The walls of Whitefish Bay High School have remained the same, with a few additions, but what has gone on inside those walls has changed a lot.
One of the displays in the field house remarks on changes even since a relatively recent year: "In the 1971-72 school year, we see a department called Home Economics." That no longer exists. The display also notes that gym classes were separated by gender then, rather than being coed as now.
Student Case Bretzman is the creator of a display that looked at the 1932-33 school year, the first year for Bay High, and noted there was no band or choir. But the school did offer Latin and Citizenship, neither of which are offered today.
But looking at the blowups of photographs, I saw that the school had a band by 1936. Twenty members sat in uniform holding their instruments. Also, the choir by 1940 was about 40 strong.
Student Mo Foy put together a display of school clubs back in 1938 which shows some unusual ones, including the Chef Club, with 34 members, all boys. Others are Societas Romana with 38 boys and girls, the Shop Club and the Home Economics Club.
The blowup photo of girls sporting flips and other 1960s hair styles, took Dana Root aback.
"I can identify with some of those styles," she said, remembering her own high school days. Her children graduated from Whitefish Bay High.
Holding a 1972 yearbook, her husband, Kris Hansen exclaimed, "That's our neighbor," as he gazed at the photo of a high school junior. "He's changed a lot," Hansen said, laughing, but declined to say just how.
