Munster High School - Paragon Yearbook (Munster, IN)

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Competition Rivalry only begins with the Trojans H ighland Trojans. Al- though these words ap- pear innocent, they ini- tiate competitive feelings when stated near a loyal Mustang en- thusiast. The 15-year Munster- Highland competition, whether it is the never-ending “Battle of the Bridge,” or during athletic meets, is only one example of rivalry. Rivalry, which according to the American Heritage Diction- ary, is the act of competing or emulating,” may be encoun- tered in routine daily activities. For instance, most anyone would despise an icy cold shower in the morning because a sister took the first and only hot shower, or a Saturday night spent at home because brother Joe had taken the only car. Junior Chris Koman exper- ienced sibling rivalry early in the morning because she has two sisters. “It was very difficult to get ready for school because one of my sisters was always in the shower or wearing my clothes.” Rivalry did not only exist “be- hind closed doors,” it contin- ued at school between classes, activities, and other schools. I would say that between the ju- niors and seniors there was the most obvious class rivalry,” ex- plained Senior Class President Mark Luberda. “The freshmen are too confused about what is going on and the sophomores are hesitant to ' let it all hang out. ' ” Class rivalry also had ef- fects on school spirit. ‘‘The classes were so concerned with outdoing the other class,” for example Homecoming “WE DO IT all for you,” proclaims McDonalds while its rival Burger King allows customers to have it their way. As a McDonald ' s employee, senior Johnette Gates assumes the rivalry be- tween employees of Burger King and McDonalds. floats, “they forgot about school spirit,” illustrated Stu- dent Body President Ed Gomez. Although Paragon and Crier are both school publications found in the “Pub,” they too, have an ongoing rivalry. Al- though “there are two separate staffs, they were always trying to outdo each other in quality and messing around,” said Mrs. Nancy Hastings, Publications Director. “I always tried to dis- courage rivalry which was the reason for one set of photogra- phers,” added Mrs. Hastings. The Munster-Highland rivalry has accomplished more than the continuous color change of “the bridge” in the last 15 years. According to Ed, it has contributed to the unified school spirit. “The rivalry brings a climax to our sports season and something to look forward to. I believe that there is a rivalry between Munster and Highland because the towns are so similar, therefore no one town feels too confident, and spirit builds in this situa- tion,” he explained. Rivalry, whether it was over a bridge, a car or class spirit, of- ten took place even when the Highland Trojans were not men- tioned. 16 Rivalry

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more Karen DeCola, freshmen Mary Kay Capp and Emily Sett- ing also tied as class prin- cesses. Following the crowning, float winners were announced. The bleachers sounded with tri- umph as the junior float of Tony the Tiger ' s “Munster is Grreat, captured first place. The seniors, losing by one point, took second place with “Dig ' Em a Grave.” The sopho- mores settled for third place with Milton the Toaster’s slo- gan “Burn ’Em.” One float judge, Mrs. Ruth Stout, art teacher explained, the floats were much harder to grade this year because they were really close. For example, where one class may have ex- celled in coloring, another may have excelled in construction.” Afterwards, floats were tak- en off the field and dismantled at a nearby dump site. Freshmen were busy depict- ing Kellogg’s characters during the week-long activities. Deco- rations were posted in the cafe- teria Saturday morning for the dance held Saturday night. Once Snap, Crackle and Pop were on the walls, the freshmen appeared, dressed as an as- sortment of characters, to serve for the dance. “Overall the dance was real- ly fun; the band was great and the decorations showed a lot of hard work on the part of the freshmen,” said senior Jeanine Gozdecki. Like the saying goes, “it nev- er rains, but it pours.” This say- ing applied to many aspects of Homecoming, yet junior Elyse Grossman summed it up best by saying, “despite all the compli- cations with Homecoming, I still think it’s safe to say that overall it was a ‘grreat’ Homecoming.” AT $7 A couple, Homecoming tickets were more than a piece of paper. They were an entry into freshmen ' s version of Kellogg ' s world. HOMECOMING DECORATIONS IN- CLUDE crepe paper, posters, and bal- loons which require the full force of freshman Abby Labowitz’s lungs. SUDDEN EXCITEMENT OVERCOMES Marisa Gederian upon hearing her name announced as the Homecoming queen while escort senior Jonathan Mintz looks on. Homecoming 15

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ATTEMPTING TO DROWN out the rival Junior Class during the Highland Pep Rally, spirited seniors answer to the cheerleaders ' call of “What ' s our Sen- ior Battle Cry?” The assembly was held on the football field due to the field- house construction. SCHOOL SPIRIT IS at its peak before the Munster-Highland football game. Senior Nick Pokrifcak, Mustang Tri- Captain, assures the student body, at the Highland Pep Rally, that victory is near. The 12-0 Mustang triumph reas- sured the loyal fans. AS THE BELL rings, groups of girls rush toward the nearest bathroom only to wait in line for the ever-popular mirror in order to attract the hunk in the next hour class. MUSTANG-TROJAN RIVALRY may be- gin on the field, but signs are made to initiate school spirit as junior Tammy Thornton, varsity cheerleader, puts fin- ishing touches on a Crush Highland athletic mural. Rivalry 17