Wayland Central School - Hi Lites Yearbook (Wayland, NY)

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The KICK-OFF 1925 VALEDICTORY Friends, wo have assembled here tonight t commemorate an im- portant event, perhaps the greatest event of our lives. It is a night which we shall long remember. It marks the end of the first stage ot our lives, the completion of the foundation of our future usefulness. Gentlemen of the Board of Education: As I have the honor to represent the class of ’25, 1 wish to extend to you at this time their heartfelt appreciation for the kind and helpful interest you have taken in this class. I sincerely hope that we have not fallen below your ex- pectation of us. If we have, we regret it; if we have not, we are filled with joy. But whatever the case may be, we have tried to do our best. Members of the Faculty: Our work in High School is finished. To you we owe our success. W e sincerely thank you for the kindly as- sistance you have given us. Had it not been for your aid we would have stumbled and fallen by the wayside. Let me again extend to you our gratitude and it is with much sadness that we at this time bid you farewell. Fellow Students: After tonight we shall no longer be students »t Way land High School. We shall be going out to our different lite tasks. We leave our dear Alma Mater to you. Always strive to keep her records high. Never do anything that may stain your honor, the honor of your school, or the honor of your country. And now we will say good-bye. Classmates: We have long been looking forward to this memor- able night. We have hoped for it yet we have dreaded its approach. The four years we have spent together may, perhaps, be the happiest years of our life. From this time on our lives will lie in wide spreading paths. We are standing at the threshold of our real life. We are turn- ing hopefully forward, yet looking wistfully backward. AYe hesitate; it almost seems as if we could not go on. Aret we must. ('lassmates, we shall always remember our days in AYayland High. They will be pleas- ant memories. And now is the time for parting. I bid you farewell. M. E. V. D.

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The KICK-OFF 1925 cle stated that the modern girl is .just different, that she cannot he quite normal because the ever-watching world won’t let her. Although she may not spend her days bending over a hot cook stove or darning socks by a flickering oil lamp at night, she is better fitted for marriage than were the girls of the past. She knows more about the science of keeping house. She knows more things about hygiene and the care of children than her mothei ever knew. And why? Merely because she is being taught home keeping, not in college, but in our own high schools, by the course in Domestic Science. Let me outline briefly the course in home making as we now have it in our high schools. Home Economics I, which is elementary cook- ing, teaches girls to prepare meals, new dishes and shows the value of economy in every sense of the word. Home Economics 11, which is ele- mentary sewing, teaches them to make the various kinds of stitches and teaches them to make simple garments. Home Economics III, advanc- ed cooking, is a cafeteria course enabling one to plan and serve skillful- ly cafeteria lunches and banquets. Home Economics IV, advanced sew- ing, includes the making of silk garments, hats, and useful articles. Every girl should take advantage of these wonderful courses some time during her high school career. Why, then, is not the American home of the future safe in the hands of the girl of today who has had this train- ing which neither her mother nor grandmother ever had ? Xo matter what we lose we cannot afford to lose the home. Home, the place of our tendefest recollections, the place where the dear- est ties are formed; the shelter from the stress and attacks of every day life; the place where we take our joys and sorrows, knowing that we shall find unfailing sympathy. “A nation is no stronger than it’s homes.” Therefore why can not all of us realize our duty in our home, bettering and preserving it in every possible manner ? We shall tins be preserving not only our homes but our nation. We cannot afford to have home making listed under the “lost arts” of America. Marjorie Barber. Life is real, life is earnest, We must strive to do our best, And departing leave behind us Note books that will help the rest Boll—“What, going fishing with mouse for bait?” Doc—“ Yes, I’m going after catfish.”

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The KICK-OFF 1925 THE TENDENCY OF MODERN EDUCATION While it should Ik the aim of everyone to aid the child in secur- ing his education the general tendency of modern times is to make school work too easy for the pupils, and there is a danger that the teach- er may carry her assistance too far. The child should be encouraged in his likes and dislikes but he should never he pampered. He should be given work to do and should not be allowed to idle away his time and opportunities. A good rule is, “Give the child a daily task to perform in keeping with his age and physical condition. A little responsibility is good even for a child.” For was it not the very hardships endured and the burdens borne by the American pioneers that brought them their strength of character and made them great ! One of the popular slogans is, “Children should study nothing in which they are not inter- ested.” I believe, however, that it is one of the most important duties of a teacher to interest a child in subjects he dislikes in order to give him a well proportioned education. Does the phrase well-educated mean to be proficient in one line of knowledge only? Does it not mean rather to have a general knowledge of all branches? This is the era of specialized work. But, after all, is not the best specialist the one who has a general and complete back- ground of knowledge? To illustrate, the best specialists in the medical profession are the ones who have had the experience of general practice. It is said that Americans have higher ideals than other nationalities but that no people fall so far short in the attainment of their ideals as Americans. If this is true perhaps it is because the goal is unattain- able or perhaps it is because of the tendency of modern education to make work too easy for the young people. Let us consider for a moment the educational system of New York state. It differs from that in other states in its control by a Board of Regents. Some claim that the examinations put forth by this board are not fair. But these tests are standards and since these standards arc uniform, is not their value evident? Teachers should be honest in their marks. hitside of our large cities the tendency is to mark pupils high- er than they deserve. In one school it was found that pupils were giv- en marks of 100% plus for work which no teacher could conscientiously rate higher than sixty-five per cent.. Some critics claim that because of the severity of Regents, high marks can not be obtained. This is true of the student who cries, “No more home work!” Tt is not true of the student who devotes his time to thoughtful study. It is said that “Modern education’s three R’s are Rah! Rah! Rah!” Athletics and school societies form as important a part of a