As we celebrate accomplishments of the senior classes of 2022, I pulled out the Owl school papers given to me by Betty P where the RHS seniors were recognized in the Senior Class editions of the paper. My favorite parts are the senior wills where the departing graduates left something behind for the remaining students and teachers. Betty gave me the senior editions for the classes of 1956, 1957 and 1958. Here is what the seniors left to the younger classes.
From the class of 1956: the seniors left to the juniors their phenomenal ability to make money, their lockers to the sophomores (if the sophomores thought they could get them cleaned out), their pamphlet on “How to be Very, Very Popular, or Vice-Versa” to the freshmen and their athletic ability to the eighth graders.
The 1957 class bequeathed to the juniors their ability to make money (which they had received from the class of 1956); the sophomores received all the fun they’d had at class parties; the freshmen got their talents which the seniors felt may be useful to them and the eighth graders got their ability to get along during class meetings.
The class of 1958 left the juniors their “smart and bully ways in getting things done”. The sophomores received “exactly one penny, and we hope this will draw interest and you will not experience too much difficulty in getting the remainder for the senior trip.” The freshmen were given the seniors’ ability to borrow Mr. Crabtree’s paddle without his knowing it and to the Eighth Grade: “we leave our ability to act more like grown-ups at special occasions.”
