Westerville High School - Searchlight Yearbook (Westerville, OH)

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Page Twenty The last year of our grade school career was quite a year. At Longfellow we ice skated during recess-always trying to get wet enough to sit on the register instead of going to class. Some learned to satisfy their ravenous appetites by eating raw Kool-Aid under the desk tops. Once it seemed that about twelve girls had a great surplus of courage and energy which was released by their yelling Hallelujah at the doors of each room. They were later forced to apologize but didn't mind since it meant leaving class to do so. At Vine Street cupid really got a good shot at Jim Norris and Nancy Tingley, but it only led to a lecture given the whole class by Mr. Griffith on Puppy Love. Our happy grade school days were almost o'er, but in the past years we had already made our start in dramatics. Dave Demorest made such a cute Rumplestiltskin. We even had our own newspaper, The Grape Vine News, edited by Craig Gifford. The next year we left our familiar abodes in the grade school building and entered the strange and enormous high school as little seventh graders. After pioneering our way through the long and never-ending halls, finally the day arrived when we were able to reach the right class on time. Way down in Room 3, Betty Willcs entertained us by jumping at least two feet every time Miss Thomas slammed the door. ln English class under Mrs. Swerline, Carol Schwarzlcopf made her debut in story-telling as she related the tragic story of Mortimer's Burp. Jane Scatterday had many after-school engagements with Mr. O'Connell. t-le did his best to try to stop her continuous gabbingp consequently it isn't his fauit that it didn't worlc. Stella McElwee, Allen Gray, Marvin Brady, John Stout, Lewis Howard, James Roloson, Monte Addison, Paul Cherry, and Phil Graf joined us in the eighth grade. We spent many happy hours at the Teen Canteen munching h-ot dogs and playing checkers-always in hope that we would get to dance. At last we could call ourselves freshmen and did not have to attach graders to our title of ranlc. The large group from Minerva Park added quantity and quality to our class. Our first year Latin class presented a slcit. Mercury Mason carried bolts of lightning and tore around the room on winged shoes while Bob Bancroft was dragging Darelle Schattner by her long blonde hair ad inferium. Our class social life began this tall with a hayride. Larry Green had planned the evening but just couldn't seem to enioy himself so much as the rest of us because he was worried about the dreadful possibility that the ten gallons of cider might be hard. Our freshman year ended with a class picnic at the park. We played Red Rover until exhaustion forced us to the less strenuous activity of poking ice down unsuspect- ing victims' baclcs. The following tall we climbed the steps to sophomore hall' and opened the door to many new senior high activities. The girls eagerly snatched up bays for our first formal dance, the Holly Prom. All were quite proud to see the boys of the class talc- ing part in senior high sports-although they spent most of their time warming the benches. The Scarlet Shawl, an operetta, gave us the opportunity of exhibiting our melodious voices. We frustrated adolescents -as Mr. Ralston named us-were now juniors. The class missed Ted Zimmerman, a good friend who had left during the summer. Lucille Burk set the record in typing class, as she had the amazing speed and accuracy to

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THE HISTORY OF THE CLASS OF 51 Long. long ago, way back in the f93O's-the fall of '39 to be exact- many mamas were leading their little darlings to the tirst-grade rooms at Vine Street and Longfellow. Those eager. excited-and maybe just a little bit frightened-cherubs were to become the Class of '5l. The tirst day went tine until our mothers left. Then several of us began to get teartully lonesome. Bob Bancroft drowned his sorrows by proposing to Patty Noble and Pat accepted. Before long we began our studies. At Vine Street Les Foor was receiving high praises from his fellow classmates as the best reader because he read by tar the loudest. Our musical talents found expression in the toy band under the direction of Miss Mills. Marilyn f-fartsook, Bob Shultz, and Larry Green made fine student directors in their red capes and waving batons. During the second grade. the boys' interest turned to sports while the girls en- gaged in gymnastics by whirling round and round the bars. Martha Watkins and Carol Tracy left Vine Street to gain their knowledge at Longfellow, but the arrival of Don McPherson made up for the loss-although he was quite provoked with the teacher for the first week because he failed a spelling test. Harold Baker was envied bv the boys and admired by the girls for his square dancing ability. Bob Billman had claimed Nancy Edwards as his one and only. This true love was destined to last two years. The highlight of the year at Vine Street was the churning of butter which all of us ate on delicious gingerbread made by Pat Jo.hnson's mother. How- ever, the year had its sad events, t-oo, for most at us were paddled in the cloakroom for forgetting to keep our heads down in rest period. Third grade brought us little Donna Ruckmanf' whom Craig Gitford carefully looked after all year. At Longfellow a post otfice had been established. Everyone was madly writing letters, while the mailmen were scurrying around the room in order to keep up with business. Before we realized it, we were fourth graders and changing classes iust like high school! This year many of us were privileged to take tonette lessons from Mr. Jordan. By the end of the course everyone but Bob Hall had mastered the scales: he iust couldn't keep those keys covered. Carolyn Rhoten arrived at Vine Street and fascinat- ed us all with her long, l-ang pigtails. With the fifth grade came the Ohio Story which made quite an imprint on our minds, for every day we marched down to the auditorium to listen to the radio. Once during the winter a tragedy occurred. Lois Noble got her tongue frozen on the steel bar on the fence of the playground. When she pulled away, part of her tongue remained. , Surely one of us have forgotten the geography lspefled George Elliot's Old Grandmother Rode A Pig Home Yesterdayl that we learned this year. John Zerky made a marvelous blast furnace whom Miss Moses stoked with workbooks represents ing coke and limestone. Norma Schott portrayed a fruit tree while Miss Moses was the warm lake breeze. Dickie Bishop, and Howard Nafzger spent the year drawing airplanes. Page Nineteen

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type twenty words in the hole ! ln Chemistry lab Tom Behnke and Delbert Cruit performed many hazardous experiments according to their own procedure while others nervously followed the directions explicitly that their lab partners were reading. Martha Watkins and Cora Van Winkle were elected iunior attendants for home- coming. The cast of our junior class play, Popularity Plus, not only learned their lines but also were taught the skillful art of knitting under the careful direction of Della Howard. One Saturday night in December iunior class members could be seen dashing madly through the streets of Westerville. This was the night of our class party and scav- anger hunt. After the winning team had received their prizes, we presented clever skits and ended the evening with dancing. News spread that in Home Room 201 there was a hog. lt turned out to be a big wooden pig carved by Kenny Lowry. For a while it secretly attended classes until Mr. Stallings expelled it. All this year everyone of us worked deligently to earn money for a really fine Junior-Senior. This dance, which had l-ong been anticipated, satistied our highest dreams. Now we are seniors and are looking back on our schools days. What fun it was being one big happy family in 207 with Mr. Bowers and Mr. Murphy! The former was considered as our Brother, and the latter, as our Papa. Mr. Morris and Mr. Bancroft added zest to the class party by ioining in a fast game of musical chairs. Westerville surprised the outside world by becoming the great football cham- pions of the Mid-Six. Lois Noble, Ruth Sanford, and Doris Compton, our queen and attendants-were honored at the homecoming game and dance at which the swing band played. in one pep rally Craig Gifford and David Demorest were entertaining us with a skit called A Tale of Defeat. This performance resulted in a sore toil for Craig as the sturdy little barrell that Phil Graf finally brought iust couldn't hold him. Who would have guessed on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving that the Big Snow would keep us from schoollfor a week and a half? Everyone had a wonder- ful time coasting and skiing. When Mr. Ralston was called back into the Navy, we lost a good friend and teacher whom none of us shall ever forget. Bob Hall, also left to enlist his service in the Army. The class was now represented in all branches of the armed services since Dick Kiser had joined the Navy and Phil Kaiser, the Marines, in our iunior year. Good luck to them all! More ice and snow again kept us fr-om school the last week of January-another vacation and more ice skating! Mrs. G. spent many nerve-racking hours with Mr. Bowers rehearsing our musical play, Sing a Song of Sixteen. Naturally it was a terrific hit! Now here it is our own Senior Assembly and those twelve long years are behind us. Perhaps most of us did complain at times, but come to think of it, we've really en- ioyed them. We'll miss these familiar old halls and your friendly faces, and hope that you'll always remember us as that Class of '5i. Jane and Martha Page Twenty one