NEWS STORIES
WHS’s First Librarian, English Teacher Dies
Mrs. Opal Kesslar Deskins, 56, Williamson, West Virginia — Widen High School’s first librarian and English Teacher, died suddenly February 22, 1959.
Mrs Deskins, a former Richwood teacher, came to Widen when the High School opened for the first time in 1938. She was married to W. Brooklyn Deskins in December of that year and taught since in the schools of Mingo County until her retirement in 1957. Miss Phala Woods took her work in Widen for the remainder of the school year.
English classes were then held in Room 14 of the High School and the library was along its side-wall.
Some names on Mrs. Deskins seventh grade home room roll were: Helen Gibson, Olive, Vaughan, Marie Griffith, Patricia Hinshelwood, Rosalia Given, Irene Dorsey, Columbia Given, Harry Belt, Mike Estranovitch, Ovid Hickman, Fred Young, Howard Wilson, Vernon Butcher and Charles Wilson.
Mrs. Deskins is survived by her husband, a daughter and one grandchild.
SCHOOL ORGANIZATION NEWS
Band News
The Widen High School Band has been working towards a festival to be held at Glenville State College, on the 11th of April. The festival is held to rate concert bands. The highest rating is superior and the other ratings in their order are, excellent, good, and fair We are hoping to get a superior. The judges will be Saule Fisher, Director of Buckhannon-Upshur High School Band, and Wilbur Pursley, Director of the Marshall College Brass Ensemble.
The four numbers we will play at the regional festivel are “Alleluis” by Mozart, Magnolia” by J. Olivadoti, “The Homesteaders Overture” by Moine A. Nyquist, and “Air and March” by Henry Purcell.
The band is also scheduled for a trip to the Huntington Band Festival on May 1 and 2. The band will play the four numbers mentioned above and will be judged by an out of state adjudicator. Adjudications will take place sometime Friday, May 1, and the grand finale of the whole event is the parade featuring around 60 bands, which will take place Saturday Afternoon, May 2, at 1:00 P. M. The parade will form at the Sixth Avenue block adjacent Oley Junior High School and proceed to the down town section of Huntington, and end at Laidley Field, 2 miles across town. The first part of the parade will be televised by station W S A Z, channel 3.
The band has acquired four new members. They are: Molly Dorsey, flute; Warren Donohue and Larry Buck, alto saxophones; and Sandra Holiday, bell lyre. The band has an enrollment of 55 members.
The majorette section will received new majorette capes before the trip to Glenville. All the capes will be red corduroy with a white lining except the drum majorette’s whose cape will be white corduroy lined in red.
The band had a bake sale February 28 and made $46.50. The money from the sale will be used to buy new music.
Student Council News
The Student Council had a bake sale Saturday, March 14. It plans to buy the school a new American flag with the money raised.
The trip that some of the members planned to make to Morgantown was cancelled.
Students See Educational Movies
During the month of March the following movies were shown to the various members of the student body: Valley of Still Water—Jackson; World at War—Leeson; Face of Lincoln—B. Hathaway; Incredible Journey—Griffith; The Pilgrims—Ashley; and A Date with W. Va.—B. Hathaway.
Junior Class Entertains Students In Assembly
The Junior Class of Widen High School gave the assembly on February 26, 1959. Devotions were read by Judy Sigman. The rest of the assembly was made up of four skits. Casts included Karen Donohue, Glen Salisbury, Lora Wilson and Victor Frame.
The Junior class gave going-away gifts to the seniors.
Judy Rapp received a rolling pin to keep Danny in line.
Carolene Miller received a rope to swing from Dille out on Wilson Ridge to see Jack.
Joyce Workman received a STOP sign to put in front of her house to stop all the boys because she is such a cute girl.
Rosa Gibson received weight-on pills so she can gain some weight.
Barbara Eagle received a document for a piece of land on the ball diamond.
Doris Young received a ring because they knew she’ll never get one herself.
Betty Sigman received a Hershey Crackle bar because she cackles all the time.
Judy LaCorte received a book on how to write love letters so she can write to Tom.
Judy Shaffer was given a mechanical book so she can find out what makes her little car run.
Carol Neal received a short hand tablet so she could spend more time with “Eagle”.
David Hamrick received a sling to put his arm in so he will keep it off all the girls shoulders.
David Wilson got a book with nothing in it because he knows it all.
Charles Sigman received a plastic bag to put all his pool pills in.
Pete Gibson got a pillow to sit on in Detention Hall so he won’t get tired.
Jim Manning received beard and whiskers so he won’t have to bother growing them himself.
Mrs. Leona Griffith (Senior Class Sponsor) received a maid (Mr. Leeson) so she won’t have to go home and wash dishes and take care of the kids.
FEATURES / COLUMNS
Roving Reporter
“What would you do with a Virago?”
Dave Shaffer—”Give it to Mr. Krise, to put in a test tube.”
Mr. Krise—”Feed it to Kyle Barnette.”
Luther Young—”Turn it across my knee.”
Mr.Baer—”Go to a doctor with it.”
Miss Eakle—”Let it teach English.”
Miss Ashley—”I’d get rid of it.”
Reba Shaffer—”Put it in a pot and cook it.”
Goldia Henderson—”If Reba can cook it I can eat it.”
Eleanor Dodrill — “No comment.”
Carolene Miller — “Sell it for what it is worth.”
Barbara Eagle — “Dance with it.”
Kyle Barnette—”Do with it the best I could.”
Rosa Gibson — “Send it to the moon.”
Mr. Leeson—”Watch it”
A Virago is a scolding woman—a shrew.
Reminiscences In A Detention Hall
The spring has sprung! The sun is shinning in all its glory. The trees are beginning to bud, and brother is it hot in detention hall!
The warm air makes one drowsy and listless. It makes one’s mind wonder back to that day of crises on Friday afternoon, February 27, 1959.
The sun was shining gaily and the birds were singing merrily when four restless seniors, blinded by the dazzling sun, took the wrong fork in the road and found themselves not at school but axle deep in a mud hole near Cherry Run Road.
Despite strenuous and conscientious efforts to dislodge the vehicle, the four distraught teenagers were unable to achieve their goal, and so they spent the entire afternoon surveying the territory, observing wildlife, and discussing the evil effects of unpremediated crime.
Meanwhile back at the ranch—concern for the lost seniors mounted to a high pitch. Mental searching parties probed the crevices, crannies, crooks, and gullies of the surrounding territories for traces of their lost companions.
Lookouts, stationed at strategic points, reported brief glimpses of a strange mobile unit, green in color, cruising merrily along the dusty highways.
Towards evening the cruiser was anchored in a lesser mudhole on Sugar Tree Run. After tear-smeared confessions and heart-rendering remorses, the starved quartet enjoyed a buffet lunch and vowed to be good children the rest of the year.
BRIEFS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Plans for a High School Basketball tournament will be held from March 30 to April 1. A double header will be played on March 30th. Clay and Fola will play the first game and Widen and Brown, the second.
Guest Speaker
Mr. Jules Rivilin, Head Basketball Coach of Marshall College will be guest speaker at the annual Rotary Sponsored Basketball Banquet which will be held on April 9, 1959 at the Club House. Guests of honor are the Widen High School Basketball Squad, Coach Stover, and the High School Cheerleaders.
