120 Years Ago

from The Hermonite, vol. XI, no. 6, p. 87; December 4, 1897.

HEAR YE! HEAR YE!

The case of Commonwealth vs. Alice M. Brereton, for the larceny of a piece of cake from the store room of East Hall, came up before Judge C.I. Scofield in the winter session of the Northfield Seminary Superior Court, at Marquand Court House, Tuesday afternoon, November 30. The Commonwealth was represented by District Attorney Eliza S. Halsey, and the defendant by Lawyer Eldridge. The witnesses were sworn in by Clerk Elizabeth Aitken and the prisoner was brought in by Sheriff Julia Rieser.

The district attorney called the following witnesses: Misses Mamie Milk, Catherine Utley, Elizabeth Hendrickson, and Grace Prouty. Evidence was issued to prove that a handkerchief scented with a certain perfume that could readily be distinguished from all others on account of its peculiarity to itself, said perfume alleged to have been the property of the defendant, was found near the cake box from which the cake had been abstracted. Lawyer Eldridge, for the defendant, called Misses Flora Dobbin and Sadie Whalen as witnesses, who swore that on the night in question the store room was locked and the defendant was away from the building all night. In rebuttal the Commonwealth brought forward evidence to prove that the defendant was in East Hall on that night and that she made brown bread, which was served with beans for breakfast Sunday morning.

After eloquent pleas by both lawyers, and His Honor’s solemn charge, the jury retired, and after a short session brought in a verdict, “Not guilty.”

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COURT ROOM NOTES

Arthur J. Philips was fined $50 for contempt of court, and ordered to remain in the custody of the sheriff until the fine was paid.

The entrance of the executive committee of the Mount Hermon Good Government Club caused His Honor so much annoyance that he instructed the sheriff to arrest anyone making further disturbance.

After the adjournment of the court the executive committee of the Mount Hermon Good Government Club was sentenced by the Current Events Club to one hour’s solitary confinement in Wayside Inn.

Editor’s note: The Sheriff went on to found the Whitney Museum of American Art.

70 Years Ago

            For many years “Deerfield Weekend” was the culminating event of the fall sports calendar. Here is an account of one such Saturday.

from The Hermonite, vol. LXI, no. 6, p. 4; November 29, 1947.

Entire School At Deerfield

Green is Gracious Host: Movies Shown Students

The official address for Mount Hermon School for the afternoon of November 15 was Deerfield, Massachusetts; for nearly five hundred students and most of the staff had migrated south for the final varsity football game of the year, against Deerfield Academy. The observance of this custom, followed the last five years when the game has been away from home, left the campus as deserted as it will be this time next month.

Two Bus Trips

Enthusiasm for the game had reached a high point by 12:35 on Saturday, when the first busses left from Camp Hall [Now Grandin Auditorium –ed.], carrying the band, cheerleaders, and the first group of students. At 1:35, the busses made a second trip with the remainder of the student body.

At Deerfield, 2:00 o’clock found the Hermon stands well packed with tense spectators, including many parents and alumni who had returned for the game.

Bands at Half

The bands combined to add much color to the game. At half-time, David Lynn led a Hermon band, which showed remarkable development since early fall, in forming the Deerfield letters in front of their stands and playing a song of the rival school; following this, the Deerfield band reciprocated with the Hermon letters and a Hermon tune in front of the Hermon stands. At the close of the game the band accompanied the spectators in singing the Alma Mater.

Movies Shown

The students returned in two bus shifts, those going on the early bus who had gone to the game first. A program of movie shorts was shown for those who remained at Deerfield for the second trip.

50 Years Ago

            The creation of Northfield Mount Hermon from its constituent parts, Northfield and Mount Hermon Schools, was a gradual process. Some readers may remember the occasional girl at Mount Hermon or boy at Northfield taking an advanced class, particularly in the Modern Language Department, in the early 1960s but the classes described below were the first real steps towards coeducation and the formation of Northfield Mount Hermon.

from The Hermonite, vol. LXXXI, no. 6, p. 1; November 8, 1967.

Selected Courses Offer Co-Education

Nine Northfield students have been the object of careful observation on the part of the Northfield and Mount Hermon Schools’ faculty and administration this year.

The girls are participating in the two co-educational classes being held at Mount Hermon. Leslie Barger, Ann Burbank, Lee Ferry, Nancy Alexander, Jean Davis, Marci Stewart and Camilla Rockwell are the girls enrolled in the advanced biology course taught by Miss Gage of the Northfield faculty and Mr. Richard Leavitt, head of Mount Hermon’s Biology Department. Laura Chang and Josett Lee are enrolled in Chinese I, taught by Mr. Allan Stewart of Mount Hermon.

The girls arrive on campus at eight o’clock, and return to Northfield in time for chapel at 10:10.

The teachers of the advanced biology course have expressed their confidence in the progress of the group, as have the 15 boys enrolled in the second year science. The students in Chinese I, a smaller group with only five boys enrolled, also feel that they are learning successfully in a somewhat changed atmosphere.

The biology course, centered around laboratory work, is conducted in a modified form of team teaching, and frequent rotation has given the girls a chance to work with various groups of boys.

The only previous co-ed class at Mount Hermon was an advanced level Spanish course taught several years ago, in which two Northfield students were enrolled.

The co-educational class program is a step toward establishing a more natural Northfield-Mount Hermon relationship and also a means of providing the best education for the students of both schools. Hopefully, the present co-ed classes will work out well enough to inspire the creation of others in future school years.