VOL. II, NO. 9
FEBRUARY 17, 1961

Dr. Wiltse Proposes Dare
The second semester has started. For some it is your last semester of high school. For others it is the last half of the first year. But, regardless of whether you are a freshman or senior, I hope the first semester has been a successful one for you. Was it? Could it have been better?

Now, at the beginning of the new semester is the time to set our goals for the remainder of the year. Here are some suggestions which are guaranteed to make you a better student. I dare you to try them.

FIRST, forget the unfortunate experiences of the first semester. Maybe you failed in a course or two. Perhaps your grades are lower than you think they should have been. Possibly you didn't hit it off well with a teacher - or the boy friend is interested in another girl. Forget it. The past is history. Surely, you should profit from your past experiences, but look to the future! -and resolve now to make it better.

SECOND, try to improve. A few years ago we drove up the Alcan Highway to Alaska. At one place on our tour we visited the salmon spawning beds where huge salmon deposit their eggs 900 miles from the ocean. These fish were sorry looking specimens. In their journey through swift water and over water falls they had really taken a beating! Fins were broken. Mouths were torn. Body bruises were numerous. They literally gave their lives in order to return to their original home to reproduce their kind.
 To achieve any worthy goal, we, like the salmon, must struggle against the current.

THIRD, discipline yourself. Discipline is essential in any country, school, or home. Dictatorship countries can impose it from above. But, in a free country, discipline comes from within one's self.

FOURTH, ask for help. Teachers want you to succeed. Use them. Teachers know that every time a pupil fails in class, they fail. Teachers do not want you to fail. Ask questions about things you don't understand. Stop after class or go back after school for help.

FIFTH, finally, smile. Be cheerful. It's catching. Did you hear Jack Paar the other night on his new show? Oh, I forgot! You were doing your homework. Well, I had two-thirds of my homework done when his program came on so I took a 30-minute break and watched. I'm glad I did. He showed a picture of Russians which he took behind the Iron Curtain. He told his audience that he didn't once see a smiling Russian. "Smile and the World Smiles with You - Frown and You Frown Alone."

All are active verbs. FORGET - TRY - DISCIPLINE - ASK - SMILE. Here are five magic words. Use them and I'll guarantee you'll be a better student this semester than you were last.

Signed
Dr. E. W. Wiltse Superintendent.