Barbe High School - Les Memoires Yearbook (Lake Charles, LA)

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The heat of the summer sun had burned away the black mood left by the spring's tax defeat. The sounds of the now-distant doomsday barely echoed over shouts of laughter and greetings as the first hour bell called students to class August 29. But at classroom doors, the sight of 40 odd warm-bodies spilling over into the hall brought it all back. Seven teachers had been cut, including a coach, a librarian and a guidance counselor. Those who were spared, scrambled to find desks for overcrowded classes and shrank their budgets to fit smaller salaries. Assistant principals Marianne DiGigiia and Denton Heinrich picked up an English and a math class to help lighten class loads. Coaches put down basketballs, whistles and ping-pong paddles to pick up rulers, chalk and lesson plans. Signs chanting Baseball, hot dogs and apple pie cropped up at pep rallies as players lamented the loss of their sport. Copy machines, with less fluid and paper, turned out fewer pages. Students went back to copying from the board. As the sun set on that first Friday of school, optimism slipped over the horizon and pessimism dawned. Was there no answer to lighten the load? NO ROOM AT THE INN. Mrs. Jean Barker’s first hour English IV class felt the cutbacks first hand. Losing seven teachers resulted in the elimination of some classes all together or at times as many as 36 -49 were enrolled in a single class. Opening — 3

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THE PRINCIPAL ELEMENT. The cutback in teacher number was the most noticeable low. Coaches picked up classroom loads, teachcrx were scheduled in their minor fields, and administrators went back to the trenches. Stephanie Dubea. freshman, gets advice before turning in her assignment for Vice Principal Marianne DiGiglia's third hour English I class. THE BIG CHILL. A computer was one item the School Board bought to try to overcome the lack of money. One of its purposes was to regulate the air conditioners, but for the first few weeks of school it was actually accomplishing the opposite. Ms. Gwen Lancon's fourth hour French I class felt the chill as they wore coats and gloves in class and then stripped them off for the 85-90 degree weather outside. 2 — Opening

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 A Specific time and date couldn't be pinpointed. Anyway you figured, a plain or simple answer only explained it halfway. Maybe it was the feeling of being special that began to sparkle in the eyes of the assistant principal's students. Or the camaraderie that developed among too-close neighbors in over stuffed rooms. Then there was the pride, unmistakable in the voices of faculty members who had sacrificed, coped, and were feeling better for it. The feeling peaked, creeped and sneaked its way into every face and facet of campus life. Then it snowballed. Before the eyes of an unbelieving community, the team ranked last in pre-season predictions reeled off one victory after another till the ultimate win was theirs — the 4-AAAA District Football Championship. Coachless and penniless, baseball players and their parents held an organizational rally October 18 and lined out fund raisers to net the required $4000 to reinstate the ole ballgame. Five weeks, one street drive, a hotdog and cake sale, and two raffles later, they dusted off home plate and someone yelled, Play Ball!” The student councils got the fever, too. Changing the method of election to generate more participation, the groups spurred a renewal of student body interest. A crowded fun filled Homecoming week was the result. We had found our pot of gold. It couldn't be put in the bank or buy back what had been lost. But it sustained us and raised us to a level of determination no defeat would destroy. We were going to be better than best.” There was nothing halfway about it. SPACE CASE. Homecoming Week's Bizarre Day was one filled with wild plaids, tough gang members, and of course those uniquely unusual punk rockers. Dressing was limited only by one's imagination and courage. Kim Crater, junior, lets her real personality shine on the senior's dress up day. MIXED EMOTIONS. Report card day, dreaded by some, anticipated by others, arrives on time regardless. Most students are forced to live with butterflies in their stomachs on this controversial day, some nraying desperately for honor roll while others would kill for a D.'' Damon Crycr and Todd Cooley, juniors, compare their grades they earned the first six weeks during homeroom period. 4-----Opening