Kingston High School 1965 Yearbook (Kingston, NY) - Full Access

, Row 1: Ronald Kalstorf, MaryAnn DeCie4o, Brenda DeCicco, Mary Mayone, Ed Mills. Row 2: Joseph Esposito, Cathy Corsones, Felice Wilpan, Mary Hargrove. Row 3: Gail Boyce, Ginny Hawkins, Mary Boos, Connie Baroncelli. MAY DAY Old Man Winter came in early that year and its sojourn was a seemingly endless age of bitter storms followed by bleak and damp days and then more outbursts of nature's snowy passion. However grudgingly he moved, the grizzled pro– ducer of inactivity and desolation was destined to leave. His departure left a vacuum filled by Spring, coming in slowly at first and finally sweeping away the last vestiges of its predecessor in an onrushing tide. Gentleness replaced bitterness as the mood of Mother Nature, as gentle rains replaced bitter blizzards and gentle breezes replaced bitter gales. The rain and the life-giving sun's rays brought on the rebirth of life in the plant and animal kingdoms, and Spring was as pleasant as Winter had been miserable. The ancient Druids of England, who were dependent upon Nature for their existence, found this particular Spring of special beauty and, to release their long- Ia tent emotions, honored it with a joyful celebration. The an.cestor of our modern May Day was born. The origin of the customs which have clustered around this day is a little clouded. Although the Druids developed their own May Day, other cultures, notably those of India, Greece, and Rome, also celebrated the arrival of Spring with gay festivals. The people of the English villages in the Middle Ages assimilated customs from many sources and added their own to these. We would have recognized one of their festivals because it was very much like a modern May Day. They cele– brated with a Paypole, which they wove with brightly colored ribbons in the traditional dance, and they crowned the fairest maiden of the town with a wreath as Queen of the May. The American May Day has also been graced with customs from other European countries. Because the Puritans frowned on May Day, it has never been celebrated with the same enthusiasm in the United States as in England. The majority of the present festivals in America are held for the young in parks and schools. Typical of these is the Kingston High School May Queen tradition which, having been instituted in 1916, is as old as the school itself.. Carrying out the tradition this year were a group of eight girls who did credit to their lovely predecessors. Although Queen Mary, Maid of Honor Felice and the girls of the court-Connie, Gail, Cathy, Ginny, and the two Mary's especially cherished the 1965 May Day, it was also an important occasion for their fellow Seniors. May Day is best appreciated by those who are struck by the realization that this will be the last one they will spend with their friends in K.H.S. For the Druids and for English villagers of the Middle Ages, May Day was a joyous day on which to worship the rebirth of nature. For members of the graduating class, May Day is also a day of joy; we have a great deal of fun in companionship with classmates and friends . Unlike the ancient May Days, our holiday is also tainted with a certain amount of sadness. This con– cept of a mixture of sadness and happiness may seem strange to the underclassmen, but those who have experienced their last May Day recognize the somewhat empty feeling the final day produces. This sadness caused by the conclusion of our childhood fun will soon be washed away by the much greater joys of our lives ahead. Our final May Day is part of the series of events which mark a major plateau in our lives, while May Days of antiquity were only plateaus in single years of the lives of their celebrants. For this reason alone the hallowed tradition should be above the thoughtless complaints of its detractors and one worthy of being guarded by future K.H.S. students as zealously as it has been preserved by past generations. 145