J J Pearce High School - Mustang Yearbook (Richardson, TX)

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At one of the many evening rehear- sals some members of The Music Man cast perfect lines. CKalrlssonJ Okay, one more time, yelled the director. Whether you had to remember on your own or you were reminded by an- nouncements, you were required to be there. But rehearsals, although long and tedious, were worth the time and effort. The time and effort went into the many different types of rehear- sals. The marching and kazoo bands, as well as the flag corps, practiced before, during and after school and frequently even into the evenings. The musical, drama and senior play programs dedicated many long hours in the evenings. The choir woke up extra early to rehearse for competition. Throughout the year, the Paceset- ters also devoted many hours to rehearse for competition and the Pacesetter Review. No matter what the rehearsals were for, the students involved put in numerous hours of hard work and concentration. Senior Carolyn Skooglund liked rehears- ing for Pacesetters because she liked being a part of such a good organization. It's always worth the time and effort at the end, even though those hours could have been used for a part time job, homework or maybe just free time. What inspired these students to give up their valuable time? Senior Ion Zeitler felt that the time he sacrificed was worth it because it is important to be involved. And it was also a lot of fun. The desire to have a good performance and the fear of failure on stage, field and floor also gave these students the push they needed to do their best throughout every rehearsal for which the students sacrificed their time. CMorenoJ Tim Roberts watches band director Mr. Bennett in order to keep the band in unison. fOliverJ Rehearsals - Student Life 1 23

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Mike Shockney, Steve Angrisano, Evan Brown, and David Sumlin work to perfect their harmony for the quartet in The Music Man. QKarlssonQ Practicing the tee-pee step, Kim Williamson, Carolyn Skooglund, Laurie Cowen, and Lisa McCutcheon prepare for the Richardson halftime show. qninwiddiep 22 I Student Life - Rehearsals

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See you at the sock hop Friday night was a common phrase in the '50's. Young people didn't have as many movie theaters or eating establishments as they do today, therefore, a school dance played a big part in social activity. Recently, however, with the tremendous growth in our area, the high school dance has become almost extinct. In junior high, a school dance was a big thrill. It provided a chance for us to dress up and mingle with friends - especially members of the opposite sex. But as we got older and discovered cars and dating, the need for dances as a social activity greatly diminish- ed. We had other places - Chili's, parties, or the drive-in - where we could go. Aside from other social interests, the lack of sponsor enthusiasm aided in the decline of dance popularity. It was necessary for each dance to be backed by a school organization. But to hold a dance an organization went through a lot of red tape. First, per- mission was required from Mr. Lowder. Second, the student body had to be notified. And then, after setting the time, date, and deciding on the admission price, members of the sponsoring organization spent time creating an- nouncements and posters to advertise their dance. With the tremendous cost of hiring a band or disc jockey, it was important to attract as many students as possi- ble. On the big day, group members, parents, and other volunteers cleared the corral of tables and chairs to set up the sound equipment and make room to dance. This was time consuming and nerve racking. With odds seemingly against them, a few adventurous groups did sponsor dances. The senior class held the first dance of the year on Sept. 17. The band Bogus 24 f Student Life - Dances ot quite the old sock hop performed for those who wished to dance the night away. The cheerleaders also ventured in the dance direction. To raise money for decorating supplies, they spon- sored the Punk Plano dance. Mike Eriksen acted as disc jockey for the punkers who slammed to the new wave beat of such groups as the Clash and the B-52's. Although organizations spent desired. Because of poor attendance and lack of student and sponsor in- terest, the number of dances held decreased with each passing year Even though we didn't rely on dances to provide our weekend social activity, the sock hop will be looked back on as a high school their time organizing dances, stu- dent response to the effort was negative. The general attitude seemed to be that dances were bor- ing and not worth the students' time or money. Senior Greg Cox said he wouldn't attend dances even if we had more. He said he's just not interested. The music was bad, and the dance was bor- ing, Ion Zeitler said of one of the dances he attended. And sophomore Karen Welch said that Pearce dances left a little to be Enjoying a slow dance, Lisa Mamot and Scott Monaghan relax and wind down after a long week. CDrakeJ At the Homecoming dance, Randy Bullard buys tickets rom Mr. Benson for himself and Kristin Schults. Q tradition. fBlankenshipJ K