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

Page 29 text:

WHAT IS SUCCESS? Tonight we arc here on this stage together for the last time. Four years ago when we entered high school, our ambition was to graduate. Tonight we have achieved that ambition and now we must set up another destination for ourselves. Each one of us faces his individual future and each wants success in whatever he undertakes. This success we all want—what is it? Is there a magic formula? Of course not. Unfortunately, in our society the worship of the word success” has gone too far. To too many people the concept of success is financial wealth or fame. We often forget that the average citizen, the man next door,” who works hard to maintain his home, to support his family, and to raise his children as good citizens is a success. In fact the truly successful person is one who is doing what gives him enjoyment and the fullest expression of his abilities and personality. As Wendte once said, Success in life is not so much of talent or opportunity as of concentration and perseverance.” In attempting to achieve individual success, we should first stop and take a survey of ourselves, our talents, abilities, personality, and opportunities, and then begin to build a frame of expectancies which is probable, not just extravagantly possible. When we have our frame of expectancies and our materials, we can begin to build toward success. To have a firm structure we must begin at the bottom and work upward. A classic example of one who has built success is Helen Keller. Early in her childhood this remarkable woman was stricken with a disease which deprived her of the senses of sight and hearing. It is almost impossible for us to comprehend the dif¬ ficulties which she has had to overcome. Yet she overcame all of them and is famous the world over and an inspiration for all similarly handicapped people. Helen Keller is a success. She has perseverance and determination. It was perseverance that enabled M iss Keller to learn how to speak and this same perseverence which enabled her not only to graduate from Radcliffe College, but to graduate cum lauJe. If she could overcome such a great physical handicap, think of what we can achieve with all of our faculties, blind only to our own potentialities. It has been said that any normal person with average intelligence who is morally sound, open and above board in dealing, not afraid of work, and who will play the game fairly and squarely and keep everlastingly at it should succeed in spite of obstacles and hardships.” Let us remember this and we shall be well on our way toward success. Now, at the threshold of our careers, let us not place too much value on immediate security, but rather let us be ready to seize each opportunity, apply ourselves, and build our own, a sounder security for ourselves and our nation. Mary Judith Parmelee ' 56

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GRADUATION NIGHT PROGRAM LliSS THAN OUR BEST IS FAILURE Members of the Board of Education, Teachers, Parents, and Friends: On behalf of the Class of 1956 I welcome you. As the first speaker this evening I wish to share with you some thoughts on our class motto, Less than our best is failure. As we look down through the pages of our history, we cannot help but notice the deeds of such great men as George Washington, Thomas Edison, and Dr. Albert Einstein. Undoubtedly we are all a little envious of these men and the respect with which they are generally regarded. However, these men were much the same as any other average-day American. The only basic difference between them and ourselves is that they showed marvelous perseverance, while we are more apt to drift with the tide of events. Perhaps some persons would say that they themselves grew up in a time of strife and hardship; thus they were unable to attain their best. This may be so, but surely they must realize that if they had persevered and applied themselves vigorously, their present life would not be such an uncomfortable burden. Everyone must realize that life is what he makes it. When a person says that he is satisfied with things as they stand, it is probable that he does not clearly perceive all that he might be. There is always room for improve¬ ment. If one does not show improvement he is a failure. A failure is not one who has become bankrupt, financially or otherwise. A failure is a person who, through his own lack of effort, has been unable to attain the best possible life both for himself and his family. On the other hand, one should not call another a failure simply because he is unable to keep up with the Joneses. He may be in such a condition because of illness in the family, bad luck in his affairs, or an incapacity for functioning in this complex world. That there is no excuse for failure may be true to a point; we must remember, how¬ ever, that we are only human. I think that every person who has had the opportunity for success and has failed to fulfill his part of the venture, through his own fault, is a failure. Not only is he giving an inadequate rendering of himself; he is also setting a poor example for the younger generation. For this reason more than any other we say, Less than our best is failure. Stephen Macola ' 56

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SUCCESS IN COLLEGE Tonight, as we stand on the threshold of a new life, the promise of success is before us. It beckons us onward into a future whose secret can be unfolded according to our deepest wishes and desires, provided that these are in harmony with the best that we have known and thought in our education so far. To those of us who are going to college, our achievement in college will determine the effectiveness of the role we play in later life. In looking back on college years when we have reached the age of ful¬ fillment of our careers, we will be able to trace a subtle thread of connection between the most significant events of our college days and those things which afford us the real and abiding satisfactions of adulthood. But what does success in college consist of? Certainly it is not drifting aimlessly through and graduating by the skin of one ' s teeth. Eor success in college to have any genuine meaning for the individual, it must involve some sacrifice, hard mental work, and striving toward a definite goal. Some will be fortunate enough to have their daily needs and their scholastic expenses taken care of; others will be required to work to make ends meet and will put a great strain on their powers of endurance. In either case there will be no escaping the necessity of devoting long hours to books with earnest effort and untiring discipline. Good study habits will strengthen the powers of reason and judgment; the development of these faculties is essential to a rewarding college career and to successful living in the years after college. Most colleges and universities today are organized around the idea of affording the entering student an opportunity to become acquainted with the broad field cf liberal arts before he attempts to specialize. A w-ell-rounded education which includes some- experience in the humanities, such as literature, philosophy, and the history of art, will bring him close to his goal of a rich and full life. On the practical side, a college education is helpful in the choice of a career. It is a rare student who is sufficiently in touch with his own unexplored capacities for development to be able to decide in advance where he may best apply his skills in the furthering of a personal career. It is not usual for an individual to leap from high school directly i nto professional life, and a college course which ranges far over the bread realms of science and the humanities is the best laboratory for testing out the student’s yearnings and abilities. The final decision upon a choice of career may not be made within the span cf college life, but that is not important. What college can do— and this is perhaps its greatest contribution—is to stimulate intellectual curiosity and aid in the cultivation of ideals, without which success can hardly be achieved. Gloria Josephine Eavata ' 56