Our Very First Clubs
In 1920, Peabody Demonstration School was just five years old. We were graduating our first class of Seniors, and publishing our first annual, The Volunteer. With the publication of this annual came official recognition of extracurricular clubs and organizations for the first time. These earliest offerings were few by comparison to today, and included the Boys and Girls Glee Clubs, Dramatic Society, and Student Council.
A Commitment to Service & Standards
By the next year, club offerings began to widen in variety. Popular clubs seemed to share common purposes: encouraging high standards of character among the student body, and serving the needs of the wider local community. One of these organizations was the Girl Reserves. Originally organized under the name "The Peabody Student Club," the Girl Reserves aimed to promote "higher ideals, school spirit, and a deep sincerity in all it undertakes" (1921 Volunteer). Some of the group's earliest work included raising money for the production of the school annual, organizing social events, and performing acts of service in the local community such as visiting children's wards in hospitals and sending Thanksgiving baskets to families in need. The Girl Reserves continued as a popular student organization until 1948.
Providing a counterpart to the Girls Reserves was the Hi-Y Club, an extension of the YMCA and open to any boy in the upper three grades of the high school. Like the Reserves, the Hi-Y club upheld the highest standards of morality for its members, and strove to make meaningful contributions to the wellness of the school. Often, the Hi-Y Club worked together with the Girl Reserves to raise money for local charities and provide food for needy families at the holidays.