-
Life at Newton Fifty Years Ago
The Newtonite features a graduate who attended Newton High School in 1873. Interestingly, the article said that students had to pass an examination to be admitted to the school. In addition, the article stated that each graduating class chose a motto with as many letters as members of the class. At the end of the article it said, “A school is what its members make it. The girls and boys of years ago were like the girls and bots of today, full or life and hope and e -
Thanksgiving Game
The Newtonite covers the 1922 Thanksgiving football game. Leading up to the game, Newton’s record is 4-3-2 and Brookline’s is 2-4-3. The front page of the Newtonite lists the line-up for both Newton and Brookline, giving the players’ names, ages, weights, and positions. Newton had won for the past five years, but ended up tying Brookline 0-0. -
Charles D. Meserve Scholarship Fund
The Newtonite reports that the Board of Trustees has been chosen for the Charles D. Meserve Scholarship Fund. Alumni from Newton High School collect funds to memorialize Meserve’s time as a teacher at the school. A scholarship is awarded to a boy in each graduating class to aid the student in “obtaining a high education,” said the article. -
The origins of The Newtonite
“Modern journalism has become so important in its civic and educational influences as to make necessary its recognition by the high schools,” said principal Francis Bacon of Newton High School in the first ever issue of The Newtonite in 1922.Bacon said the school newspaper would serve as a “practical medium of communication for pupils, faculty and school community.”Also, he said he hoped that it would “prove a great advantage in developing school spirit, pride and loyalty.”Bacon concluded tha -
Period: to
The Newtonite over the years
-
Garden City poultry club forms
Formed in 1924, The Newtonite said that potential members of the Garden City poultry club are required to own at least five birds. The club initially has only four members, but is looking to expand. The poultry is entered in contests and judged. Some members place very highly in the poultry shows. -
Advertising
An advertisement in the Newtonite reads, “Express your regard for Mother with a simple but well-selected gift,” and includes a picture of chocolates that ais particularly packaged for Mother’s Day. -
Ancient Rivals Will Meet in Annual Clash Saturday: Newton-Waltham Rivalry
The Newtonite writes a front page article abour the Newton-Waltham rivalry, which in past years, the article said, “stand out as some of the best struggles in scholastic football.” From 1909 until 1924, Newton’s record with Waltham is 4-6-4 and Waltham’s is 6-4-4. The next issue, a huge headline on the front page announces “Powerful Newton team trounces Waltham 20-7.” -
New Administration Building of Newton High School
The Newtonite writes about a new administration building of Newton High School. It is to contain “an auditorium, a fully equipped gymnasium and a cafeteria.” At the end of the article it said, “The new building will be the future home of the senior class.” The school is finished for the beginning of the new school year in 1926. The headline boasts, “The new building... is one of the finest in the United States, and cost the City of Newton over one million dollars.” -
The Delights of Shaving
The Newtonite published “two prize-winning essays,” one of which was “Woodrow Wilson, Idealist,” and the other “Delights of Shaving.” The latter describes the process of choosing a satisfactory razor and then actually shaving. Despite its title, the essay ends, “The razor is a terrible instrument, all the horrible because of its silent, but effective methods of destruction.” -
Series on dangersof hitch-hiking
The Newtonite covers an assembly on “bumming rides” or the dangers of hitch-hiking. This is only one of a series of articles on this subject. Students even act out what could happen and take pictures of it. -
Stadium honors football coach
Coach Alfred Dickinson dies suddenly in February 1927 at age 42. He was a football coach at Newton High School from 1910 to 1927. A new field is built for the school and dedicated in his honor in 1930. -
A guide to clothing for men, women, dogs
In one issue, The Newtonite dedicates a full page to fashion, not only for humans, but for pets, too. One headline reads, “Doggies go stylish; Fido wears a raincoat.” The article starts with, “(Perhaps you didn’t know it, but) pooches all around us are becoming clothes-conscious, so it’s up to this fashion page to give them a break,” and goes on to name some articles of clothing a dog could be dressed in. -
Streamlines in steel: New cars of 1937
The Newtonite runs a full page on the new cars from companies such as Ford, Buick and Chevrolet that were coming out in 1937. The articles include facts about the interior design, the engine and mechanical features. -
Newton High enters first wartime session
The cover story of the first issue of the school year describes changes the school is making to prepare for World War II, including course changes and a push for students to take more math and science courses, which the article says will be useful to future soldiers. The story also mentions that the Physical Education department planned to physically challenge students more during gym class, to maximize war-time preparation. -
Advertising
An advertisement on the second page for a new record store in Cleveland Circle offers “20 percent off on all LP records.” Another on the fifth page, for Driben Footwear in Newton Centre, advertises loafers for $6.95. -
Ten-Year-Old Prodigy Astounds Music Club
Ten-year-old Florica Remetier, a Romanian violin virtuoso, plays at the school’s Music Club concert. The appearance prompts a Newtonite story on Remetier’s backround and how she came to become an excellent violinist with her father’s support. -
Tigers shock Brookline 8-0
The back page of the Newtonite features a game review of the Tigers’ 8-0 upset over Brookline in the annual Thanksgiving Game. Brookline was undefeated going into the game. The story concludes, “At any rate, all of Newton could sit down to a very tasty turkey this Thanksgiving, while the Town of Brookline had very little to be thankful for.” -
War protest follows high school trend
The Newtonite carefully covers student reactions to the Vietnam War, beginning when the war first gained public attention in 1964. A look at the Newtonite archives reveals the massive shift in opinion over time. Not only are there polls revealing the divided opinions of Newton students towards the war, but also correspondence from soldiers in the midst of war and powerful coverage of a veteran that had returned to this school. From the late ’60s through the early ’70s, student protests were a -
Change to bimonthly
The paper’s front page story features an interview with new editor in chief William Alford, who reveals plans to change the Newtonite to a bimonthly paper. The paper began printing bimonthly in 1965 and stayed this way until the fall of 2011. -
Helen Smith starts 35-year term as newspaper adviser
To Helen Smith, who advised this paper from 1973 to 2009, the element of the unexpected is the most exciting part of being a journalist.“When you walk into school in the morning, you never know what’s going to happen,” Smith said. “You have to know that there’s a lot you don’t know, and that never changes.”Smith said she is proud of the students who became professional journalists.“I just tried to teach kids to be honest in communication and take responsibility for their own expression,” she -
Birth of Newton North High School
“Some say it only marks the birth of the new North High School; but for others, ‘The Newton High School’ can never be fully replaced by the steel and concrete of the new school. Few appreciated the old campus, until Maher Demolition returned it to the ground,” wrote editor Mike Mitrano. The Newtonite coverage of the move from Newton High School to the new Newton North High School building bears a lot of similarities to the Newtonite coverage of the recent transition. The cost, too, was thought -
Supreme Court limits students’ free expression through Hazelwood case
School administrators were given the power to limit student expression through the Hazelwood descision, one of the Supreme Court decisions that most directly affected students.According to this article, some of the reasons for which “school administrators may censor or refuse funding for a play or a publication” are if it “takes a political position that is other than neutral,” “is ungrammatical” or is “vulgar,” among several other reasons. Principal Marya Levenson expressed solidarity with st -
School carries on after terrorism
Newton North faces a doubly shaking experience during the September 11 attacks. The student body is informed about the attacks over the loudspeaker by principal Jennifer Huntington, who also reveals that her brother-in-law, who worked at the World Trade Center, is missing. “Reactions have ranged from disbelief to numbness to pure anger,” said counseling department head Carol Kerrissey. The day following the devastating and terrifying attacks, this school fields a bomb threat, forcing an alread -
New building gives more options
Newton students make their second big move less than 40 years after transitioning to the building that was once lauded as “marvelous” by former principal Richard Mechem. (The school was warned in 2006 by NEASC that it was in danger of losing its accreditation status due to the poor condition of the building.) To many, the new school seems too sterile and hospital-like, and lacks the character of the old school. Though many students felt nostalgia for the old school, they also appreciated the tec -
Famous graduates
Starting at the beginning of the school year in 1925, The Newtonite features famous graduates from Newton High School. One notable person is Katherine Lee Bates, Class of 1876, who wrote “America the Beautiful.” Three years later, The Newtonite publishes an article announcing her death and commemorating her life.
