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

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Lawn play. In the spring Debbie Harris and Debra Lowery enjoy frisbee during lunch. When the weather is nice, students prefer the lawn to the lobby for their free moments. Holiday elevation. Scott Parson and Thomas Chappell are just two of the “ballet dancers” in the Drama Club skit at the Christmas Assembly. Being together 15

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Being together isn’t paranoid Morning spot. Just about every morning, Hugh Carr, Kip Carter and Jean Brandon claim their spot on the main floor landing. : Two from “Grease.” On “Fifties Day” Tim Humphries and Kathy Holt decided they would be John Travolta and Olivia Newton John. Lunch talk. The front lawn during lunch break is a perfect time for Alma Dixon, Pam Coleman and Christine Hughes to discuss the morning’s events. 14 Being together Are the people of HCSH paranoid? As a psychologist studying group behavior in adolescents, | was sent (under- cover, of course) to investigate the school. Day 1: | walked down the lobby into an area with benches and a water fountain. At first | thought all the seats were taken, but then | spied a space at the end of one bench. | plopped down among the other guys and hoped to blend in with the crowd. | was soon discouraged, however. “Hey, who are you anyway?” one of the youths growled. “Everyone knows that this bench is for our group, and you're sitting in Mike's space!” Seeing another of the group restraining a guy of football-player-sized propor- tions and saying to him, “Calm down, Mike.” | mumbled hasty apologies and ran down the hall. Taking a hasty refuge in a classroom, | was startled to see a group of girls already there. “Hey, who are you anyway?” one of them growled. Don't you know that our group always meets here before 8:45 ” Muttering that | didn't know, | dashed out into the hall. Things continued normally until lunch, one meal that | will never forget. | observed carefully how the students had scattered to different parts of the cafeteria, and | picked a few likely spots to sit down. At first | just sat, but | received so many looks of disgust from my neighbor that | moved. “May I ” | asked as | pulled out a chair at the next table. “Why, thank you,” a voice behind me said and the girl it belonged to settled herself in my intended seat. At the next table, | clarified myself. “May | sit here?” | said graciously. “No.” the guy said equally sweetly. “Joe always sits there.” I finally met with luck at the next table. “May | sit here?” | asked a timid-looking soul. “Sure,” she said. “Are you sure it isn’t saved for someone?” | asked. (Continued on page 16) 4

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(Continued) “Well, Jane usually sits there but she got mono yesterday.” “Never mind,” | sighed. An assembly was scheduled for fifth period, and | began to worry about where to sit. | got to the gym early and picked out a seat in the center | section. A nervous looking boy approached me and asked un- easily, “Hey, does Billy know you?” | wasn’t about to move again, so | said, “Sure.” “Well, that’s a relief. | gotta keep this section reserved for our crowd. But if you know Billy, you're O,K.” | saw my “friend” from this morning approaching with his 16 Being together friend Mike. “Here comes Billy and Mike,’ my companion said. 7h ob Here are my observations of the school: 1. Students groups together before and after school. 2. Students save seats in the lunch room, at assemblies, etc. 3. Students defend their group territory from invasion. All of these things are per- fectly normal for peer- conscious teens who feel they must conform. HCSH is not paranoid. Strange? Maybe. Dance time. What better place than a dance for being together. Penny Ewell, Denoris Leigh and Linda Logan rock away. Party time. In the cafeteria Dawn Yeatts, Kenny Martin and Philip Saunders celebrate Kenny’s birthday. Lobby time. Thomas Thaxton and Ivan Younger use the few minutes after lunch to check out the girls hurrying by on their way to class.