Judith Burrows Petersen scrapbook

Judith Lorraine Burrows Petersen attended the John D. Pierce School in Marquette, MI. Graduating from the John D. Pierce High School as part of the Class of 1954, Mrs. Petersen was on the Honor Roll for maintaining a scholastic average of "B" or better throughout her enrollment in high school.

Her involvement in school activities started in 1948 with her position of Jokes Editor for the Pierce Journal. The Pierce Journal was established to give college students and teachers who did not have the opportunity to visit the Training School a look at the type of work that was being done by each of the grades. It also served to show students in other classrooms within the school what the other classes were doing. Judith continued her writing when she became the Feature Writer for the John D. Pierce School newspaper, Chit-Chat, during the 1949 and 1950 school years. The Chit-Chat was a school newspaper written and printed by the 8th grade. The idea for the paper came from an item left in the 8th grade suggestion box. With the first edition being released on November 10, 1949. She represented the John D. Pierce School in both the 2nd Annual Northern Scholastic Press conference and the Upper Peninsula Scholastic Journalism Conference. Judith was a member of the John D. Pierce School Spelling Bee Team with school mates Robert Samuelson, Judy Salminen, Julee Ann Weston, and Zaiga Barnaks.

Mrs. Petersen expanded her creativity with her participation in the performing arts while attending John D. Pierce School. In November 1949, she was the Assistant Director and a performer in the 8th grade puppet show production of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." With classmates Lyla Riopelle and Shirley Carlson, Judith co-hosted and performed as part of the "Pierce Party Radio Show" that was broadcast on WDMJ Radio on November 10, 1950. She went on to perform in the Local Speech Festivals that were held at Northern Michigan College of Education; performing a Narrative Reading of "Bill's Little Girl' by Zona Gale and a selection of Lyrical Poetry entitled, " Go Down, Death." In November 1953, she portrayed Joan Wood in the John D. Pierce High School Senior Class production of "The Little Dog Laughed." Judith played violin in the John D. Pierce High School Orchestra, sang soprano in the John D. Pierce High School Chorus, and was the Secretary for the John D. Pierce High School Art Class in 1952.

Mrs. Petersen was a member of the Future Homemakers of America (FHA), a member of Girl Scout Troop 23, and attended the Red Cross Home Nursing Course offered at the Northern Michigan College of Education taught by Ada Vielmetti.