Illustration of a university building with black and white text

"The State University of Iowa" is the legal name of the University of Iowa (or UI, a name approved for everdy usage in 1964 by its Board of Regents). UI was founded in Iowa City, Iowa on February 25, 1847, just 59 days after Iowa was admitted to the Union, and was the oldest university in Iowa. 

The building featured on the button was the Old Capital Building, built in 1840 as the main government building for the state of Iowa. The building became the University’s first permanent building in 1857 when the state legislature moved to Des Moines, and it has since stood as the most prominent landmark at the center of the campus. Besides its National Historic Landmark status for its Greek Revival style, the building was also historically intriguing for that President Abraham Lincoln was eulogized on its steps on April 19, 1865.

Red text on a white stripe across the middle of the button on a red background

Saint Joseph’s Notre Dame is a private, Catholic high school located in Alameda, California. The school was originally the two separate entities of Saint Joseph’s, originally a Marianist missionary that founded a boy’s high school in 1935, and Notre Dame, a girl’s school founded in the late 19^th century. In 1960 Notre Dame High School was opened as a parochial school, which became consolidated into a single co-ed facility in 1985. The high school is one of the few in the world to have a basilica, given in 1972 by Pope Paul VI.

Illustration of an arm shooting a bow and arrow and a head wearing a feathered headdress and yellow stars on a white background with green and yellow outer rings and green text

Lane Technical College Prep High School located in Chicago, Illinois, was founded in 1908. Lane Tech is one of nine selective enrollment schools, requiring all applicants to pass entrance exams before attending the school. The campus has an enrollment of just over 4,000 students, grades 7-12. Lane Tech's colors are green and gold, and their mascot is the Indians (which has been much debated in recent years, but still remains unchanged).

Shoot for the Stars is most likely a reference to a statue located on Lane Tech’s campus. The statue, “Shooting the Stars”, is of the school’s mascot pointing a bow and arrow upward toward the sky. The statue was created to honor Lane Tech students who died fighting in World War II. It is also most likely referring to the school’s many honor and awards in both academics and athletics, encouraging students to “shoot for the stars”.

Illustration of a eagle with its wings spread and black text on a yellow background

Robert Frost Elementary is located at 3444 West 4400 South West Valley City, Utah.  The school was built in the 1970's and services children in grades kindergarten through sixth grade.  The school is named after American poet, Robert Lee Frost.  The school's mascot is the Eagle.

Yellow illustration of an owl with text on either side on a blue background with an outer yellow edge with blue text on it

Public School 33 Edward M. Funk School is located in Queens, NY. It enrolls over 1,000 students in grades K-5 and is one of over 800 public elementary schools in New York City. Their mission is to promote academic excellence and social responsibility. G.O. is short for "General Organization", a student government club that was once offered at the school.

P.S. 33 was renamed "Edward M. Funk School" after Edward Funk, the long-time principal of the school, who died in 1996 after coming to the aid of a friend whose home was invaded by teenagers trying to steal a car in the driveway.

Blue text on a white background with blue above and below

Poughkeepsie High School is located in Poughkeepsie, New York. The school is the only high school in its school district and has approximately 1,100 students with 87 teachers.

Yellow text on a blue background

The monogram on this button is the University of Notre Dame's most recognizable logo. It represents the spirit of the University, and is therefore used in many communities. It is used to represent academics. There are different variations of the ND monogram, all of which incorporate the N and D to be overlying one another. The phrase on the button, "Makes the Difference," expresses that the spirit of Notre Dame makes the difference. 

The blue and yellow colors represent the University of Notre Dame. The school's original school colors can be traced back to it's time of founding, 1842. The yellow symbolizes the light and the blue symbolizes the truth. In 1879, the yellow was changed to gold when the campus' main building was rebuilt. The gold color was in honor of the new building's gilded golden domed roof. These colors are mainly used to represent the school's football team. 

Illustration of a white treble clef on a blue background with white text and a white banner across the middle with blue text

Nashville School of Music was located in Nashville, Tennessee near the Grand Ole Opry. The School was for “artists, singers, performers, songwriters, and engineers" of all ages. Through the summer and fall sessions, students took 45 classes in small, personal session that were taught by expert instructors and industry professionals. The School is no longer open.

Faded white text on a green outer edge and on a brown stripe

Starting in September 1900, the Minneapolis Journal gave out Junior souvenir buttons to the young contributors of the "Junior Journal" section, who had published their first article in the journal, but didn't win a prize or an "honorable mention."

The Minneapolis Journal was founded by Clarence A. French, Charles H. Stevens, and Frank E. Curtis and began publishing on November 26, 1878 as the Evening Journal. The Journal covered news within Minneapolis as well as Saint Paul, the state, and the nation. The newspaper began a “Junior Journal” section on Saturdays for young readers in 1898, highlighting writing and artwork of the schoolchildren from Minneapolis, greater Minnesota, and Northwestern states including Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan, Montana, and Nebraska. 

Blue and red text on an outer white rim with a blue and red ying yang symbol in the center of the button

Martin Van Buren High School (MVBHS) is a public high school in Queens Village, New York. MVBHS opened in 1955 as the East Queens High School but was later renamed after the eighth President of the United States, Martin Van Buren. Their colors are red and blue, and their mascot is the bee.

This button was most likely worn by seniors, perhaps for the graduating class of 1969, since the yin and yang symbol in the center of the button could also be a depiction of the year '69.