With the completion of the new elementary building, the high school building underwent several changes as well. Students returned to school in September of 1950 to a new cafeteria offering a hot lunch for 20¢. The Shawnee reported that "the kitchen has many new appliances, such as a modern dishwasher, electric ranges, French fryer, oven, hotel mixer, and a vegetable peeler."

Several business courses were added to the curriculum including typewriting,  transcription, office practice, business mathematics, bookkeeping and principles of selling. Students are pictured here in the new typing room, featuring twelve Royal and twelve Underwood typewriters.


During the 40's and 50's, every
other Saturday night Canteen
was held at the high school
building. Students could enjoy
dancing, games, music, movies, or whatever entertainment the Canteen committee planned.




Early in 1952, plans began for a Golden Jubilee celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Peters Township High School on June 28, 1952. Part of the program for the evening included the "History of Peters Township High School." Recently discovered among some documents prepared by the Golden Jubilee committee was this summary of the events of that evening:

"
The Peters Township Golden Jubilee was celebrated Saturday 28th at the High School Building. Registration began at 1:30 P.M. and continued until the Program started at 8:00 P.M. 208 Alumni registered. Ten states were represented among the alumni.

Robert J. Turney - San Bernardino Calif
Mr. and Mrs. Norwood McMurray - Phoenix Ariz.
Miss Mary Belle McGrann - Clearwater Fla.
Mrs. Freda Matthews Seebachen - Jacksonville Fla.
Mrs. Julia Kamp Alderson - Chicago Ill.
Mrs. Bella Douglass Sprowls - Detroit Mich.
Louis Sims - Cherry Point N.C.
Laddie Chambers - Paris Island S.C.
Wm. Fulton - Camp Dix N.J.
R. Miller Patterson - Wheeling W.Va.
Lester F. Gillespie - Charleston W. Va.
Mrs. Helen Martik Shuder - Cleveland O.
John Fawcett - Ashtabula O.
Mrs. Eloise Fitch Sedora - Cambridge O.
Mrs. Marion McMurray Packer - Martins Ferry O.

The afternoon was spent in Class Reunions. Classes of 1910 and 1913 had prefect attendance.

Supper was served in the cafeteria of the grade bldg. by the P.T.A. The evening program with Rev. Jas E. Fawcett preceding, was opened by the McMurray Community Band playing two numbers.

High School Principal Donald J. Mounts extended a welcome to all with remarks very appropriate to the occasion.

Several telegrams of greetings were read from alumni unable to attend. A letter from Mrs. Emily Matthews Clements of Pasrur, India was read by Mr. H.M. Matthews. Mrs Clements and Miss Mary Patterson of Venetia RD1 were the two members of the first graduating class.

The Class of 1922 was the first to complete the 4 yr. Courses.

The Class of 1930 was the first to graduate from the present bldg.

34 Alumni have died during the years, 8 of whom were casualties of World War II
and 1 of World War I.

A quartet consisting of Howard Edgar, Andrew Richards, George Douglass Jr. and Rudy Broberg sang "Mighty Like a Rose" and "Look for the Silver Lining." Mrs. Marion McMurray sang " The Hills of Home" and "Coming Home."

Miss Virginia Holleran sang "My Hero."

The main speaker of the evening was Harry S. Kuder, the first principal and teacher of the High School. He gave a resume of his 13 years.

Roll Call of Classes and greeting from each 10th year class were given by George McMurray, George Frobe, Minnie Douglass, Mrs. Margaret Edge Moffet, and Edward Carpenter.

Kenneth Simpson, a student in Ministerical College in Phillippe, W. Va. pronounced the benediction.

Wilbert Sims, President of the Board of Education, secured a brilliant display of fireworks which completed the program with a bang. The remainder of the evening was spent in round and square dancing."

 



The Class of 1953 photographed as sophomores in 1951

In September 1952, the 50th graduating class from Peters Township High School began their senior year. The price of a year's subscription to Shawnee was increased from 50  to 60 cents. A new water system was being installed in the township by American Water, and fire hydrants were being placed on any road where the majority of property owners signed for them. Girls were permitted to wear red shorts to their physical education classes instead of the traditional white.

By November of that year, serious discussions were underway to build a new Junior-Senior High School due to overcrowding in the present building. Ballots were being collected for Mr. and Miss Peters High, and Eisenhower was the local choice in that year's  presidential election. 

The new year arrived and several locations were under consideration for the new school building. The boys basketball team completed the most successful basketball season in the history of the school, winning the Section XIV title but losing in the WPIAL quarter final round to Wampum.

Springtime in 1953 and the Junior-Senior Prom was held at the South Hills Country Club. School board members in the Canonsburg area school districts met and discussed a possible joint school operating system. Six young ladies from the high school journalism class returned from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Convention in New York City. In addition to attending the convention, their trip included an airplane ride, sight-seeing from a glass-topped bus, dinner at the automat, a subway ride, and watching the Arthur Godfrey TV Show from the CBS Studios. The township was blanketed by a heavy snow fall on April 18th of that year.

Graduation exercises were planned for Friday, May 29th for the Class of 1953. Plans for the new school were shelved while the joining of several school districts to share facilities was considered. The junior and senior classes headed to Mineral Beach for a picnic on June 1st, the last day of school.

 


Census figures from 1950 reported the township population at 3,004. By the 1960's, that figure would more than doubled to 7,213 making Peters Township the fastest growing community in Washington County.

To keep pace with increasing
enrollment, the Board of School Directors began to receive bids in
April 1956 for an addition to the high school. Upon completion the facilities would house 730 students and hold 24 classrooms, including a machine shop, new science rooms, a new library, and band and choral rooms.


Supervising Principal E. Paul Day visits the construction site.



In 1957, Driver Education was introduced into the curriculum.
Wrestling was added as a new varsity sport. The Shawnee, the high school student newspaper, has been in publication for over 10 years. Commencement exercises were held for 60 seniors in the new auditorium.

 


A pocket-size Student Handbook was distributed to the students for the 1959-1960 school year "to help you become better acquainted with requirements, regulations, and activities at Peters."  

One of the areas outlined early in the handbook was Personal Appearance:

"Girls:
1. Are not permitted to wear slacks, levis, jeans, or bermuda shorts at any time."
 Boys:
1. May not wear cowboy or combat boots.
2. Levis and dungarees are not permitted.
3. Radical haircuts are not permitted.
4. If shirts are to be unbuttoned at all, only the top button may be opened.
5. Shirt collars will be worn turned down."



Seeing double? No, it is the nine pairs of twins in grades one to twelve. A photograph of the twins in the school frequently appeared in an issue of Shawnee.

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