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

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ppealed to wed us to be able to ities meet, Jr play re- ome other s, we have uilding so Ls amount- ar a great hope that nued next 11' that have year. In W things. ling of the ear with a 2-principal, hings ever the Book Harman. y Training he Injured e the girls L that met Miss Wes- been more Field Day means, are een formed :ions bring port up to een a year new things y Training. 1 the year, THE WESTPORT HIGH SCHOOL HERALD. 19 but we are proud of the way in which Westport responded. The four high schools of the city have enrolled 389 Cadets, and of this number Westport has 178. Central has 101, Northeast has 75, and Manual has 35. Sergeant Shirloh, who has charge of our three companies, de- clares that they have made great prog- ress for the time they have been in train- ing, and adds that they will compare very favorably with high school organizations elsewhere that have had more time for training. In these days when universal military training is being talked of everywhere, it is only perfectly natural that it should start in the high school. It will only be a short time until such training will be in- cluded .in the course of study for every state university, as well as in many other institutions of higher learning. Give the boys two or more years of this training in high school and then let them continue the same work on a more extended plan when they enter the universities, and in the course of a very short time the United States will have a reserve corps of officers that will be able to meet any crisis that may arise. There is no doubt but that next year will see many more of the boys of the va- rious high schools of the city taking up Military Training as a regular part of their education. -ili- Red Cross Right along with the boys' Military Training came their better halves, the girls, with their First Aid. The exhibition given in the gymnasium showed plainly how well girls can bandage the supposed Wounds of the boys, and some of them are actually positive that they can take care of a real wound. , Their proficiency in the surgical line is due greatly to the eagerness with which the forty girls took up their Red Cross training, but most of all it is due to the leadership of Mrs. Koch and Miss Keeley. These two ladies and Miss Henry, adviser, have given a good part of their time to the training, and it is mostly due to their skill and apti- tude in illustrating that the girls are the dandy little Red Cross nurses that they are. Every Thursda.y we beheld the novel and pleasing sight of forty girls, all dressed in white, and with their Red Cross bands on their arms, going through the halls. Thursday was the appointed day and the appointed hour, or rather two hours, for the training began at two o'clock on that afternoon. Now, due to the enthusiasm with which the forty girls started their Red Cross classes, we boys can rest assured that we will have good care if we do have to go to war. New Clubs V The very fact that we have had three new clubs organized this year, and that they have been so successful, indicates that there was an actual need for them. Since these three clubs, the Biology, Radio, and Chemistry, have been formed, they have shown a wonderful increase in their en- rollment. The Biology Club, since it first took shape under the clever hands of Miss Henry, has become a real factor in school life. It now numbers many of the best people in school in its membership and has performed its purpose wonderfully well. It has aroused great interest in the works of old Dame Nature, and we now know much more concerning Bugology and the' trees and plants than we. ever ex- pected. Mr. Hill and his bunch of radio enthus- iasts founded a very good thing when they started the Radio Club. This club, in tak- ing up such an interesting phase of phys-

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4... ... - - -- , --rs a--5:-f-+:',-'1:fi.'1:'rl-E1--a-'-'- -' - - - -4'- -' 7 TI 18 THE WESTPORT HIGH SCHOOL HERALD. ' We all hated to lose Mr. Stigall. Of course we did! But it was not long be- fore we began to hear that the almost one hundred Westport graduates at Poly- technic were just as glad to get Mr. Stigall as we were sorry to give him up, so that in a slight measure consoled us. Mr. Beckmann has now taken his place in our thoughts and actions, and we have all pledged him our allegiance. The one thing that we hope most is that he will not be taken away from us as Mr. Stigall was. Mr. Beckmann has been with us for nine years. He came the year that Westport first entered the new building. During all these years he has had charge of the Mod- ern Language Department. Those of our number who have been fortunate enough to be enrolled in his German classes have come to know him well. His long residence at Westport has made him familiar with us and our methods of procedure, so it is little wonder that he has fitted into things as though he had always been Vice-Prin- cipal. Mr. Beckmann, we are for you! The Seven Hour Day Somebody has said that it never rains but it pours. We felt that the rain had been a deluge when we came in on that first enrollment day last September and found that Mr. Stigall was not to be with us, but as soon as we got down to the actual business of enrolling, we discovered that the dark cloud had a bit of silver lin- ing after all. An innovation had been put into force-a seven-hour day. Instead of the old program of -.eight hours that let the unlucky holders of high numbers out at two-fifty, we were to have a much more convenient program of seven hours. Under the new program we were told that we could come either the first or second hours, and that we would have to stay at least six hours. The new arrangement has appealed to all of us. Not only has it allowed us to get out earlier than we used to be able to do, but on days when the societies meet, or when some have to remain for play re- hearsals or debate practice or some other of the numerous school activities, we have not had to wait around the building so long before we could begin. It has amount- ed to a great saving of time for a great many people, and we sincerely hope that the same plan may be continued next year. New Things of the Year Just think of the new things that have been started at Westport this year. In fact it has been a year of new things. They began right at the beginning of the year. We started the new year with a new program under a new vice-principal, and we have been adding new things ever since. One of the first things was the Book Exchange conducted by Mr. Harman. Later in the year came Military Training for the boys and First Aid to the Injured for the girls. In the meantime the girls had established a Bible Class that met after school once a week with Miss Wes- ton as leader. The Mixers have been more numerous. The Senior-Junior Field Day finished off the year. Last, but not least by any means, are the three new clubs that have been formed during the year. These additions bring the number of clubs at Westport up to twelve. Really and truly this has been a year of innovations. Military Training Perhaps the greatest of the new things started this year is the Military Training. The movement started late in the year, but vt Westp school Cadet. 178. and N has c clares ress f ing, a favor. elsewi traini In traini is on start short clude state instii boys high same they cours State that may Th will : rious Milit their Ri Trai girls givei how woui actu of a surg witl

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...:.-......-..- -f-f- -'11 :-':'f'fi7':'-:27wl'fz:lrd:CRi5- --J . ..a::W.z'f:w: --:1ug.1..,:. - - ' ,., . fxfliil 20 THE WESTPORT HIGH SCHOOL HERALD. i ics, has greatly aroused the interest in that entire subject, and has also been the means of making us at least somewhat familiar with the wireless and its equip- ment. The many technicalities of the ra- dio world have at least become partly known to us and we are enthused. When the old Physics Club disbanded last year it had accomplished considerable in the chemical line, but this has been greatly increased by the new Chemistry Club. Under Mr. Herrmann's leadership it is a self--evident fact that the interest in simple and advanced chemistry has be- come so great that next year will undoubt- edly see an even greater pick-up in the membership of the Chemistry Club. These three clubs are the logical out- growth of the work started by the Physics Club. We are glad to see so many inter- ested in the various lines of technical work. We hope that the number may in- crease next year. Eighth Hour Study Halls All have a very natural aversion for eighth hours. In fact, at times the aversion becomes almost violent. When we stop, however, and consider how much good these eighth hour study classes have done this year, we are thinking along more agreeable channels. The classes as carried out this year were not for the naughty little children who would not behave, but were coaching or helping classes. Some pu- pils were sent there by their teachers, but the majority of those in attendance were those who had had trouble with the sub- ject either on account of absence or the natural difficulties of the subject. Any- one who found himself in trouble had the privilege of going to one of these classes and getting special help. Many lives have been saved by help obtained in this manner. The plan is looked upon with so much favor by the members of the Facility that it has been whispered around that the number of such classes will be greatly increased next year. While these classes are not for punishment, still it is a most unpleasant sensation-this study- ing the eighth hour when you can think of so many other things that you would rather be doing. Methinks it behooves YOU to work mucho next year. ..-i..-i Business Talks Among the numerous innovations intro- duced at Westport this year has been the series of business talks in our assemblies. Mr. Shouse, realizing that a boy has a very difficult time in deciding what he is going to be when he gets big enough to be it, secured a number of prominent business men to talk to us about their respective fields of work. In many cases we have been materially aided in making up our minds as to what our vocations shall be. The real inside dope that has been given us has not only been interesting, but has been very helpful, and we sincerely hope that still more good speakers will give a still wider range of businesses from which to choose when it comes time for assem- blies next year. . Clean Living This year, as in former years, Westport has had her Clean Living Campaign. In every movement there is always somebody or some organization to head up the work. The student body has had three organiz- ations working for the same purpose- the betterment of the social and moral side of the school life. The girls have been fortunate in having two such organizations-the Girls' Coun- cil and the Bible Class. The meetings of the Girls' Council or Council Club, like the Boys' High School Club, were held out of school. In the regular meetings at the Y. W. to kno who t questir Counci cause also w she ki effort: lVliSi with t more could to go have l Mai shame