Wayne Valley High School - Embers Yearbook (Wayne, NJ)

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As our class grew in size, the need for two class advisers was realized. Mrs. Thomson was chosen as co-adviser to Miss Caporusso. From then on they worked together for us. The officers for the sophomore year were elected in September. We chose Jay Van Brunt as president; John Pezzuti, vice president; Pat Tancke, secretary; and Nancy Tomai, treasurer. During the sophomore year we came in contact with Mr. Krause and his biology course. There we received our first long, speedy lectures and directions that had to be followed specifically . But, oh, how the faces drooped when a lab which a student had thought was better than good was returned with the never-to-be forgotten words: Too sketchy ; Rough ; TMX ; or the most puzzling, What? . The famous Good Krausekeeping Seal of Approval was stamped on almost anything, including the back of an innocent guinea pig. Although many of us tried to reach the Top Ten and only a few succeeded, we all learned the practical knowledge of exact note-taking. Outside of class, selling refreshments at the football and basketball games was the main project of the sophomore year. Ice Cream! Potato Chips! The problems were many, but the monetary rewards were great. Everyone was relieved when basketball season came, for refreshments were sold in a much warmer climate. Occupied not only with our own problems but cognizant of world conditions, we at Wayne High School declared Workday for Freedom on December 27, 1956. After reading of the conditions which existed in Hungary as a result of the revolt, the student body felt that they should give a small part of their time to aid these people who had made such a great sacrifice for freedom. Offering to do anything from cleaning the attic to minding the baby, students went from door to door throughout the township. As a result of our drive and Al Smith's appearance on The Original Amateur Hour , schools throughout the country followed our plan. The $2,000 which we earned was donated to the Hungarian Relief Fund. Recognition of our work came in the form of an award from the Turrcll Fund. Holiday for Hearts provided a romantic diversion from classroom life. In a setting of silver cupids and a large heart with a silhouetted boy and girl before it, Therese DiNapoli and Edward Mozurkiewicz were chosen Queen and King of Hearts. We then turned to the business of electing officers for the following year. For nomination to an office, letters of application were mandatory. Those elected were Harry Palmer, president; Jay Van Brunt, vice president; Judy Wardell, secretary; and Nancy Tomai, treasurer. With these students as our leaders, our junior year was off to a favorable start. 27

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Accompanied by our band and the honking horns of tho early morning commuters, one humid, foggy morning late in September 1955, we marched from the Junior High to the recently built Senior High School. Since the school had been only partially completed, everything and everyone was in a state of confusion, especially the Class of 1959, as we were the freshmen. Ducking scaffolds and low hanging wires and living with the odor of fresh point were the first two lessons we learned that year. We ate our lunch in the incomplete gym, which was our unofficial cafeteria. All this commotion finally came to an end as the school neared the finishing stages. The first activities of our class were the choosing of an adviser and the election of class officers. As adviser, we chose Miss Coporusso, Miss Cap to us, who from then on helped us with every problem which confronted us as a class and individually. The office of president wos bestowed upon Jack Sarsen; vice president, John Pezzuti,- secretary, Judy Wardell; and treasurer, Judi Crowley. Academically, we had our first encounter with Willie Shakespeare when we struggled through As You Like It . Our second wos in the senior year when we read Macbeth , a ploy of a more serious nature. Routine was broken on a brisk autumn day when the student body was driven from the school by the accidental leakage of hydrogen sulfide from the chemistry lob. Although the music of the band took our minds off the cold, we anxiously awaited the time when we could re-enter the warm school. Then came the busy days of the Freshman candy sale when we went from door to door taking orders and later delivering the candy. For many weeks visions of sugar plums danced in our heads. We bid farewell to April at the freshman-sponsored April Showers dance. The music of the Velvet Knights accompanied the festivities as we danced under the pastel umbrellas hung from the ceiling. While the sky outside was star-speckled, a misty air prevailed within. Time passed quickly and before we realized it, graduation practice was upon us. It was a while before everyone knew the songs and marching procedure. The choral speaking group had a trick of their own; gyp-sheets were placed on each other's backs to help them remember their lines. With the date of graduation coming nearer, plans for the -Freshman Prom began to take shape. Miss Cap rushed about, seeing to it that decorations were completed and refreshments ordered. On that special night the crowning of the Queen, Judy Wardell, and the King, Peter Wilkinson, highlighted a wonderful evening. On June 27, together in confusion and heat, we took our last step as a Freshman body-graduation. Listen everyone! Don't lift your hands or moke a sound for any reason during graduation exercises. These words were hard to obey, but we managed to be still for one of the few times in our lives. As we marched from the stage, we suddenly realized that we had become a part of the Senior High School and were no longer just little freshmen . We had our diplomas in one hand and the challenge of the next three years in the other.

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Wayne beat Keyport 18-13 in the first football game of the year. After the game the Junior Class held the Kickoff Dance , a traditional sock hop . Decorated with footballs, pennants, goalposts and a large tepee, the gym was crowded with Wayne rooters. Once again we studied amidst the noise and rattle of construction while the addition to the school was being built. We watched with interest as the new wing progressed from a mere foundation to a building of functional beauty. Hands that had nevor been raised before were seen fluttering many timos on October 15 sporting a shiny blue and gold ring, the pride of every junior. As juniors we found our main problems to be Moby Dick, chemistry labs, and history projects. Would we graduate Cormenized ? Would those experiments blow up or succeed? Why did Ahob hate Moby Dick? These were the questions which plagued us. When, during this year, the seniors appeared with beanies, the juniors would not be undone. With the aid of Mr. Klie's art supplies, we hastily manufactured junior visors, which were gaily sported to the dismay of the seniors. Upon the marriage of our advisor. Miss Caporusso, to Mr. Angelo Caruso, we acquired a father for our class. After many lengthy rehearsals and sleepless nights spent learning lines, we presented Meet Romeo Morgan . The play told of the antics and activity of the teenage world. Will we ever forget the night the lamp smoked; the transformation of Mitzi Townes from the tomboy to the charming young lady; or Joe Gaeto singing, Sailing, sailing . . and sawing. Heavenly shades of night are falling—it's Twilight Time . . . These words will long serve to remind us of our Junior Prom and the pleasant memories we associate with it. As the year drew to a close, the students who were to represent Wayne High School at New Jersey Boys' and Girls' State and at the New Jersey Citizenship Institute were selected. While attending a week of conferences and activities, these students learned much about the state government and made many lasting friendships. 28