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Senior Sneak: 1955

Senior Sneak was the name applied to Marin Catholic High School's pre-graduation recreation getaway day, which for the class of 1955, including my brother and his roll of Tri-X film, was on May 18th that year. There was nothing particularly sneaky about it, since it was school-sponsored -- another shot depicts the principal at the refreshment counter clad in a distinctly non-priestly Hawaiian shirt. The location is Adobe Creek Lodge in Los Altos Hills, 50 miles south of the school on the San Francisco Peninsula. View full size.

Senior Sneak was the name applied to Marin Catholic High School's pre-graduation recreation getaway day, which for the class of 1955, including my brother and his roll of Tri-X film, was on May 18th that year. There was nothing particularly sneaky about it, since it was school-sponsored -- another shot depicts the principal at the refreshment counter clad in a distinctly non-priestly Hawaiian shirt. The location is Adobe Creek Lodge in Los Altos Hills, 50 miles south of the school on the San Francisco Peninsula. View full size.

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Swell senior memories

My school didn't have a skip day in our senior year; we had a day when seniors were allowed to wear bluejeans and T-shirts or sweatshirts, plus sneakers. Daring, eh?

Our senior class trip was on a school bus, which lacked room for three of us. My friend jumped at the chance to offer her (jalopy) secondhand car her dad gave her. She, her beau and I rode forty minutes in the car behind the bus, cracking wise and making ourselves laugh hard all the way.

We arrived at the courthouse, which was what some faculty or administration member chose for our class trip. Upon exiting the elevators on the twelfth floor, we learned that there were no court cases that day, nor for the entire week. So, inadequate bus capacity, no court cases, and a trip right back to afternoon classes - - a well-planned trip thanks to whom we never learned.

A different friend and I walked the twelve floors down, then parted ways for our respective rides back to school. Years later, I would overhear parents becoming aggressive when requesting monetary donations for their seniors' trips to Disney World and such ("These kids deserve great memories! Don't be cheap!"), and just smile.

Does tterrace know?

I would be interested if tterrace, via his older brother, has any idea about what happened to those two women, whose futures davidk appears to foresee. Did the brother stay in touch with either or both of them, or maybe just hear about them over the years?

[I'm afraid the answer to all the questions is no. -tterrace]

Times do change

In 1974 we called it Senior Skip day and went to a local state park and everyone got drunk, stoned or both and played Frisbee and flew kites. Good times, good times.

My Senior un-Sneak

Might as well toss in my Senior Day story from 1970. I spent it in detention with about 60 other seniors. Most of the others were there for skipping school the previous October 15th to attend the antiwar rally in D.C. The administration had gotten wind of the planned caravan and told students that anyone missing school without a medical excuse for the day were going to lose privileges. I, on the other hand, had stayed at a friend's home to watch Game Four of the World Series.

Missing Senior Day didn't bother me at all. But the fact that my Orioles had lost that October day to the Mets (and the next day to lose the Series) still gets under my skin.

Traditions?

At the high school I went to, the only tradition was that the priests would beat the students for little or no reason. One of our heroes was a kid who was being thrown out. He was in the vice principal's office with his parents. The vp said something snotty. The kid got up and punched him right in the jaw, which seemed to surprise the vp. I have no idea what's happened to this kid in all the years since, but I hope things turned out well for him. I also have no idea why some of my fellow alumni feel any affection for that place. Maybe it's like those guys who miss being in Sing Sing.

Back in the day ...

Our folks were pretty cool, as shown in this picture. The two dudes probably went on to become astronauts.

Two women

The two women in the foreground of this photo seem to come from two different generations, or they straddle two contrasting eras. The one on the left with her fifties hairdo and sailor flap on her shirt will listen to Mel Torme and Frank Sinatra and not take drugs unless it’s Valium, mother’s little helper. The one on the right, in the coming decade, will listen to Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin and the Stones and the Grateful Dead and she will smoke weed and drop acid. The woman on the left will read romance novels while the one on the right is discovering Beat poetry. I think they’re both great, and they will both likely become nice grandmothers. It’s just that right now, in 1955, they stand on the threshold of two entirely different directions in life.

[By the end of the year, Mary will have us believing in fairies. - Dave]

Right Face, Wrong Place

Hunter S. Thompson was in high school in 1955, in Kentucky. This guy may be his Evil Twin.

Senior year traditions

When I graduated high school the senior class had Kid Day, where 17- and 18-year-old students dressed up like 3- and 4-year-olds, although I remember one guy wore a complete scuba diving wet suit. We also had a senior play, for us a series of short sketches presented by different cliques because it would have been impossible to get all the seniors (in my class) to agree to one cohesive presentation. When a teacher welcomed the audience that included parents, she stressed the most important thing was all the students had fun. What made that situation extra sad was we had some talent in my graduating class. I graduated with James Duff.

I once worked with a woman whose mother was a teacher and, every year, the mother took the senior class on a trip through Europe.

I've always liked my mother's senior trip, c1941. They went to the market in Juarez and then toured a nearby prison.

Interesting History

The Adobe Creek Lodge has an interesting history. The Los Altos Hills Historical Society documents it here: https://www.losaltoshillshistory.org/Resources/AdobeCreek-Lodge/AdobeCre...

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