Williams Memorial Institute High School - Legenda Yearbook (New London, CT)

Page 19 text:

 She who knows not and knows not-that she knows not is a Freshman; pity her. She who knows not and knows that she knows not is a Sophomore; teach her. She who knows and knows that she knows is a Senior; respect her. She who knows and knows not that she knows is a Junior; encourage her. 15

Page 18 text:

Principal's Message to the Senior Class With the return of peace there is much to make us truly thankful, but there is also much which cannot help but cause us deep concern. I am thinking of the atomic bomb, and of the disturbing challenge which the discovery of atomic energy offers. Some years ago Roger Babson, the famed economist, said: Education is a tool which can either create or destroy according to the character of the user.” The truth of this statement will become increasingly evident during the next few years. Atomic energy and other similar discoveries will either be harnessed for peaceful pursuits or they will utterly destroy the civilization achieved through the centuries. You and your contemporaries must give the answer. Your generation will use the education which it has received either constructively in the building of a finer civilization, or destructively in the elimination of all the gains thus far realized by mankind. Yours is a fearful responsibility. We at W. M. I. through studies in the curriculum and through outside activities have tried to provide you with a helpful background of understanding and a conscious awareness of the need for service. God grant that you may meet successfully the challenge which the atomic age will offer! 14

Page 20 text:

SsmioM Class Officers President . Antoinette Loiacono Vice-President. Patricia Scholfield Secretary . . . Nancy Clark Treasurer . . Beatrice Saunders Honor Court Justices .... Ruth Dunning, Claire LaBoue, Barbara Prince Senior Class History We entered our Freshman year at W. M. I. well tuned to the shortages of war time. We realized that our job in this war was to study and prepare ourselves for the future. After the initial excitement we settled down to work and became acquainted with a new and more grown-up school. At the Junior Tea we met our sister class and at last felt we had really become a part of the student body. Through classes in Group Guidance we learned of the school, its traditions and functions, and discussed the careers in which we were interested. We became conscious of the music around us through music appreciation classes. We faced and overcame the terrors of mathematics, science, English and the foreign languages. Then June came and we were Sophomores. As Sophomores we had reached a very important position in our school. It seemed as though we had arrived at a very happy stage in which we felt that we had learned almost all there was to know. We were told that as each year passed new fields would open: we would realize how much knowledge there was in the world and how little we actually possessed at present. Mid-year came and we found, then, the small extent of our knowledge. Our hopes for a Sub-freshman Day met with disappointment because of the curtailment of transportation. Our courses in art appreciation brought to our attention the many pieces of art and sculpture which are a part of the school's permanent collection. It was during this year we were allowed to attend our first school formal . All too soon a very happy and carefree year came to an end. With the title Junior came new privileges and greater responsibilities. We were proud to welcome and entertain our Freshman sisters because we remembered how shy and uncertain we had been. As in other years we were well represented in the dramatic presentation this year. We participated in the inter-school forums and aided in the conducting of school elections. Our athletes distinguished themselves even though we failed to win the loving cup. We contributed generously to the collection of Christmas presents for children attending a small school in Kentucky. The air was filled with excitement when plans for the Junior Prom were announced. This was truly our own dance! Before we realized it another year was completed. We began our Senior year still unaccustomed to the word peace —a word which a few months previous had been connected with a time in the future. The question: How does it feel to be a Senior? received the same answer from all the girls, I feel just like a Freshman again! We worked harder than ever, but we still found time to attend dances, take part in a radio performance and excel in sports. To some of us this was to be the end; for others it is only a milestone on the road to more specialized training. We have engaged in all the traditional activities: the Commencement Dance, Class Banquet, Class Picnic, and, of course, our final Examinations. At the Graduation Exercises we received our diplomas with a mingling joy and sorrow. As we leave the Halls of W. M. I. we take with us, these cherished words: Your daughters true to all that's best In service full and free, Until at last we win the goal And hold it worthily. 16