Sunday, May 15, 2016

Kindergarten May Altar and procession, Divine Redeemer School 1955

At Divine Redeemer School in the 1950s, classrooms always had a decorated May Altar honoring St. Mary during her special month of May. The kindergarten class of 1954 - 55 honored Mary not only with an elaborate altar, but also a procession with a May Queen, her court, and their classmates.

Here's a group photo in front of the altar. I don't know the names of all the students. If you can help fill in the blanks, please let me know.

Kindergarten class
Divine Redeemer
May 1955
photo courtesy of Margaret Barlow Kosis

Students, left to right:

Front row (floor): unknown *

Second row: Donna ?, Nancy Bohinsky, Margaret Mary Pavicic, Marlene Vukovcan, Margaret Barlow, unknown girl, Martha Farkasovsky

Third row: unknown girl, unknown girl, Antoinette Shorter, hidden/unidentifiable, Deborah Hlozek, unknown girl, unknown girl

Fourth row: unknown boy, unknown girl, Jane Presto, hidden/unidentifiable, unknown girl, Josetta Scisciani, Barbara Kutzko, unknown girl, unknown boy

Fifth row (left side boys): hidden/possibly Ronald Mazur, David Yanko, hidden/unidentifiable,

Back row (left side boys): Joseph Meshanko, Stephen Farkasovsky

Fifth row (right side boys: hidden/unidentifiable, unknown boy

Back row (right side boys): unknown boy, unknown boy

_____


My mother, Agatha Bohinsky, helped decorate the altar. Some of the flowers came from our garden.

May Altar
Divine Redeemer Kindergarten
May 1955
photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

Below are some snapshots taken by my mom on the day of the procession and crowning:

The kindergarten room in the first Divine Redeemer School,** a former hotel, was the only classroom on the first floor. It had a entry door leading directly into the classroom. Upper grade students used another entrance a few feet to the right, which led into a large lobby with stairs to the upper two floors.

The kindergarten May procession wasn't a long one. It began with the students exiting through a door at the end of the kindergarten room furthest from the entrance door. That route allowed the procession to enter a hallway that led to the lobby used by the other students. The procession then left the building through the lobby door, turned left, proceeded a few steps in front of the building, then back into the kindergarten room through its entrance door.

Kindergarten boys exiting lobby doors during procession,
boy on right with rosary is David Yanko,
girl behind David is Mary Ann Shvach
Divine Redeemer School
May 1955
photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

Marlene Vukovcan exiting lobby doors during procession
Divine Redeemer School
May 1955
photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

May Queen
Margaret Mary Pavicic exiting lobby doors during procession

Divine Redeemer School
May 1955
photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

Crowning St. Mary
May Queen Margaret Mary Pavicic
Marlene Vukovcan watching
Divine Redeemer School
May 1955
photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

 May Queen Margaret Mary Pavicic
Divine Redeemer School
May 1955
photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

Sister Alberta
Margaret Mary Pavicic, Marlene Vukovcan, David Yanko
Divine Redeemer School
May 1955
photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

David Yanko and unidentified boy
Divine Redeemer School
May 1955
photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

Jane Presto in front of May Altar
Divine Redeemer School
May 1955
photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

Kindergarten students
Divine Redeemer School
May 1955
photo courtesy Agatha Bohinsky

The students I can identify in the above photo are:

Two girls seated in front left to right: Deborah Hlozek, Jane Presto

Girl holding pillow: Barbara Kutzko

back row, left to right: Joseph Meshanko, unidentified boy, David Yanko, Nancy Bohinsky (partially hidden by Barbara), Margaret Mary Pavicic, Marlene Vukovcan, Mary Ann Shvach

____

One thing I love about vintage small town papers is that they covered events such as a parochial school kindergarten May crowning.

May Queen and some court members
Divine Redeemer May Crowning
May 1955
Daily Citizen

Daily Citizen caption:
KINDERGARTEN MAY QUEEN CROWNED -- Margaret Pavicic, rear center, was crowned "Queen" at Divine Redeemer School kindergarten last week. Members of the court included, left to right, front -- Debra (sic) Hlozek and Jane Presto, and rear -- Nancy Bohinsky, Margaret and Marlene Vukovcan.
_____

* The girl sitting on the floor in the group photo appears to be holding a copy of our Kindergarten "Certificate of Graduation." Here's mine:

Nancy Bohinsky'
Kindergarten Certificate of Graduation
Divine Redeemer School
1955

** The first Divine Redeemer School was at 300 Merchant St. in a building now used by the Karnavas Vending Co. Here's what the building looked like in the 1956 Divine Redeemer Golden Anniversary book. The door on the left front of the building was the kindergarten room entrance. You can see how far the May Queen procession had to walk to return to the kindergarten room from the the main school door, to the right between two sets of windows.

Divine Redeemer School
Divine Redeemer Golden Anniversary book
1956

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