Waltham High School - Mirror Yearbook (Waltham, MA)

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I6 THE MIRROR History of the Class of 1931 O good fortune prevented us from becoming sophomores three years ago. No kind spirit protected us from this in- l rious fate, this callow state. We were just what the Word implies, sophomores, sophos-moros, half wise, half foolish, just common clay ! Because of this condition, because we were not vastly different from former sophomores, we were ignored by upper-classmen, and we commanded no respect or admira- tion from our teachers, a sad beginning for our confident ex- pectancy. These first pangs of disappointment were somewhat abated when the great barrier between us and the junior and senior classes was broken by the common vision we all entertained of a new, modern high school. Perhaps the juniors would grad- uate from the n-ew building, we surely would. A second com- mon property was our sensational football team and our equally sensational band. We had a very successful season, and both the team and the band won fame. - One distinction we enjoyed 5 we were the first sophomore class for whom a course in music was compulsory. Reh-earsals for the sophomore choruses in the operetta Ivan, the Terrible began early. We screeched wild Russian songs, wore Russian costumes, and pretended to do Russian dances.. Mr. Schoon- maker, who had written the operetta, took the part of the mad Ivan. He displayed not a small amount of talent, and it is to him that w-e owe the success of the production. We made fur- ther musical efforts at Christmas time, when we sang carols in our beautiful, childish, sophomore fashion. ' After the Christmas vacation, what remained of the win- ter passed quickly. :We elected our class oilicers: Adam Danos- ky, president, Beulah VVeymouth, vice-president, 'Virginia Boucher, secretary and treasurerg Morrison 'S-hirley, auditor. Spring came, bringing its usual fevers and its annual crop of moustaches. We had an assortment among the seniors and the faculty ranging from the charming Ronald Coleman model to the Sedate Mr. Smith fthe brother on the left-hand side of the boxl. Another sign of spring was the number of crushes which seniors had- on sophomores. They had yielded at last

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THE MIRROR 15 As our co-executors, We appoint the one- who sold the French the snow shovels with which to build the Panama Canal, and the one who controls the price- of Mexican jumping beans in Patagonia, who shall carry out the provisions of this will when a new high school shall bless our fair city. In testimony whereof, we set our hand, ordaining and de- claring this to be our last Will and testament, this fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and thirty-one, and of the independence of the United States of America the one hundred and fifty ninth. Wendell Maher, 1931. Q ' - ff? f t. V .K 4' ' GQ f n ' gf

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THE MIRROR 17 and were even carrying s-ophs in their typical collegiate Fords. These and other trials we survived, and at the end of the year we haddlived through the great ordealg our class was still in existence. Our junior year was a glorious adventure, for the .struggles of our career as sophomores were past, and College Boards were suiiiciently distant to remain unheeded. The question of our new school was allowed to remain in the legendary state into which it had subsided, but, since pre-sent relief was urgent, the gods themselves intervened, as it seemed, and effected a splen- did arrange-ment whereby most of the sophomores had to come to school in the afternoon, the rest and more fortunate part of the students coming in the morning. With only an unappre- ciative quantity of sophomoric clay', to mar the alabaster field of our accomplishment, our delicate sensibilities were gratified, and our disposition-s became remarkably untroubled, entirely content. In such a state of mind we elected these officersg Adam Danosky, president, Mildred Fox, vice-president, Bertha Storer, secretary and treasurerg Beulah Weymouth, auditor. Then, with the traditionally carefree spirit of the junior, we cheered our illustrious football team through a brilliant season, and we lustily roared the Waltham High Sch-ool's historical Battle Cry, trying, as it were, to beat our now famous band. Although no band proclaimed its achievements, our Mirror was recognized last year, in respect both to physical and liter- ary makeup, as the best volume of our magazine ever published. We were proud of it, and we endeavored to continue its success as an important part of our school. When Miss Seabury became ill early in December and had to leave her classes for several months, the French department suffered a great loss, and we all experienced a deep sorrow. For the rest of the year Miss Josephine Hart substituted for Miss Seabury. December passed, and January, and once again it was February. We had a Valentine Dance for our class social, and we put one -over on Father Time by convincing him that he had arrived only at the tenth hour, although, in- deed, he was seven paces ahead of this time when we went home. In addition to valentines and socials, February brought its usual fevers. Pushed on by these things,'the young manis