Windsor Locks High School - Herald Yearbook (Windsor Locks, CT)

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Graduation Night Program SALUTATORY OUR HERITAGE rHE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD Parents, Teachers, Members of the Board of Education, and Friends. On behalf of the Class of 1953, I would like to welcome you here to our Commencement exercises. We want to thank you for everything you have done, for we know without your help and guidance we would net be graduating tonight. It is usually agreed that people in America have a better chance to succeed in their individual interests than in any other country in the world. Why? Because we have inherited from our forefathers such traits as love of democracy, ingenuity, and initiative. For example in 1620, Plymouth, one of the early colonies of our land, was founded by men and women who loved this freedom so much that they crossed the sea and struggled with the hardships of the wilderness rather than live in old England under religious and civil laws which deprived them of their liberty. Thus it is no wonder that by the end of the Colonial period, 1763, we had thirteen, firmly-established colonies, all built with an inherent love cf liberty. Where else, but in America, could cne have inherited such great love and respect for democracy? Where else but in the American colonies had people of all stations in life worked and lived together? As Dr. Reuben P. Halleck has written, Let us not forget the Cambridge University graduate, the cooper, cloth-maker, printer, and blacksmith had the initiative to set out for the New World, the ingenuity to deal with its varied ex igencies, and the democratic spirit that enabled them to work side by side. Another important reason for cur progress in the democratic ways of life was that we had outstanding men such as George Washington, who has been called The noblest figure that ever stood in the forefront of a nation ' s life. Also there were Franklin, Jefferson, John Adam ' , Madison, and a host of others, and finally Abraham Lincoln who tried so hard to show that democracy can endure even through the trials of a great civil war, and whose famous words from the Gettysburg Address have been an inspiration ever since: That that Government cf the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. All of these men and many others fought for us, so that today we may enjoy such great rights as freedom of speech, of the press, cf race and creed. We also inherited from cur forefathers another important trait or ingenuity. Many inventions as the telephone, the sewing machine, the telescope and the airplane have been the result of this Ameri-an characteristic cf ingenuity or resourcefulness. We realize that if it had not been for the ingenu : ty of Alexander Bell, the Wright Brothers and Isaac Singer and many ethers, we would net have had the great industrial centers that we have today. CO CNI Page

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THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD 2 ' PERFECT SENIOR GIRL SHOULD HAVE: Ann Piaggi ' s Dolores Cappanari’s Helen Bednarz ' s Gayle Fitzpatrick ' s Shirley DuBois’s Ruth Pomeroy ' s Betty Toth’s Martha Sirois ' s . Margaret McLeod ' s Florence Fetko ' s Beatrice Sharp ' s .Voice . Diligence Carefreeness .Courtesy Artistic Ability Intelligence Wit Personality ... Quietness Dancing Ability Co-operation PERFECT SENIOR BOY SHOULD HAVE: Fred Ostrcwski ' s Louis Gallerani ' s. Fred Tenero ' s. George Ulitsch ' s Francis Mocklis ' s. Joseph Ditto ' s Robert Racccne ' s Leonard Kulas ' s Herbert Moran’s William Corbin’s Jim Popielarczyk ' s Tony Daniel ' s Edwin Filip ' s Thomas Halloran ' s Height .-.Hair cut Athletic Ability .Sense of Humor Working Ability .Personality . Co-operation Information on Sports Vitality Wit . Teeth . Talkativeness .Quietness . Friendliness

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THE HIGH SCHOOL HEHALI) 27 Furthermore, there is freedom of choice in our American heritage which allows us to choose where we may worship, where we may live, and where we may work. These are our sacred rights passed down to us from the founders of this great nation. So let us not destroy this great heritage, but let our object be as Daniel Webster once said: Our Country, Our Whole Country, and Nothing But Our Country. And, by the blessing of God, may that country itself become a vast and splendid monument, not of oppression and terror, but of Wisdom, of Peace, of Liberty, upon which the world may gaze, with admiration, forever!” Dolores Cappanari ' 53 OUR TOOLS The most important tool that we have in life is knowledge. To some people, an education means just a diploma. Although this may be true in one way, in another way an education includes far more. Education should really have three objectives. First and foremost is knowledge or the assembly of a body of facts. This knowledge, furthermore, helps distinguish often between what is right and what is wrong. The second objective of education is skill. In earlier days, skills were taught in the home but in this generation they are taught in schools and in industry. A third, but important, objective of education is the development of the whole being or personality. It goes without saying that a good personality always helps in later life, no matter what occupation a person enters. During current years, education is encountering criticism in three distinctive fields. First, people attack the standards of achievement. They say that until pupils meet a certain standard they should be repeatedly failed. A second area in which there is criticism is in the methods of teaching. Some people think that the teaching techniques are based upon the theories of the require¬ ments of a few who are going to college. Of course this is not true because modern methods of teaching are based on research and experimentation. More and more, the trend is away from the older classical and cultural subjects of the curriculum, by replacing them with vocational subjects and those related to life in the society as a whole. Note the many schools today offering courses in homemaking, industrial arts, driver training, and pre-marriage guidance. Third, criticism arises over the relation of education and religion. However, most schools feel that religious education should be cared for by the particular faiths, and public schools should teach respect for religion and a high code of morals and ethics, but leave to the churches themselves their own teaching of their history and creeds. As a closing, I would like to say that education, our most important tool in life, is the backbone for our national prosperity, achievement and unity. Francis Mocklis ' 53 ON CNI Page