Air Academy High School - Vapor Trails Yearbook (USAF Academy, CO)

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118 All Play And No Work Leaves Today's students learn many things outside traditional, structured class- rooms. Having a job, for in- stance, is a valuable learning ex- perience, but it can also take up time intended for homework. Bal- ancing a job and school can be tricky, but most students felt it was well worth the effort. With unemployment at an all- time high, there were a limited number of jobs available to a high school student, and mini- mum wage was usually all an employee could expect, and to save for gas money or a car, col- lege, or just the weekends, stu- dents had to put in a lot of hours. Students got different things out of working. Mala Wakin, a life- guard and swimming instructor at the Community Center Pool, said she felt her job taught her respon- sibility. People relied on me and put their confidence in me. lt was very rewarding to know people trusted me. Mary Jo Rykovich, a waitress and dishwasher at the Royal Fork, said she liked her work because it gave her a chance to meet different peo- ple. Bob Willis' reason for enjoy- ing his work as a bagger at Al- bertson's was not so honorable. l like to watch all the good-looking girls who go grocery shopping. Studying was hard to do after a long working day, and some- times grades had to suffer. Mary Jo explained that When l get home so late, it's hard to stay up to do homework, and my grades went down because of my job. Although Mala said she felt her job was rewarding, it also took a lot of time away from doing homework. l'm often up until 1:00 in the morning doing home- work.

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,.c. Q A A AX -+1 Even without looking at the clock, students could tell it was time for AC- AD-IM-Y period by the smell of popcorn throughout A Building. As part of their involvement in DECA, students worked in the Kadet Store selling drinks, candy, popcorn and school sup- plies. Although there was always a long line in front of the store, Lori Campbell managed to smile as she helped students keep up their energy for lectures and tests. Grades were sometimes a less-than-serious matter. Kathy Howard and Mr. Scott Davis joke during AC-AD-IM-Y period Ctopj. The half an hour after third hour was a good time to finish up homework. Carol Foster, Karen Conover, Jeni Shoptaugh and Meg Noonan do some last- minute studying in the upper cafeteria Cbot- 3 2 Q l . 5 Q tomb. 1 17 Student Life

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A Kadet Empty-Handed sf Frying hamburgers and pouring drinks may not be the most exciting way to spend a weekend, but for Paul Rising it was the most effective way to a car. Paul .worked at Arnold Hall to save enough money to buy a Camaro. and found it to be both hard work and rewarding. Rock groups like Molly Hatchet and Tom Petty perform here and we cook for them. Meeting a lot of people was fun, but it was a lot of hard work, too, he said. Unlike most students, Paul encoun- tered no conflicts of interests between his job and school. I only worked on weekends so it didn't interfere with my homework. Putting up with tired feet and impo- tient customers made students realize that nothing worth having comes easily, and earning that weekly paycheck was harder than it seemed. 1 19 Student Life