Wethersfield High School - Elm Yearbook (Wethersfield, CT)

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WETHERSFIELD'S SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT IN THE LAST QUARTER CENTURY The history of school development in Wethersheld in the past quarter century is intensely interesting when viewed in the light of the present conditions and the probabilities of the future. Twenty-five years ago the school population of our town was two hundred and seventy-eight, and the school buildings were six in number. Four of these were single-room brick structures. The North Brick school had three rooms and the Center school had eight. These schools were situated in various parts of the town: one on Harris Hill, one on the corner of Welles Road, one on Broad Street, two on Main Street, and one on Hartford Avenue. The physical equipment was meager in the extreme, consisting merely of a bat and a ball for the boys of each school and nothing for the girls. The High School curriculum consisted of two years' work. The training offered was a general one and gave only a small choice of subjects. In 1927 there were still six schools, but only one of the four single- room schools was in use. In 1917 the Charles Wright School was opened on Nott Street. It has eight large schoolrooms and accommodates three hundred grammar school pupils. The Francis Stillman School on Hart- ford Avenue, our newest grade building, contains eight rooms, it also has the only gymnasium in Wethersield. At this time the North Brick school was closed. In Griswoldville a, four-room red brick structure takes the place of the old South Hill and Harris Hill schools. The population in the schools is now one thousand, three hundred and twenty, or an increase of five hundred per cent in twenty-five years. Our four-year program now offers a pupil training in these different curriculums: college-preparatory, normal, commercial and general. In 1903 there were no athletic teams representing Vfethersfield. Now we have a soccer-football team, a basketball team, a baseball team, and a girls' volley-ball team. Besides these varsity teams, each class has a team representing it in all of the above sports. These athletic games give each boy a chance to take part in some phase of physical training. Today the opportunities for education in Wethersheld, as compared with those offered a quarter century ago, are manifold. The standards of physical and mental training have been steadily raised. Next year our new eighteen-room high school will open, offering even greater advantages. In this world of specialization and keen competition, an education is a vital necessity. Wethersield should be able to provide the training that each pupil will need in his life work. From an educational view- point, rapid advances have been made in the last ten years. Ten years hence should find our school population doubled, our curriculum enlarged, our physical training improved, and our high school presenting oppor- tunities for development comparable to any in the state. -james Lawrence, '28.

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NOTRE ADIEU Il y a un petit sentiment de tristesse dans notre classe, car apres quatre annees d'amitie heureuse, nous partons tous, l'un de l'autre, et nous allons, comme on dit, chercher nos fortunes. Les uns vont travailler, et les autres vont loin dlici a l'ecole. Qui sait quand nous serons ensemble encore une fois? Dans une annee peut-etre rencon- trons-nous a une reunion, mais quels changements auront lieu parmi nous, quelles difficultes aurons-nous erencontrees et auron nous sur- monteesg et surtout, aurons-nous le meme sentiment de bonne volonte et dlamitie que nous avons maintenant? Personne ne peut dire, mais on espere que dans les annees qui viennent, nous penserons llun a l'autre et at nos quatre annees ensemble avec un peu de felicite et de regret. M-Florence Bill, '28, LES ENDROITS HISTORIQUES DE WETHERSFIELD ll y a beaucoup d'endroits d'interet a Wethersiield. Il y a la maison des Webb ou Georges Washington s'est arrete une fois. Cette ancienne maison est possedee a present par les Dames Coloniales et en are on peut la visiter. Llorme, qui a plus de deux cents ans, est un grand orgueil de la ville depuis beaucoup d'ans. Puis il y a l'ancien ed i fice de l'academie de Wethersfield ou sont la bibliotheque et les bureaux de la ville. Cet edifice qui etait une fois le lycee, endure depuis une siecle et un quart. Il y a aussi beaucoup de maisons anciennes et il y a encore beaucoup de familles dans la ville portant les noms des premiers possesseurs de ces anciennes maisons. -Mildred Hannum, '28, LA MAISON WEBB La maison Webb, une des maisons historiques de Connecticut, est situee dans la ville de Wethersfield. Elle est une grande maison blanche du style colonial, et elle est meublee partout a la vraie mode ancienne. Dans chaque corniere, il domine la vieille atmosphere coloniale de la paix et de la beaute. Cette maison etait possedee autrefois par Jean Webb, qui s'en est servi comme une sorte de taverne, mais quelques annees plus tard elle etait achetee par Les Dames Coloniales d'Amerique.', On se sert de cette maison maintenant comme une place d'interet et elle est souvent visitee par les touristes. Son orgueil supreme est la chambre ou s'est endormi George Washington. On dit aussi que dans cette maison M. Washington a fait son traite avec M. Rochambeau. -Dorothy Hartman, '28,

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E. MALCOLM STANNARD AWARD FOR PRIZE SPEAKING As The Elm goes to press, a noteworthy incident has come to the attention of the editors. Because of a keen interest in prize speaking, and because of a desire to encourage others to participate in this activity, E. Malcolm Stannard of the Senior Class has established a set of prizes for the annual Sophomore-Freshman contest. These prizes Qamounting to fifteen dollarsj consist of two first prizes of five dollars each, and two seconds of two dollars and a half each, for boys and girls. The Elm Board takes pleasure in recognizing this gift to our school, and it hopes that the loyal spirit which prompted it may lead other interested alumni to present awards. Thus a precedent will have been established. TESTS I love tests! The first thing I love dearly is the suspense before the questions are given. With all my heart I like to watch the faces of my fellow pupils grow green and yellow in turn. With all my soul and body I love to have the pupils in front of me lengthen the suspense by holding the papers for several minutes. After I get the test, it tickles me pink to have the teacher say that the test is uso simple. Then, when it is fin- ished, I enjoy immensely of course, those two or three days of waiting for the teacher to correct the papers. After the test is Hnally marked, I adore to be given a mark a few points lower than I think I deserve. But when I look the paper over and find the teacher fair and even generous, I keep my thoughts to myself. -Clyde Salmcms, jr., '31. Cool silver moonlight Casting a sleek sheen On smooth water. Deep, dusky quiet, Broken only By the noise at intervals Of the Venetian housewives Emptying the evening Garbage Into the canal. cm