Cleveland Heights High School 1901-1966 page 11
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A major event in the spring of each year is the Swim Pageant, this show, sponsored by the Swim Cadets, was first produced in the early forties.

Swim Pageant

By 1962, the enrollment at Heights had topped the 3,000 mark as 3,240 students filled the halls. The Lake Erie League also added Brush High School and Valley Forge , expanding the League to eight teams. Speech, dramatics, and journalism are important parts of the organization and there are frequent student council and advisory group meetings. LEL participants meet regularly to discuss and share ideas to improve the curricula.

Unit B Girls' Council, under the direction of Miss Norma Smith, was organized in October, 1962 to provide planned programs which would enable more girls to become better acquainted by working together on service projects for both the Unit and the school.

Heights expanded it's business education curriculum. Courses by 1963 included typing, stenography, bookkeeping, business math and English, office machines, office practice, record keeping, law, and general business. The six-semester team teaching experiment which affected 3,000 students during it's trail at Heights, was discontinued at the end of the 1963 semester.

The student body and the entire world was shocked in November of 1963 when news of President Kennedy's assassination astounded everyone. A small spruce tree and an inscribed plaque were placed in a secluded part of the school campus as a memorial to the man who personified the spirit of high school youth.

Tree planting ceremony in memory of John F. Kennedy.

The football season of 1963 featured a new addition as cheerboys returned to lead school spirit. Fortunately, the regular female cheerleaders remained to inspire the crowd.

High point on the fall social calendar was Homecoming Weekend. This event, sponsored by the Student Council, was initiated in 1961. The football game , cleverly decorated floats, crowning of the "Queen" and the big dance all combined to make the weekend a memorable occasion.

Two boys on the Debate Team qualified for the National Tournament. The Debate Team has been highly successful- winning many tournaments and trophies in the past few years.

The June class of 1963 was the first class to graduate in the Public Auditorium- the beginning of a "new tradition."

In the winter of 1964, principal Paul S. Nash and Administrative Assistant, Roy M. Flint, announced their plans to retire. Mr. Flint had served the High School for 28 years.

An accelerated math program was begun at Heights with offerings of matrix algebra and elementary functions. By September 1965, college calculus would be a part of the course of study for the industrious math student.

When Mr. Nash retired as principal in 1964, the school board approved the recommendation of Mr. Eugene Myslenski to fill the post. Portraits of two previous principals , Mr. Nash and Mr. Morley, were requested for the school.

The swim team finished the 1965 season with another LEL championship and then clinched the state championship to complete their finest season. In the spring students initiated a new inter-club activity- Scholastic Bowl, which allowed team to match wits weekly.

Heights High Summer Abroad was instituted in June, 1965, Students attended classes at the Institute of Tourraine, France for four weeks and then spent four weeks touring England, France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and Holland.

Winning homecoming float

The school year beginning in September, 1965, saw the introduction of a number of courses to enrich the Heights curriculum. Creative problem solving, (a national first,) Man in Society, Home Management, Machine Shop and Drafting Technology, a second year of Physics, a chemistry-oriented Biology course, and Calculus, were introduced.

The January Ô66 class inaugurated a formal flag raising and lowering ceremony. Members of the senior class each year will be eligible for either drum and bugle corps or the color guard.

Heights students demonstrated their scholastic prowess on the National Merit Scholarship Test. A new Heights record was set as 32 Semi-finalists were honored. With an additional 63 Letter of Commendation winners, Heights ranked 7th in the nation on this test.

Fulfilling the pre-season predictions of the experts, the Heights Tigers brought in an 8-1-1 record for their first LEL championship in 20 years. Highlighted by many individual achievements, the season was described by Coach Frank Gibson as "a fine team effort combined with spirit and cooperation of the student body."

The end of 1965 marks the end of another period in the long and colorful history of Heights High as history blends with the present. A new era opens - The Spirit of Sixty-Six.