Westport High School - Herald Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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Y., ...Q , ., Y fsrik-at 5 A ..-...-.. .,---,-.m'vw:-U21-1--'s 1 '::1?ITf-'fy' 'W' ' 18 THE WESTPORT HIGH SCHOOL HERALD. come to other schools in a similar situation, and that is over-confidence. But this should have no terror for Westport. True, we have won enough ,to give us a great deal of confidence. In winning, however, the teams simply stirred Westport through and through. Not even a tiny, timid freshman but felt the electric thrill of vic- tory, and would almost die if necessary, if he could thereby make the debating team. The whole student body has an interest in debating, and a new desire to stand back of the teams has been manifested. This new enthusiasm will prove a powerful in- fluence next year in giving confidence, but .not over-confidence. We have lost too often to become conceited in one year. We have simply struck our stride, and are not going to become unduly excited over it. GIRL'S COUNCIL. The year of 1915-16 has been a most suc- cessful one for the girls' High School Coun- cil. The meetings have been interesting, and helpful. The petty problems of high school life, and the big problems of high school life were warmly discussed. The girls are really helped by these discussions. They leave them with a ,bigger feeling of responsibility, with a braver heart to shoulder their few trials and, best of all, with a feeling to get the most out of the many joys of life. The High School club has taught many girls how to be happy. On April 22nd, the annual banquet was held. This was a gathering of the groups from all the high schools. Westport had the largest number present, and Elizabeth Gleason, of Westport, was toast-master. The best thing of the year is yet to come. Sometime this summer, the West- port girls will go out to the Y. W. C. A. camp for four or five days of absolute joy. One who has never been there can not imagine what wonderful times the girls have. Oh! the memories! Hikes, ten- nis, and secret midnight, moonlight feasts! Mandolins, fortune telling, and stunts! THE BOYS, HIGH SCHOOL CLUB. ,tv HE most successful year of the High School Club of Kansas City, especially for Westport's division, has been completed. The closing banquet, held Monday, April 17, was at- tended by a group of real live fellows, and was a memorable occasion which gave great prospects for the club's welfare next year. Westport alone was represented by over seventy-five boys at that meeting. The club had a strong finish last year, and the enthusiasm seemed to hold over. For that reason we had a flying start this year. Of course, during the busy Christ- mas season, attendance dropped off slight- ly, but we finished even stronger than ever. From the very first Westport set the pace for the other three schools. At the first meeting of the club, two of the three officers elected were Westporters. Our own John Powell was elected president for the second term, this being the first time we have been thus honored since Rex Mil- ler held the office. Our average attend- ance was by far the best, moreover, we ex- perienced none of the fluctuations so con- spicuous in the other divisions. The Westport division of the girls' and the boys' High School Clubs gave a recep- tion on June 2 to the ward school grad- uates of our school district. The object was to interest these ward school pupils in taking a high school course and to help them bridge the great gap between the two schools. Our different school activi- ties, such as debate, athletics, literature, and social events were demonstrated to the guests. There is no doubt but that the reception accomplished its purpose. There are many reasons to which the club,s success may be attributed. Individ- ual work of several members accomplished much. Towards the end of the year, in- stead of discussing different topics of school life, we began to study Fosdick's, Manhood of the Master. Some very in- teresting meetings followed, thus creating a greater interest in the club. We wish to 'Shank Mr. Foster for his capable leader- Sh1l0 ln these discussions and we all feel that his efforts have materially aided the club's work. fl 4 4 We hae be: oil cit cla an we A1 Sa wz HQ br m W fo hz cc fi 1'6 CC

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ofessor- U., his having uate of teacher ne very fe wish come. g of the upect of fail to has hit sted it- zt, yell- nly the is been if spir- satious- ich de- spirit, uccess- mf good in pre- Girls' f gath- Mixer 1 have of the ed club ll done an last fgether for the or the L Club, ice its 2 clubs ark by Plays. 1 their ect on THE WESTPORT HIGH SCHOOL HERALD. 17 a the relations amongst all the societies. Old jealousies have vanished, and a broad feel- ing of common interest amongst the club members, has taken its place. In athletics, the new spirit has shown itself by an increased number of students participating in the different sports. The girls have had hockey added to their cur- riculum, while the boys have turned out in greater numbers than ever for basket-ball, track, tennis, and baseball. The latter sport seems to be on its way back to thc important place in school life that it de- serves. These new activities and the better sup- port of the old ones show a revival of the right kind of spirit-not the rah-rah variety, but the spirit that induces stu- dents to make sacrifices for the school, to get out and really work. The awakening in the past year has been felt in the fac- ulty and student body alike, and has had a marked influence on both. We feel that Westport is on a ,higher plane in every way, due to this splendid new spirit. We are confident that this spirit will continue to grow, and give Westport even greater successes in the future than she has won this year. -11 OUR NEW GIRLS' ADVISER. In many of the schools of other cities, some capable woman of the faculty acts as an adviser or dean of the girls. This year for the first time in the history of the schools of Kansas City, the Board of Education has officially created such a position in Westport. While the new undertaking is yet an experiment, there is every evidence of its success and permanency. The School Board, in making its selection, named Miss Stella F. Hodshire of the Mathematics De- partment, to fill this position. Although this field is a new one for Miss Hodshire, during her fifteen years at Westport, she has always been an intimate friend of all the pupils and has served them as a willing counselor. She possesses not only the power but also the personality which make her a wise and sympathetic confidant, full worthy of her new title, Adviser to Girls. In addition to her duties as Adviser, Miss Hodshire takes charge of all social events connected with the school, has es- tablished, on a small scale, an employment bureau, and gives attention to such cases as are referred to the Emergency Room. - l DEBATE COMEBACK. tw ESTPORT has arrived in debat- ing! It has been a long pro- gress, and rather disappointing at times. Since we have con- fined our debating to contests with Kan- sas City schools, we have suffered one double defeat, and have never done better than to break, but we are there at last! After our debaters had lost three out of four contests last year, the worm turned. Westport, wroth from her reverses, rose up and willed to win. A much larger num- ber than usual tried out for the teams. When these had been selected, the mem- bers began to work, and toil as had never been done by any teams before in West- port's history. And the results broke all precedents. The boys scored a double vic- tory! Central was soundly trounced and Manual didn't even get one vote. Then the girls repeated-almost. Our negative team scored a well-deserved victory, and our af- firmative team won honor and made the other schools fear Westport, even in de- feat. So this year we have made debating his- tory. We have won a larger number of de- cisions and received a greater number of votes, than any other school. Thus we are the real city champions, even if Northeast does still hold the Amherst Cup.. u There is only one danger, which might

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UB. of the ,s City, ivision, closing was at- vs, and i gave 'e next ted by Jing. 3 year, l over. rt this lhrist- slight- ' than et the At the f three Our ent for t time lx Mil- ttend- we ex- o con- s' and recep- grad- abject ails in v help n the Lctivi- ature, ed to at the h the divid- lished .r, in- 3s of lick's, ry in- ating ,sh to ader- l feel d the r V' W lllllllllllll-2 'lway on tba fiiancb T WAS WITH DIFFICULTY that 4 we tore ourselves away from lovely southern California, the California of the picture-cards. We supposed that all kinds of experiences had been ours with regard to mountains, beaches, romantic old missions, Mexicans, oil wells, movie factories, and nut and citrus groves too common to excite the ex- clamations of any but the recently arrived and the native Californian. Reluctantly we left Los Angeles Cpronounced Loss Angle-us by the initiatedl , starting toward San Francisco. We were to stop about half way to visit some cousins, whom we had never seen. At midnight we changed to a small branch line without sleepers, where we had much merriment about our private-car. We curled up as comfortably as possible for a nap, or to look out at the grim Te- hachapis, passing, black and silent, in the cold moon-light, or at the solitary camp- fire glimmering far below in the canyon. About five-thirty in the morning, we reached our station and soon identified our cousin, who drove us home in his machine. And such a ride! After gliding for some fifteen hundred miles over the -boulevard- like roads of southern California, this was indeed a revelation. Now I can appreciate the probable feelings of a corn-cob in the process of being made into meal, or is it bran? After passing what seemed miles and miles of nothing, we sighted a collec- tion of trees and buildings in the midst of all this immense barrenness. That's the place, said our host, and we were most thankful. Driving through numerous gates, we came to the house, where our hospitable cousins received us. After a hearty break- fast, we were told something of the place. This fertile San Joaquin Valley alone is half as large as the State of. Iowa, our host told us. Perhaps you wonder why I say 'fertile,' when not a single crop is growing on our eight hundred acres. This afternoon I'll take you over across the val- ley to see the fruit ranch of a friend of mine. By the way, you notice we don't have 'farms' out here--they're all 'ranchesf