Munster High School - Paragon Yearbook (Munster, IN)

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STUDENTS WERE NOT the only ones forced to adapt to the changes. Families and friends waited anxiously for 444 days until the Iranian government released the 52 hostages. THREE ENGLISH CLASSES crowded on the audito- rium stage as administrators scrambled for alterna- tive classroom space CIRCUMSTANCES SIMILAR TO that of a college campus arose as classes were relocated in Middle school following the fire. With the extra distance between classes students were given 15 minutes passing time, rather than the usual 7. WITH THE USE of all available space in the South Building, students had to budget their socializing time in order to make it through suicide corner , and still arrive to class on time. AFTER HAVING TO evacuate their North Building lockers, some students carried knapsacks. Still oth- ers. including junior Tim Markowicz, found a friend in the South Building who would share his already crowded locker. 6 Taking it in stride AFTER FIRE DELAYS, rain, and weeks of prepara- tion, the Junior Class still managed to complete Tony in time for float judging, in which he was pro- nounced the winner. AS SEVERAL CLASSES were relocated in the South Building, seniors Gary Peterson and Kurt Ha- lum found Speech I class a little more relaxed in the teacher ' s lounge.

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SECOND FLOOR AUDIO-VISUAL and special edu cational equipment was destroyed and the East and West lecture halls damaged by the intensity of the fire. This weakened the building ' s structure. AS THE FIRE burned on, Mrs. Phyllis Braun, senior counselor, and Mrs. Stephanie Casey, English teacher, salvaged senior records from the smoke blackened guidance offices. CLEAN-UP WORKERS found some time for amuse- ment, while accomplishing the task of rejuvenating smoke and water damaged facilities. IN A MASS of hoses, firemen battle the smoldering ,|r « contained within the library area. It took firemen 1 hour and 45 minutes to control the fire, which occurred on the last day of Fire Prevention Week and the night of the Fireman ' s Ball. WITH OILY SOOT clinging to the walls, a clock in the old common ' s area records the exact time the fire burned out the electrical system. $1,000 IN CASH was offered by the Hammond Na- tional Insurance Company to anyone bearing infor- mation leading to the arrest and conviction of the arsonist(s). IN THE AFTERMATH of the fire, early bird workers showed up Sunday morning to salvage as much equipment as possible from the ruins. Among equip- ment recovered from the second floor collapse was the all familiar Hospice sign and some cages which had formerly housed biology mice. Taking it in stride 5

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Distant ‘normal’ nears as students adjust “Normal” seemed so far away, espe- cially after the fire and construction prob- lems confronted students. Danger Keep Out” signs, however, didn’t prevent stu- dents from taking it in stride. On Thursday, when students returned, they had to go out of their way to avoid the North Building. Some had to transport the contents of their North Building lock- ers into their friend ' s lockers in the South Building, while others were forced to car- ry their books in bags or knapsacks. Upon entering the building, mobs of stu- dents stampeded to the lists showing the new room locations. Once arriving at the designated class areas, make-shift desks and materials were provided for student use. Socializ- ing during class time was cut down in or- der to accommodate the five classes be- ing held in the auditorium. Besides crowding into every available space in the South Building, administra- tors had to move some classes to the middle school. Students were given a 15 minute passing period, rather than the usual 7, to compensate for the longer walk. Since they had to walk outside, stu- dents made a habit of wearing their coats all day long. The coats not only protected them from the damp weather, but also from the coldness contained within the classroom. Even students whose classes were not relocated were still affected, as they had to adapt to crowded hallways and lockers. These disturbances added to the al- ready existing construction and opening hassles. With a delay in supply ship- ments, athletic facilities were behind schedule, forcing teams to find alterna- tive locations for practice and competi- tion. Volleyball team members looked to the middle and elementary schools for practice sessions. These girls, as well as soccer and track team members, jour- neyed more than usual as a result of no home meets. Besides these problems, team members had to cheer each other on to make-up for the low fan turnout. Gazing about inside or outside the building, one could find 1507 determined students attempting to take the year in stride. Taking it in stride 7