Wilson Memorial High School - Hornets Nest Yearbook (Fishersville, VA)

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An Aerial view of the old school shows the many mazes of buildings in which classes were held. Reprinted from the 1948 4 Theme Hornet’s Nest. S Now it was our time for a raise, not in pay, but in rank! Yep, we were in that great department called high school. In the fall of 1944 we began our freshman year in four different schools; seventy-seven of us at Stuarts Draft, fifty-two at New Hope, thirty-six at Fishersville and ninety-two at Beverley Manor. We struggled through those Freshmen and Sophomore years dodging all the knocks we could and drag- ging along all we couldn’t dodge. One round higher—‘‘Oh boy, we’re Juniors!’ Like other Junior classes we gave our class play and threw a party for the Senior class. Let’s see, before long these seniors would leave and next year we’d be the Seniors. Now we’re getting some place. What did you say? Yes, right here it is on the front page (big stuff) of the paper! Fishersville, Beverley Manor, Stuarts Draft and New Hope high schools will be com- bined into one big consolidated high school at the Woodrow Wilson General Hospital. Good heavens, what will that be like? Maybe I should stop school. Can’t do that cause I’m not old enough, don’t suppose I'd do that anyway—I have to get an educa- tion someplace. September fairly flew around and it was time for that new adventure. Let me see, ENIORS NOW AND THEN that letter I got the day said for Seniors to come on Thursday, September 11th, 1947 so I must hurry and catch the bus. They took us to the old school where everyone was excited as I. We scrambled on the buses and were off for Wilson Memorial High. Look at that sign by the gate “For Sale’’—heavens! you don’t suppose they’d sell us? The bus parked across from a sign which said ‘“‘Officers Club,’’ but the man said, ““come on in’. We did. Someone must have come the wrong day, I don’t see how all of us could be in one class. We surely have a nice looking faculty, maybe this won't be so bad after all. Mr. McChesney told us how the senior sponsors had drawn our names to determine our homeroom and after a roll of each homeroom had been read we were divided according to schools to register. Then came the big part, a tour of the school,—such long halls. I'll have rheumatism in two weeks! For the first week or two each school ganged together, but before October had gone we felt perfect- ly at home and hardly knew what our previous school had been. Today our Senior class numbers one hundred and sixty-seven. All of us are proud to be a member of the first graduating class of Wilson Memorial High.

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before us. The warmth and understanding they showed has touched many of our own attitudes and personalities, therefore, the (1977-1978) yearbook is dedicated to: and Mr. Robert L. Wenger Mr. Wenger, dedicated to his work, helps his students with their subject when needed. Robert Wenger graduated from Wilson Memorial High School in 1948. He attend- ed Bridgewater College to receive his Bachelors degree, and then journeyed to Madison College for his Masters degree. Mr. Wenger is married and has four children. He has been teaching Bookkeep- ing and General Business here for 19 years. He feels that his greatest moments in teaching occurred when a student came back to tell him that his class helped boost his decision in choosing a career. Evidence that Mr. Wenger’s dedication to Wilson still continues lies in the fact that he went to school here, and returned to share his knowledge with us. Dedication 3

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a OO. BP aaa aes EE LSS Thinking back to a time of a little over four years ago, we can all vaguely remem- ber our first day at Wilson. Our biggest worry then was not to get lost in the maze of halls. Almost all of us felt out of place at this ‘‘strange, unfamiliar setting’? and we tried to cling to our close friends, but in- evitably they had to go their separate ways. As the first year wore on, we began to feel comfortable with our new roles at Wilson, and we even had a sense of belonging. However, when we got back from our short summer vacation, we felt threatened by all those ‘immature’ Eighth graders who were running around. Nevertheless, we adjusted to this problem and all the other “complex” problems as Freshmen moved on to our third year of High School. The Sophomore year at Wilson for us was the starting point of our slow tranfor- mation into adulthood. Many of us were receiving our licenses and getting more in- volved in school affairs. We even began to think about our futures once we graduated, but that ‘‘day of freedom’ seemed so darn far away. As Juniors, we began to get a slight taste of the real world and to become more aware of the many problems. Many of us were getting jobs and our parents had loosened their hold on us a little bit. As Pre-Seniors, we had made many new friends during our four years at Wilson, many of whom were Seniors. Finally, we were Seniors. It seemed kind of strange, that first day of our fifth year when the people who we went to school with for four years were gone. We had attained that position which we had desired for eleven years. To many of us, being a Senior fell short of our expectations. We all felt a little insecure about which direction we will go in when we graduate. We also knew that in June we would be on our own in this “strange and unfamiliar world.” Upon graduation, our classmates, people we have been together with all our lives, would inevitably go their own way. We would see very little of each other and when we did visit the school, it just wouldn’t be the same. We all hope that we have left our marks as ‘‘Hornets” and that we can hold our heads high as the 30th graduating class at Wilson Memorial High School. By Mark Johns, Vice-President of the Class of ’78. and halls. The school today, built in 1970, is, one building consisting of many different rooms Theme 5