Page 153 - WhyAsInY

sons (anD Mostly DauGHters) of tHe Blue anD WHite
main building as a sophomore. Thus, as was the case with S.P., there was an election to be made. I don’t recall even asking my parents, but it’s probable that I did. And I made the election.
Thus, two important things occurred: First, taking Six Majors not only placed me in classes with the students who were presumed to be the brightest, but it also kept me in classes with them. If you were in Six Majors, you were then more likely to qualify for “honors” classes, and, therefore, as an extra-added bonus, you might be more likely to get into a good college.
Second, because students who had been freshmen at Kensington (those who had not gone to a junior high) would also go to the main building as part of the sophomore class, I would be in a position to meet and become friendly with new people who had the advantage of know- ing (some of) the ropes at Midwood, particularly because Kensington students participated in the “Sing,” described below. As it turned out, at least half of my friends in the sophomore class fell into that category. (Most of my friends from Hudde would also end up in Six Majors at Midwood, but, unfortunately for me, Joe Chassler lived just outside of the Midwood district and had to go to Madison; he moved to Mama- roneck in his senior year, and I am happy to say that he nevertheless remained a friend.)
“But,” you might say, “if, when you were a sophomore and most of the students in your classes were S.P. kids whom you already knew, how did you gain friends who had previously gone to Kensington?” Therein lies a tale, one that also changed my life.
At some point early on in my sophomore year, a friend told me that Midwood had a tradition of holding an annual competition, called “Sing,” between the Kensington students and the three classes in the main building and that I might be interested in joining the sophomore Sing Lyric Committee. (Again my memory fails me; perhaps the friend was Arnold Deerson, but more likely it was Sarah Jane Mermelstein, then known as “Sarjie.” I mention Arnie because I know that he joined the Lyric Committee, so I hypothesize that he might have been the source, despite the fact that he had heard my version of singing on the
• 135 •