HISTORY
OF THE CLASS OF 1961
Today,
on this our last day in our Alma Mater as students, our thoughts
go back in time to all our past experiences. Our minds have
been developed, and our personalities and appearances have changed,
and we are at the end of six years as a class. Many new faces
have joined us and many things have happened to us. Let's turn
back the clock to when we started out as the greenest recruits
of all -- seventh graders.
Full
of energy and zeal, and thrilled at being in High School at
last, we attended class during part of our seventh grade year
at the old Signal Hill Army barracks. None of us will ever forget
the sand, the bugs, and innumerable sandspurs, and the "unavoidable"
tardies to classes. But on March 12, 1956, we were ushered into
our brand new halls of learning--Glendridge Junior High School.
There, complete with walls and an efficient bell system (much
to our regret), we experienced many firsts at our new school.
As
ninth graders, we were leaders at Glenridge. Frank Ferguson
headed the Student Council, and Rusty Doolittle lead the ninth
grade class. We remember many things: The class picnic, the
talent show, Bermuda Day, and who will ever forget the Evacuation
practices? Some of us "died" that day.
Then,
we left Glenridge as big shots and entered Winter Park High
School as scared sophomores. Poor us--overwhelmed by Coach Orr
and awed by the rowdy, self-confident seniors. And on top of
that, the bomb scare. As a class, we were lead by Steve Van
Ore.
To
us as juniors, one step closer to sainted seniorhood, Mr. Orr
and rowdy seniors were an old story and we settled down to a
san (?) high school existence. Jo Ann Ross proved a competent
leader for the Junior Class. Who will ever forget the hectic
week before the Prom, and the innumerable hours spent putting
up the blankety-blank fern? Even though we thought it would
never be finished, "Cinderella's Ball" emerged at
last to thrill the departing seniors.
And
then, in September of 1960, we entered the familiar halls
of learning through the front door as seniors.
It didn't seem possible that we were actually seniors at long
last. We took advantage of all the senior class privileges,
going through the front door at least once each day. Jo Ann
Ross again lead the class through a very successful year. We
had so much fun putting on the Senior Class play and participating
in "Oklahoma!" We cheered our football team on to
questionable success and screamed with joy at the victories
of our basketball and baseball teams. Homecoming was wonderful,
with Sandy Cash reigning as Queen, and the Christmas Formal
was certainly the highlight of the Holiday Season. Suzie Miller
was our lovely Christmas Queen.
Second
semester opened with more serious thoughts as we took our final
College Board Exams and the Florida State Twelfth Grade Tests,
and then settled down to wait tensely for acceptances from the
various colleges of our choice. Finally came the day when acceptances
or rejections began arriving. Heartbreak and joy were visible
through the masks on our faces. Many of us received scholarships,
totaling over one hundred thousand dollars. All of a sudden,
feverish activity centering around the gym commenced, with the
frantic cries of "SENIOR AROUND" heard whenever one
of us "innocently" approached. Prom-time was here
once again, and what a Prom. Visions of seventh-heaven appeared
before our eyes as we entered the transformed gym on the night
of April 28th. At 1:30 pm, on April 29th, we took part in the
Senior Breakfast at the Imperial House and then made for the
beach.
The
Prom set all the parties in motion and every weekend we attended
party after party after party. We ordered What's new?, too,
and were measured for caps and gowns. Time flew by as if by
magic and exams began and ended. Now, on Class Day, everything
is over. Everything is finished. We are graduating in three
days. Then, we will be alumni of WPHS. We are no longer high
school students and we are no longer children. We are on our
own. Good luck to the Class of 1961!!!!!
