Halifax County High School - Haliscope Yearbook (South Boston, VA)

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Eighth Grade Students Not Sure of Destination But Are ‘On the Way’ David Canada ' s mind wanders from his science classroom work. By Gary Walton The world of an eighth grader was filled with excitement and confusion. Each of us was thrust into a world very strange to us, con¬ taining an enormous mass of people, and it seemed that everyone knew his way perfectly except us. We felt so small and insignificant that we just kept our mouths shut and our eyes and ears open until we found out a little of what was going on. But after a few weeks the novelty wore off and it was just the same old grind almost. Even though after a while it just seemed to be school, most of us were beginning to realize that this was different from any of the elementary grades. Students had to put away all their childish practices for we were sup¬ posed to be too old for juvenile things. In place of our westerns and mysteries we had a very fine selection of novels and historical books. A well-stacked paperback rack re¬ placed Mad and other comics. As we got used to one new idea in high school, along came something else to confine us. Paying attention in class was of even greater importance than in the seventh grade, and we got used to new standards of grading —six, in fact. All the time we were expected to act more and more grown up, maybe even civil. Sometimes in the lower grades we could get by without listening in class by cramming before tests; but now we learned that we had to be on our toes every minute, picking up scraps of information which might be of use later on. Work had to be done without any putting off because we had lots of homework every night with no time to make up pest as¬ signments.

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really felt bad about them; but there seemed to be an unknown force compelling them to forget about the books and concentrate on the car. There were, of course, colorful moments in a freshman ' s life. This was the year in which we gained self-confidence and felt at ease with the in group of upperclassmen. We also had the remarkable experience of being able to look down on a class. We were vet¬ erans; we told the eighth graders what to do; they did it. We experienced the gay moments of Topsy- Turvy and the class assembly. Many freshmen experienced a feeling of hope just before the Junior-Senior Prom—hope that we might be able to attend this gala affair with a junior or senior. By attending this dance we proved to the school that we were really in with the crowd. Surely our freshman year was one of many rewards, but we are looking forward to the next year and the year after that and the year after that, because we know that our freshman year was the beginning of an adven¬ ture worth remembering. The life of a freshman during the 1964-65 term had many interesting events. As usual, it contained pressures as well as high points in our lives, but it also contained a type of in¬ describable emotion or feeling. On the first day of school, we sat in our homerooms tense with fear. We feared that we might not get the teacher that we wanted because we knew a tough year was ahead of us; and depending on the teacher, we might not enjoy it. Most of us enjoyed those first few days, meeting old friends and making new friends; but we all knew that play would soon end and we would start in on the old grind of schoolwork. For most of us, the grind began too early, far too early, but we went along with it. As each six week ' s period passed, we all felt that the weeks were growing longer and our aca¬ demic pressures mounting. -Not only that, this was the year in which we came of age to re¬ ceive our driving permits. Receiving our per¬ mit was like giving a baby an opened bottle of arsenic. Some students got carried away with the new toy ; consequently, their grades dropped. These students, many of whom were aware of their languid grades, 15

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' K-tte LimooD of OUP ECO VOAfy YESTERDAY TODAY TOMORROW With all of this to get used to, it was no wonder eighth graders were full of school spirit. We participated with interest in almost any school activity; and although we took little active part in athletics, eighth graders were probably the most loyal rooters and sup¬ porters at the games. By the end of our first high school year, eighth graders were becoming pretty much at ease. We had experienced one exam period and had some idea of what to expect in June. Many of the teachers whom we once feared most were now our good friends and the amaz¬ ing thing was that we were actually beginning to learn something from all those often long, dull assignments. We began to plan for four more years of high school, with the help and guidance of our teachers. At the moment, we aren ' t quite sure where we are going, but here we come. Exhibits made by agricultural students were on display at an open house and at the county fair. Art teacher, Miss Sally Ardrey, interprets eighth grader Danny Crosby ' s painting. Projectionist David Schwemer prepares to show a film. 17