Lisa Glorioso
Contributor
The Chronicle-News

Echoes from the archives

Long before smartphones and TikTok, Trinidad High School students shared their hopes, jokes and daily struggles on the printed pages of the “Piñon” yearbooks.

Volumes from 1911 to 1913, now preserved in the Trinidad Carnegie Public Library’s collection, offer a spirited and beautifully human snapshot of teenage life in a rapidly changing world.

The very first “Piñon” (1911) celebrated a major milestone: the dedication of Trinidad High School’s brand-new building — a point of community pride that marked a bold step toward modern education. During the dedication ceremony, architect W.M. Rapp formally presented the keys to the president of the school board, symbolizing the transfer of this state-of-the-art facility to the students and community. Students proudly described the spacious facility, fireproof construction, and specialized classrooms for science and domestic arts — evidence of a town deeply invested in its future.

But perhaps the true heart of these yearbooks lies in the 1912 volume’s “Diary of a 1912 School Girl.” This whimsical, handwritten-style narrative covers 1908 to 1911 and offers an unfiltered look into the daily thoughts and moods of a Trinidad student — remarkably relatable even 112 years later.

She wonders about the purpose of exams, dreams of longer vacations, and humorously analyzes the March wind. One entry reads:

“I learned in Physiography that this terrible wind is due to the confliction of air currents. It seems to me to be more like a regular game of football between the elements, only neither can win because there are no freshman on either team.”

She rejoices over breaks, questions classroom rules, and shares excitement for school events; feelings as alive today as they were then. These diary pages remind us that, despite technological and cultural changes, the core of the student experience — anticipation, restlessness, humor, and hope — transcends time.

The “Piñon” volumes also brim with playful “want ads,” inside jokes, and class predictions.

Student want ads from the ‘Piñon’

• “Wanted: Some nice girl that some better looking fellow won’t take away. — Mike.”

• “Wanted: Mr. Minton to be more charitably inclined. — Physics Class.”

• “Wanted: Everyone to study in Room 31, fourth period. — Miss Roberts.”

Beyond simple nostalgia, these yearbooks document a community’s pride in its expanding school and its commitment to education. They show us a group of young people finding their voices, teasing each other, and taking joy in small moments — exactly as students do today.

Together, the 1911 to 1913 “Piñon” yearbooks are more than dusty volumes on a shelf; they are vibrant time capsules of human spirit, laughter, and dreams echoing across generations. These yearbooks remind us that while styles and slang may change, the heart of being young — and the wind of March — never truly does.