HILLSDALE—Hillsdale’s eighth-grade graduating class numbered 28 when this commencement photo was snapped in June 1935.
The kids attended what was then called the Hillsdale Public School. Located at Hillsdale and Magnolia avenues, this facility for kindergarten through eighth grade was the only school in town. Their principal was Mr. George G. White, for whom the school would be named years later.
The graduation ceremony took place on June 19, 1935. The speaker was Mr. Clair S. Wightman, supervisor of practice teaching at the New Jersey State Normal School in Paterson. That school, which at the time exclusively trained teachers, is now William Paterson University.
A few days before commencement the Hillsdale Parent Teacher Association threw a party at the school for the graduates. With tables set in the class colors of green and white, the kids enjoyed games, danced to the radio, sang songs, and one student played solos on the harmonica. There was cake and ice cream with chocolate sauce.
Each graduate left with a souvenir: a fancy fountain pen.
It would be 20 more years before Hillsdale had a high school in town. These kids were off to Park Ridge High School in September.