What was it like to graduate from high school in the Roaring Twenties, or in the midst of the Great Depression? Here are a couple hints from Hopewell High School in 1924 and 1926, and from Central High School in Pennington in 1932.
First, we have two small leather-bound books from 1924 and 1926 with the Hopewell High School graduation week program.
The Hopewell High School Commencement book from June 1924 (PDF) lists the week’s events: the Baccalaureate Sermon on Sunday at the Calvary Baptist Church, followed by the Senior Dance and Class Day program at Columbia Hall in Hopewell on Wednesday evening, and the Commencement Exercises on Thursday evening at the Pennington Presbyterian Church.
The book lists the 23 class members, their class motto (“Facere est vita” / make life) and the class flower (pink rambler). The Class Day program includes “Gossipers” and “Fishing,” and ends with a “Last Will and Testament” and “Cremation”. (There must be some story behind this!)
The 1926 Hopewell High School Class Day book (PDF) then lists the 27 class members, with their stoic class motto (“Honor lies in honest Toil”) and the class flower (white rose).
These classes graduated from the High School building in Hopewell Borough at the corner of Columbia and South Greenwood (the current firehouse and former Boro Hall), which was built in 1912. Then in 1929 the high school moved to the new Central High School in Pennington Borough.
And we have the program for the Central High School Class of 1932 production, “The Tightwad / A Comedy in Three Acts” (PDF). For history buffs, this has lots of display ads for local businesses in Hopewell and Pennington. Note the listings do have a few phone numbers (J. B. Hills in Hopewell is “phone 5”, but the Trenton Transit Co. is “2-3728”), but no street addresses.
== View the Municipal Pamphlets Collection for these and more ==
Also check out the Hopewell High School “Blue and Gold: Yearbook from 1917, as the U. S. entered World War I.
And there’s a summary of the history of the Hopewell schools in the 1926 Dedicatory Exercises for the new Hopewell Grammar School (PDF).
Thanks to Carol Kehoe of Hopewell Antiques for kindly sharing these materials.
More on Hopewell Valley Schools
Posts on school materials, including yearbooks, graduation programs, and plays.
- See also post on St. Michael’s Orphanage and School
Browse all School materials in the Image Album and Pamphlet Collection:
- Hopewell Schools History Posters – Hopewell Elementary School at the Harvest Fair
- Images – Hopewell Valley Schools Album – Class photos, classrooms, etc. (search by name, etc.)
- Pamphlets – Hopewell Valley Schools – Yearbooks, commencements, etc. (select by town, name, etc.)
Hopewell Valley Schools – History
- Post on Hopewell School Mascots – and the Frog – School names, mascots and logos
- Post on The Timberlane School Name – The Timberlane Drive development
- Post on Learning Your Letters – School Signs – Princeton High School (1919 / 1920)
- Post on Toll Gate and Hopewell Elementary School Centennials (2026)
Hopewell Borough Schools History – Grammar & High Schools
- Post on Hopewell Elementary School History – Hopewell Schools History posters
- Documents on Hopewell Borough Schools – Briefs and Posters
Hopewell Grammar School (Model Ave.) – 1888 – Posts & Materials
- Post on Model Ave. Grammar School Annex – Jewelry, invention, guitars, metalwork
- Post on c1912 Hopewell Grammar School Kids – Photos on Model Ave.
- Post on 1920s Hopewell Teachers – Scott & Scharring-Hausen
- Brief – Hopewell Grammar School Summary Brief (PDF)
- Brief – Hopewell Grammar School Annex Summary Brief (PDF)
Hopewell Elementary School (Princeton Ave.) – 1926 – Posts & Materials
- Post on the Hopewell Elementary School Centennial – history and additions
- Post on Hopewell Elementary School Class Plaques – 1926-1966 – Photos and names
- Post on 1941 Hopewell Elementary School Newspaper
- Post on 1952 Hopewell Elementary School – Graduation program and yearbook
- Pamphlets – 1956 Hopewell Elementary School “Hi-Lights” Newsletters
- Pamphlets – All Hopewell Elementary School Pamphlets – with yearbooks, graduation programs, newsletters
- Brief – Hopewell Elementary School Summary Brief (PDF)
Pennington Grammar School – Posts & Materials
- Post on 1950s Memories of Pennington – Mike Thomsen – Building evolution
Hopewell High School (Columbia Ave.) – 1910 – Posts & Materials
- Post on The Confusing Hopewell Firehouse – and Boro Hall and High School (1910)
- Post on 1917 Hopewell High School Yearbook – “Blue and Gold”
- Post on 1920s Hopewell High School – Commencement / Class Day books
- Post on 1924 Hopewell High School Program and Ads – Senior class play
- Post on 1927 Hopewell High School Diploma & Autograph Book
- Pamphlets – All Hopewell High School Pamphlets – with yearbooks, graduation programs, diploma
Hopewell Valley Central High School(s) (Pennington) – 1929 / 1958 – Posts & Materials
- Post on 1950s Memories of Pennington – Mike Thomsen – Buildings, school days
- Post on Central High School 1962 Practicum Report – School operations
- Post on Central High School 1961 Student Handbook – Rules & Clubs
- Post on Business Classes at Central High School, c. 1966 – Typing & bookkeeping
- Post on Central High School Class of 1966 – 2016 Reunion Scrapbook – Valley Images
- Post on Central High School Curriculum: 1962 & 1976 – Booklets
- Pamphlets – All Central High School Pamphlets – Yearbooks, graduation programs, curriculum
See also the Document Archive for additional historical school materials.
