Crooked dusty shelves, decades-old trophies, yearbooks and magazines absent of covers: these are just a few things that the East Meck trophy case holds. The trophy case is on display in the main lobby next to the cafeteria. While its intention was to showcase East Meck’s triumphant victories and continual success over the years, it has now become more of a historic display. It holds East Meck’s first yearbook from 1951, Spiritwear from the 80’s, and more. But hidden behind the trophies and yearbooks are two paper booklets, written within the first four years of the school from a student, Dorothy Ann Godfrey – Chief editor of the Newspaper, and Elizabeth Moore, discussing what East Meck was in the beginning and what people hope for it in the future.
While many things were different about East Meck 75 year ago, including the classes, the sports, and the culture, a few things stayed the same. For instance, homecoming dances were still held in the cafeteria, the air conditioning and heat never seemed to be at a likable conditions, and the baseball uniforms look to be almost the exact same. The differences however, came in bountiful.
When East Meck first started off, it was a mix of new kids from the suburbs and other kids taken from other nearby high schools. However, in the smaller town that is was, those neighboring highschools were rivals with one another. So when East Meck took multiple students from rival schools and put them in one, it was sure to cause some drama, but most definitely in sports. The rivalry and high competition brought the teams together and they played competitively.
East Meck swept Myers Park in Football games, held their ground in basketball games, and were unstoppable on the baseball field.
The athletes of East did not hold all the talent though, East Meck’s drama department was said to have great talent as well. Multiple times throughout the year talent shows were hosted where kids would perform talents including skits, singing, celebrity impressions, tap dancing, and harmonica solos.
One of the most notable events of the year was the senior field trips. Students of all grades looked forward to the time when they would be able to go on this trip. For the senior trip of 1954, seniors headed down to Daytona Beach in Florida, stopping and touring places along the way. The trip lasted roughly a week and seniors would have the best time.
The school held a very light-hearted and humorous spirit in the 50s. For example, when the students were tasked to vote on what the school colors would be, they jokingly got a majority of the school to vote for chartreuse and black, but it was soon overturned by the school administrators and another vote was held which decided the infamous blue and gold that East Meck hold today.
There were many differences in the culture and lifestyle of East Meck 75 years ago such yearbooks having “class beauties”, rankings the most beautiful women of the year, and agriculture and Bible study classes, but despite those differences East Meck has kept a lot of its strong values. It still holds its lighthearted spirit, its ability to connect people of many differences, and its continuous AC problems. And while the school may no longer be considered “Ultra modern” as it once was in its first few years, it is held together by its people and culture.
