Clearwater High School - Aqua Clara Yearbook (Clearwater, FL)

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What ' s These machines make the complex simple NEW WITH.. by Lee Meddin and Sue Espey P eople play games on them. Tron races in them. Students do homework with them. Professionals manage businesses with them. This story was word processed on one of them. What is the magical wonder that can perform so many amazing tasks? It’s the microcomputer, of course! These small, desk top and portable computers performed many tasks which were beneficial to almost every one of every age. Students used these microcomputers for many purposes, ranging from education to recreation to making money writing their own programs. Mike Meehan, a junior, wrote game programs and sold them to software companies. Hands-on training was available at school in the computer math and data processing classes. In the computer math classes, eleven microcom- puters were available for students’ use. Mr. Mi- chael Way, teacher of computer math, remark- ed, “This is one of the most beneficial classes for any student to take. In this class, students learn how to use the computer and write their own programs.” Computers at school served students’ needs in many ways. In the guidance office, students found they had the option of two computers to use. The CHOICES computer helped students make career decisions. Students first went to Mr. Napier and filled out a CHOICES booklet. Then they entered that into the computer, and out of 956 careers, all but 20 to 25 were elimi- nated. The Guidance Information System gave out all information on 1,775 four year colleges, 1800 two year colleges, 1500 graduate schools, and 875 different careers. Roxanne Robbins stated, “As a peer facilitator, I occasionally help students obtain college and career information from the computers.” Computers were located virtually all over the school. One in the dean’s office kept attendance records. Schedules were stored in the records office. Activity director, Mr. Harold Reddick, used his Apple lie computer to make his compli- cated job easier. Aqua Clara even purchased an Apple lie to help with bookkeeping. Jordan Knurr, a junior said, “Two years ago my father bought a computer to help with the household financing. Until recently, I had never really used it or had an interest in it. Now I use it almost daily for games, math homework, word processing, and writing my own programs.” A new club was even formed by Mr. Anderson for Commodore computer users. Members of the Clearwater Commodore Computer Club ex- changed information and programs on the Com- modore computer. They compiled a user’s group tape library and hoped to plan and write other programs. Computers suddenly became a thing of the present, not of the future. More and more stu- dents and their families had purchased comput- ers for many different reasons. From word pro- cessing an essay to keeping track of the ac- counts at a major bank, computers performed simple and complex tasks which eased the lives of all who utilized these wondrous machines. Aqua Clara uses their new Apple lie for bookkeep- ing, indexing, and processing stories. Sonja Davis inputs records of yearbook sales. 20 Computers

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While celebrating the end of exams at the Superbowl dance, Diane Johnson and Sheila Furton pass the time by jokingly dancing with each other. To keep up with what might be occurring in the world, Eric Egdorf reads a copy of George Orwell’s 1984. . . . on 1984 B ig Brother is watching you? Have some of Americans deepest, darkest fears, mirrored in George Orwell’s warning to mankind 1984, shown their faces on our planet in this prediction of doom? Tens of millions have read it, in 62 languages. It is the story of Winston Smith, a minor bureau- crat in the totalitarian state of Oceania. There exist only two other superpowers, besides Ocea- nia, and war among the three is constant. The patterns of hostility and alliances keep chang- ing. There exists no such thing as privacy — everything is monitored — even one’s very thoughts. There are no relationships — babies are born at the bottom of a long glass tube. Has the Orwellian theory come to pass? Are we heading toward the way of life he suggests in this novel? “I don’t think everything said is going to become Orwell reality but some things have — There are major super powers now, test-tube babies and some censorship. If something as major as what Orwell warned of is going to happen it would have happened already.” — Ben Branan “I believe in a sense that the government has in fact taken on the role of ‘big brother’. Since Orwell’s time, the prejudice against communism has grown with the common people, but year by year the government regulates more of the American middle class citizen’s life.” — Arlene Collette “None of it is really valid or probable because most Americans are too free-willed and would not tolerate a world such as he explained. They would rebel against it.” — Paul Hazel ▼ 1984 19 S. Espey

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C. Thompson