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The Red and White school newspaper, November 1934

How did they do it? Every month for 10 months each year the students of the Saranac Lake High School on Petrova Avenue published a six-page newspaper on big, tabloid size (17 inches by 12 inches) pages every month of the school year. The yearly subscription rate for the 10 months of publication was 50c, 5c a single copy with advertising rates only on request. The Red and White newspaper was a member of the National Scholastic Press Association.

Every story had to be typed and edited and brought to the printer, which was probably the Enterprise, because there was no pushing a button to transport your story in 1934. The high-tech stuff then was maybe a radio and a telephone – no internet, texting, facebook, twitter, instagram or linkedin.

The high school was about nine years old. It opened in 1925 after a building cost of $650,000. The 1968 high school located a short distance away opened at a cost $4,000,000.

The lead story on the November edition 82 years ago was a question of early dismissal. The new hours would be 9 am to 12 noon and 1 pm until 3:15. The present hours were 9 am to 12, with one and a half hours for lunch until 1:30 with dismissal at 3:45. The question as decided by the Board of Education was simply to send a questionnaire to the parents and let them be the “deciders.”

Obviously, I don’t know the results, but it may have been negative. I graduated from that high school in 1948 and the hours at that time were 9 am until noon; not returning until 1:30 and then we were not dismissed until 4 pm. We understood at the time that the reason for the long lunch time and the late dismissal was to keep us off the streets in the afternoon because the patients curing for tuberculosis rested between 2 and 4 p.m.

Thanksgiving celebration

“In assembly, Monday, Nov. 26, members of the Junior High School gave an interesting and highly entertaining program. It was given in celebration of Thanksgiving Day. The program was as follows:

“Doris Mooney gave ‘The President’s Proclamation’ by President Roosevelt and the first ‘Presidential Proclamation’ by President George Washington was given by Ruth Powers.

“Possibly the most entertaining part of the program, compared the stern Puritan love-making and proposal with the present day’s practical methods. Priscilla, the sweetheart, was Patricia Kendall and her lover, John Alden was played by James Kerr. Marjory Mooney as the modern sweetheart being made love to very aptly by Billy Hennessy as the modern lover. Francis Mullen was the slightly out of date father of today’s sweetheart. Robert Kreiger and Robert Manning were the pages.”

Saranac Lake

speedskating star

“James McCarthy, Saranac Lake star speed skater [and a cousin of that other Saranac Lake world champion speed skater, Ed Lamy] has just received an offer from The Arena of Philadelphia to jump barrels there in the annual Ice Gymkhana. Several Philadelphians who attended the summer ice festival at Lake Placid last year were so impressed with McCarthy’s display of barrel jumping that they asked the management of the arena to have him put on a like demonstration.

“The Gymkhana is held for the purpose of raising funds for the Osteopathic Hospital in Philadelphia. Other exhibitions will include a hockey game between two prominent college teams, curling, indoor speed skating contests, figure skating and various other features. Saranac Lake is known as the cradle of American speed skating.”

Men’s quartet

sings at assembly

“Friday morning, November 9, a stirring armistice program was given in assembly. It was opened by the singing of ‘America’ and a salute to our flag. Isabel Yoffe introduced the male quartet of Saranac Lake; John Walker, Otto Lutz, William Herbert and Delbert Oldfield. They sang selections that swept the audience back to the days of the War. This was followed by Kipling’s ‘Recessional’ which was recited by David Blanchet.”

Tercentenary celebration of first public school

“Celebration of the 300th anniversary of secondary education will be based on the American tradition of free and universal public education. With the opening of the Boston Latin School in 1635, secondary education in America had its beginning.

“Three hundred years have brought development in education from every viewpoint. The first high school was composed of a few boys from nine to 12 years of age. Study was limited to the Latin classics.

“Today there are 24,000 high schools in the United States which accommodate nearly 6,000,000 boys and girls from thirteen to nineteen years of age. These students study almost every subject designed to equip them for citizenship in a democratic society. A quarter million teachers and administrators are employed. Enrollment has advanced 500 per cent during the past 30 years.”

Awards givin for typing tests

“Many awards were given this month for the Gregg speed tests. Miss White expressed satisfaction at the following results. In Typing II, Mark Effenbach and Hilda Jones received the thirty word award, Neaera Davis, Adele Bousquet, Ada Redwood and Hilda Jones received the forty word awards. Constance Ferber was the sole recipient of the fifty word award.

“In the junior typing arrangement test, awards were given to Geraldine Drasye, Elizabeth Dukett, Mark Effenbach and Alma Higgins.

“The awards of the senior typing arrangement test which can be taken only by those who have received the forty word award, were given to Constance Ferber, Ruth Munn and Ethel Thompson.

“Ada Redwood was the only person to receive the Shorthand penmanship award. She won this on a 60-word transcription test which was 98 per cent accurate.”

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