knew good baseball and knew where to find it. Talk to some of the old timers and ask them about the past teams and you’ll get surprising replies. Vergennes used to turn out teams that were unbeatable in Vermont and several out of state teams could not accomplish it. Look at the present teams. Do they have goon ones? Fair. Are the games well attended? No. Why ? Because the people and students feels that here is just another defeat, so why should I go and see my team bow down. It stands to reason that the system would not prove effective this year (if started) nor probably next year. But from this year on you’ll see a marked improvement. So in closing let me say, “Don’t be lost in the present failure, but work and hope towards bigger and better games and teams in the future ; this can be attained only through the efforts of you, me, you and YOU. Why not try?” M. F. I. . PAGE SIX