Homecoming Now and Then - About Us - Minneapolis Public Schools

Homecoming Now and Then 1960 & 2010
Display Cabinet Door #1 and 2 walls
BULLETIN BOARD ON EAST WALL
SENIOR PICTURES
Note the formal attire and stance of these PHHS 1960 students posing for their senior photos. Graduate Warren Kaari (pictured here) married Ann Marie Nelson; they
continue to live in the Henry neighborhood. Ann has served on the Minneapolis Public School Board and continues to serve PHHS in several capacities. There is only one African
American, Ella Chapman, pictured as a 1960 graduate in the Orator yearbook. There are no Asians, American Indians, or Hispanic/Latinos pictured.
CHEERLEADERS
Check out the uniforms. Don’t you wonder which cheers of 50 years ago may still be used today
LANGUAGE CLUBS
LATIN CLUB – 1960
The motto for PHHS LATIN CLUB in 1960 was “Not for school, but for life we are learning.” They sang carols in Latin at Christmas and had a Roman celebration with togas.
German and Spanish were also taught at PHHS with accompanying clubs.
ASIAN CUL.TURE CLUB, LATIN DANCE CLUB, JAPAN BOWL - 2010
PHHS students are now given the option of enrolling in Chinese, French, Japanese or Spanish.
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY
The motto of the National Honor Society, “Noblesse Oblige,” meaning nobility obliges was used in 1960. There is no motto online in 2010. The goals of Scholarship, Service,
Leadership, and Character, of the past and current PHHS National Honor Society, remain the same. The symbol of that organization is the same.
SERVICE and “CHARACTER BUILDING” ORGANIZATIONS - 1960
Young PHHS men had the option to join NORTH SIDE HI-Y, a branch of the YMCA, (Young Men’s Christian Association). Officers coordinated activities of 9 groups totaling 107
students (men only) from PHHS.
Young PHHS women had the option to join Y-TEENS, a branch of the YWCA, (Young Women’s Christian Association). The yearbook shows 33 members.
SERVICES IN SCHOOL
Students helped staff in many ways in 1960. Note the student hall guards. How about that movie projector!
HALL OF FAME
As you can see, the tradition of including a senior class Hall of Fame in the yearbook has continued through the years.
1960 HALL OF FAME - In December, the senior class voted for classmates to fill 23 categories for the Orator’s Hall of Fame. Here are 8 categories and the winners. Note the
letter sweaters worn by the “Typical Henryites.”
2010 HALL OF FAME
The Class of 2010 selected individuals in 14 categories for the Orator’s Hall of Fame.

GIRLS GLEE CLUB 1960
The glee club met during the day. Girls only, not like television’s glee club of today. Also, check out the girl’s garb and hair styles. (No jeans; only a few wore slacks, and they
were dress slacks)
DISPLAY CABINET NEAR DOOR #1
A FIFTIES-SIXTIES SKIRT
Girls wore skirts back-in-the-day. The pleated wool skirt shown here was of the brand Pendleton. Middleclass families would typically purchase two of these for their
daughters as they were expensive. Many of the other skirts were homemade and girls took home economics to learn this skill.
Thanks to Ms. Fritz for sharing her high school skirt with us.
1960’s LETTER SWEATER
This letter sweater has been lent to us for this display by PHHS graduate James Sawyer. His SENIOR PHOTO is formal. Note
that letter jackets and letter sweaters both have emblems representing activities of the wearer.
2010 LETTER JACKET
Letter jackets, rather than letter sweaters, are popular at PHHS now. This letter jacket belongs to PHHS 2010 graduate Danisha Parker. Her SENIOR PHOTO is informal, colorful
and reflective of her personality. Note that letter jackets and letter sweaters both have emblems representing activities of the wearer.
2009-HOMECOMING QUEEN’S GARMENTS
Homecoming queen Kathleen Hill (Class of 2010) wore these “skinny jeans” for homecoming with black flats. Young women wear a variety of tennis shoes for
Homecoming. A popular brand, with multi-colors are Pastries as shown here.
1959-HOMECOMING QUEEN’S GARMENTS
The Homecoming queen and her court of women wore pearls, long gloves and a formal gown for the coronation. They donned heels or dress flats 50 years ago. Furs were worn by
the women royalty as they rode in convertibles around the PHHS athletic field.
2009-HOMECOMING KING’S GARMENTS
King Zaurean Nickens (Class of 2010) wore black jeans and shirt and a fancy crown. The jeans are representative of the loose fitting pants many young men wear now.
The socks are representative of casual brands of today. Sports socks were plain in 1959.
THERE WAS NO HOMECOMING KING IN 1959!
A FORMAL TEA FOR THE QUEEN
The queen was taken to a formal setting for a tea. This silver set was probably used for the ceremony as it belonged to the
F.H.A. (Future Homemakers of America) of PHHS as it is embossed F.H.A..
THE SELECTION OF ROYALTY OF PAT HOMECOMING
50 YEARS AGO
The queen was chosen through 3 elections. First, the field was narrowed to 11 candidates. Second, the field was narrowed to 4 candidates. The announcement of the
winner was made during an afternoon auditorium just as it is in 2010. At the coronation, the queen and her 4 attendants, “in pastel formals, came down the aisles to the “Grand
March.” Note: There were no young men as royalty and no underclassmen or women as royalty. The queen was crowned by the football captain.

THE ROYAL COURT - 1959
Individuals included were a robe bearer, junior attendant, crown bearer, and flower girl, usually relatives of the queen and
her senior class attendants.
THE SELECTION OF PHHS HOMECOMING ROYALTY CURRENT
The queen is chosen through 2 elections. She is selected by her the whole student body. In addition, there is a king chosen in the same manner. (No king was included
50 years ago) Freshmen, sophomore, and junior royalty are selected by their classmates. Royalty is crowned in a manner as determined by the Homecoming planners from the
senior class.
PAT HOMECOMING VARIETY SHOW-1959
Not “Henry Homecoming,” or “Patriot Homecoming,” but “Pat Homecoming.” If you attended PHHS you were called a “Pat” or a “Henryite.” The queen was crowned and robed by
the captain of the football team.
PEP FEST-2009
The Homecoming Variety Show of 50 years ago has been replaced with a pepfest. The school band plays, there’s maybe an activity to entertain the crowd, and the
cheerleaders lead a rouser. Freshman, sophomores, and junior royalty are announced as they promenade down the gym. Senior king and queen candidates are escorted across
the gym floor. Each year senior class representatives choose a method of crowning the king and queen. Following the crowning, photos are taken.
1959 HALFTIME HOMECOMING PARADE
There was no Homecoming King, back in the day. The queen wore a crown, a fur and rode in a convertible as she circled the PHHS athletic field.
PEP BAND
In 1960, there was a senior band, a junior band from the building’s junior high, a Pep Band, Hi-lites with
pompoms, and the Pastel Pats of Henry.
2009 HALFTIME HOMECOMING PARADE
PHHS continues the Homecoming parade around the field. The queen doesn’t sport a fur, however, and she is accompanied by a king. King Zaurean Nickens and Queen
Kathleen Hill rode in a convertible while circling the PHHS athletic field. Their dress was casual. The both wore crowns. (See portrait in frame) Freshman, Sophomore and Junior
Royalty rode in convertibles.
HOMECOMING DANCE-1959
The Homecoming dance was held in the school cafeteria. There was a Master of Ceremonies and a live band. Attire was formal, much like today’s prom.
FOOTBALL PLAYERS
The PHHS athletic field was named in 2008 for 1959 football coach Don Swanson, pictured here.
DISPLAY ON THE WEST WALL
STAMP CLUB, SCIENCE CLUB, SPEECH CLUB These clubs of 1960 are no longer in existence in 2010.
PHHS STUDENT COUNCIL consisted of representatives of each home room, today called advisories. Some things stayed the same over these 50 years.
The F.H.A., FUTURE HOMEMAKERS OF AMERICA, was open to girls only. They served the North Side community and “learned the fundamental and
basic skills of the American Homemaker.”

CURRENT AFTER SCHOOL ACTITIVIES
Henry now has an award winning MATH TEAM and an award winning and service focused HEROBOTICS TEAM. In addition to these “newer” groups, there was no GAY
STRAIGHT ALLIANCE at PHHS 50 years ago. It wasn’t until 1969 that the gay rights movement took off in the United States. Prior to that time, straight allies, and lesbian and gay
organizing, was most often swept under the rug.
The MINNEAPOLIS BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB has a strong presence at PHHS and the community. Some of the activities that this organization coordinates at Henry today include
break dancing, pop locking, stepping, and spoken word, all of which were not even in the minds of PHHS students 50 years ago. Cooking, which used to be a class at Henry, is
also a popular activity of the Boys and Girls Club.
WATCHING EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION
These junior “Henryites” relax a bit. Just as today, juniors are starting to think more seriously as to what occupation they will enter. However, they did not take an ACT or state
standards tests.
GIRLS’ ATHLETICS - GAA
There were not the competitive sports for girls as there are today. Young women who loved to participate in athletics played in the Girls Athletic Association. Options
were badminton and bowling in the fall, intramural basketball and volleyball in the winter, tennis and golf in the spring.
GYMNASTICS
There was a men’s gymnast team at Henry High School 50 years ago. The participants were called “matmen,” not gymnasts. Now there is a women’s team and not a
men’s team.
HENRY WOMEN’S SOCCER
As there were no women’s teams until after the passing of Title IX in 1972, Henry did not have a women’s soccer team. The law states that, “No person in the United
States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving
Federal financial assistance...” This legislation is best known for its impact on women’s sports.
SENIOR BAND
The senior high bands fifty years ago performed at many half-time athletic events. The PHHS marching band of today, as of yesteryears, has a drum major, a two-to-fourperson
color guard but no mascot. The concert band, pep band, and marching band share members, whereas they were separate 50 years ago.
RECYCLING CLUB
Recycling has been a common practice for most of human history, with recorded advocates as far back as Plato in 400 BC. However, schools were not active in this
endeavor until the past decade. Students and their advisors at Patrick Henry High School began a program of collecting paper for recycling in 2007. At that time there were no
other Minneapolis public schools doing this. The PHHS recycling club was given the 2009 Youth Working to Save the Planet award by EJAM (Environmental Justice Advocates of
Minnesota) for their “leadership in creating a sustainable community.”
PHHS AFTER-SCHOOL
CLUBS/ACTIVITIES
- 1960
(Exclusive of sports & as featured in Yearbook)
German Club
Latin Club

Orator Yearbook Staff
Patriot Newspaper Staff
Science Club
Spanish Club
Speech Club
Stamp Club
PHHS AFTER-SCHOOL
CLUBS/ACTIVITIES
– 2010
(Exclusive of Sports)
Admission Possible
Anime Manga Club
Asian Cultural Club
Black Student Union
Book Club
Boys and Girls Club (Includes cooking,
break dancing, pop locking and spoken word groups)
Chess Team
Computer Club
Debate Team
Drama Club
Game Club
Garden Club
Gay / Straight Alliance
J-Quiz (Japanese)
Latin Dance Club
Math Team
Legacy Online Newspaper
Leos
Literary Magazine
Robotics (HERObotics)
S.E.A.K. / Bio-Blitz (Biology)
Soran Bushi (Japanese dance)
Spoken Word
Step Team
Tumbling Team
Upward Bound
Yearbook Club

ENJOY THIS DISPLAY BROUGHT TO YOU THROUGH THE
COLLABORATION OF THE THESE INDIVIDUALS
Concept: Ms. Breedlove (volunteer & PHHS Resource Teacher) and
Ms. Fritz (Staff)
Set Design: Ms. Breedlove with input of staff and students
Letter sweater & photo: Jim Sawyer (PHHS Class of 1966)
Letter jacket & photo: Danisha Parker (PHHS Class of 2009,
currently a student at Mankato State)
“Skinny jeans”: Kathleen Hill (PHHS Class of 2009, currently a
student at Augsburg College)
Caretaker of PHHS silver set and owner of 60’s skirt: Ms. Fritz
Photos: Mr. Grados (Staff)
Photo Preparation: Ms. Rome (Staff) and Mr. Donahue (Staff)
Remaining props: Ms. Breedlove’s “closet”
Publicity: Mr. Murray (Staff) & Members of PHHS Foundation who are
also PHHS Graduates)