Yeshiva University High School For Boys - Elchanite Yearbook (New York, NY)

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the students had many brushes with the adminis- tration. Eraser Incident The first experience will long be remembered. One afternoon before class, a game of football Was being enjoyed by eight members of the He- brew class. The object of the game was to catch a board eraser being thrown around the room. During the ensuing melee, Mr. Sklar, who did not see the humor of being hit in the face with an eraser, entered and sent the group down to Mr. Abrams. The youngsters were stricken with fear. They approached the polished brass door reluctantly. Stories of those who entered and never returned ran through their minds. They waited in the Office until summoned. Then they were motioned towards the inner chamber. They moved slowly as if doomed. They heard the verdict with stony faces. Suspended indefinitely. They left the of- fice with. lumps in their throats. VVhat would their fathers or mothers or one of their parents say? Some repressed tears, while others covered their anxiety with jokes which failed to evoke laughter from their grim companions. The terror passed and the youngsters were reinstated. Earlier that year, one conscientious student succeeded in forming a football team. With Sheldon Weinstein in the backfield, Harvey Rosen and Al Chaikin ends, and Mel Simon and Marty Birbaum on the line, Yeshiva faced the formidable Cardinal Hayes third team. T.A. was edged out 49-7. In the spring term, the Freshman class was im- proved by the entrance of Norman Palefskj, and Elly Cross, from Long Beach. The addition of Palefski to the intramural basketball team en- abled the Freshmen to win a bet that they would break into double figures against the Sopho- mores. The team was not very successful as it failed to win a game but it did send Storch, Chaikin, and Palefski to the varsity in spring tryouts. May brought Senior Day and the Freshmen prepared themselves in anticipation of Senior tyranny. Ratner anned the class with rubber bands and the Freshmen entered the study hall prepared for battle. VVithin a few moments, the war broke out. Spit balls soon proved little match for water guns. Ratner, however, was repaid literally as the Seniors stamped his forehead Paid The hectic year rolled to a close. The hot, humid summer of New York gave a heavy silent atmosphere to the classrooms. Freshmen and Seniors alike sat dreamily staring out of the win- dows. It was on these days that the student painted a happy picture of the pleasures of sum- mer upon a limitless blue sky. The teacher's voice droned on above the sounds of everyday life coming from the street. Reviews began and many Freshmen began to quiver. The T.I. finals were painfully concluded. Exemptions saved many Freshmen from the rigors of finals. In that year, the novice had become experienced, The boy was growing up. T.A., with its students, teachers, classrooms, problems, pranks. and ad- mits, had become part of his life. He now looked forward to the summer, but his thoughts went beyond the summer to his Sophomore year. He would no longer be the butt of jokes and pranks. He was proud that he had come through this year a wiser and more mature young man. -1 19

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ation for literature in the class of Mr. Greenberg. Very few found his course boring and all were inspired by him. Math class was a rough obstacle to hurdle at first, but after several weeks with Mr. Lichten- berg, it seemed impossible. Diflicult as Elemen- tary Algebra may have seemed, Mr. Lichtenberg lost them completely when he threw in some Trig or Advanced. The Honor System on tests was a great success as was shown by the great number of I0O's received. The following term Mr. Greitzer proved to skeptical Freshmen that he was never wrong, while Charlie Patt proved that he was not always right. In the spring term a new course was instituted and while one half of the class was being lulled to sleep by Mr. Breinan the other half of the class was being taught the mysteries of darkest Africa, life on a peaceful hacienda, and how to differentiate between a plum and a pnme. The course was livened up when one afternoon some- one had accidently placed chewing gum on Doc's seat. Doc felt a strong attraction to his seat and somehow couldn't pull his pants from it. In his wrath, Doc took up a collection to clean the suit. The remainder of the money was used to pur- chase a new scale for the weighing of notebooks. which were collections of magazine advertise- ments describing the healthy climate of the Belgian Congo and labels from cans of pineapple juice. However foolish garbage trucks, sewage dis- posal. and technicolor science notebooks seemed to the Freshmen, they could see less value in minors. Mr. Grossman Music was taught by the humorous mild man- nered Mr. Grossman. The records at the begin- I8 ning of the period calmed the Freshmen, who dared not move. Some less aesthetic claimed it was the landslide of zeroes which would follow any breach of conduct. The class had an added value, for the Freshmen could do their home- work between blinks. It was here that Milty Pollack learned that Tschaikowsky did not write spirituals, and it was here that every Freshman learned to distinguish between a French hom and an English teacher. The exams in this class consisted of two simple questions, but the answers met the specification given at the beginning of the test, 'iWrite all you know and what you don't know write also. This appealed to the talmudistis mind. Mr. Soruchek The second minor was physical training. Xlr. Sarachek took a look at the class and immediately rushed to the office to inquire if the group could stand the rigors of gym. The Freshmen's only comfort was their draft status. - More inquisitive Freshmen desired to know why they should swing from parallel bars like so many monkeys, when for many centuries evo- lution had changed man from his p1'imitive form. The position of secretary was vied for in an at- tempt to be exempt from the rigorous exercise. After a term of gym. sixty Freshmen learned their right from their left. In art class, the Freshmen met Mr. Borin, whose partiality to circles drawn in purple has imprinted his name on the memory of T.A. stu- dents. Here, the boys learned block lettering. The students with long names suHered the most, for attempts to fit their names on the paper led to frustration. Aside from their experiences with the teachers,

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l X i t .., 2 M l ' l 4 lll l lfl l 14622 I HP, 'i l L Xi fh N. I LQ .ff Ay' f -, 1- . Z OU -fff'1 fx 6: ll lIil.l U wifi Te- t D iw - .' it 1-'m f 'T g 0 0 . I . 0 0 -':- ' .4 ll ff , 'ill' QAVQH , f 'I' 9 .'f'4 A ' ill I. . if A fr I I f iiiillll ill fl. 1 gl gif, liil- 4 . -9i't' ..1 ll 0 ,- - - ,f '33 All '-if-' -' 7 1 . ief' -T'-4 - ' CSDOIDAOIHOFQ QCII' CHAPTER THREE: HE sin' was a majestic blue, stained only by small Hufts of white. The warmth and light of a brilliant autumn sun dispersed the cold and shadows of the dawn. A car sped down Amsterdam Avenue and the noise ot its wheels on the street suddenly broke the quiet. It passed and the street was silent once more. After a long period of absolute silence, the sounds of windows opening and doors slamming, the sounds of people waking and preparing to go to work, and the sounds of the alarm clocks waking the dormitory boys. who had arrived the night before in anticipation of the beginning of the new term. were heard. These sounds were pleas- ing eyen to a NVALL and I felt a surge ot joy. As they dressed. many of them knew that their classmates would also realize the change that had come about in the last year. No longer were they to be looked down upon. They were no longer the object of plots and pranks of upper classmen. Revenge was now theirs and they would vent their wrath on the little naive young- sters who seemed so foolish. Deyilish schemes ran through their minds. They were now Sopho- mores. I noticed that the name Sophomore brought about a great change in the attitude of the class of '5-1. They ascended the staircases with an air of nonchalance and entered their classrooms with an expression of detachment. Through this seem- 20 ing disinterest. they were able to ensnare the unsuspecting Freshmen. Elevator passes were easily sold and the collections for the widow of the Unknown Soldier prospered. The new school term opened and the Sopho- mores found. contrary to their beliefs. that it differed only slightly from the old. The Yeshiva boys ascended two flights of stairs while the more envious members of T.I. climbed to the fourth floor. It was very easy to distinguish be- tween them for those who attended the Yeshiva were constantly muttering in sweet. musical tones. XYe learned yesterday. yesterday we learned, what did we learn yesterday. yesterday we learned, etc. Amid violent gesticulations used to clarify Talmudic statements. the Rabbi entered to give the Slziur. He was greeted by yiolent explosions and shouts of Pick me a winner. Rebf, The fourth Hoor was not the perfect example of tranquillity. The venerable students of the Teachers Institute waited for the opportune mo- ment to scream in a shrill. high pitched voice. The Cooootchf' To add to the noise, there was the excitement centered around Room 405. On the door, there was a notice proclaiming Room -105 as the oflicial Headquarters of the Cootch for President Partyf, The room was decorated with signs calling for the members of T.I. to Vote for Cootch for Presidentf, and slogans