North Kansas City High School - Purgold Yearbook (North Kansas City, MO)

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W f' I s Crea tures in va de NK C I enjoy being unique, explained Mr. Gene McClain, art teacher and designer of the various characters that plague many of Northtown's all-school assemblies. The creations included an armadillo, a- turkey, and E.T., the extra-terrestrial being that won the hearts of many Americans. He enjoys dressing up and also having the ability to create his own outfits to suit the occasion. lt all began when he started making costumes at Halloween time for his children. Then people at school began asking him to appear in various assemblies. It is almost a tradition at Northtown for Mr. McClain to appear at certain assemblies during the year like Thanksgiving and the fall and winter sports assembly. Most of the creatures are made of paper mache and cardboard. lt takes Mr. McClain anywhere from one to four hours to complete a costume. He gets most of his ideas from current trends, and movies dealing with science fiction and the future. He also likes to do something nobody else would think of. He has also done some rock and pop stars. Top left: Mr. McClain shows his true identity as one of Northtown's art teachers. Center: the lion is one of the many characters that is portrayed by Mr. Gene McClain. Bottom left: Mr. McClain shows off one of his most creative and popular creature - E.T. Bottom right: Frankenstein was one of many masks made by Mr. McClain for a Halloween costume. Q iff .fl ff as

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Top right: Kevin Fitzgerald, Roy Williams, Mark Petit, Keith McColen, and Steve Bryant use their basic skills in carpentry and concrete. Bottom right: Getting help from Mr. Smith on cutting a two-by-four is Andy Kimrey and Rusty Snyder. Bottom left: From left to right: Roy Peter, Brian Kearns, Rusty Snyder, Kevin Fitzgerald, Roy Williams, Keith Carrell, Mark Petit, larrett Silvey, Larry Willkett, Keith McColm, Andy Kimrey, Steve Bryant, Steve Toth, Ross Hughes, and Chris Etten. Most high school students attend school to get an education to prepare them for college, but approximately thirty area high school students, including one girl, attend a theme school for half a day to learn skills necessary to build a house. Other theme schools in the district teach students health occupational skills, and interior decorating skills. The building trade theme school has been in existence for two years. The students are in the classroom for the first three to four weeks of school to learn how to build the house, stated Mr. Stephen Smith, building trade theme school instructor. When the home is completed in May, it will be sold to the highest bidder by means of sealed bids. Basic carpentry, concrete, roofing, skywalling, cabinet- making, finish carpentry, interior decorating, and landscap- ing are just a few of the skills the students learn throughout the nine-month program. These skills can be applied to any construction trade. According to Mr. Smith, the purpose of the class is to help young people learn a trade or to find out where their interests lie . This gives them a little head start in the employment world over most students, because they have learned a useful trade along with the regular academic skills. , ,r-mn, gwzsmwwvfmw 6 4 . f I ili , we i , H-Q 5' 'fi xg: V 5 f V e -, 2' K ' '- ' ' f ff, 1 f -P ' 1 kiwi 4, V W mm 2 , g i , ' I Q' f , azwfiw 2 , Q eww- f fi t? fe! ,',, 3 s . ...., , ,. ,V . A ,M 5 ----'- 1 , ,. , , W, , 2 ,. Y 1. 'ea f -Miz:-1 e-sp:..- Q wif 4 Q9 , if 4 Q., ' af-A ,,, ft 9 Q 2 Zim' . Hy- Wx at g,.2,f Mi . . . . fi -:M . fn I f -454 4 .4 1 g' I f zz ,zu Qi? f I . I 5 ' hazy X254 if 'g,.4pM,.L I Q ' ,wi -' if il ti us, ,. ve? - , 'fs ' ta E ,,,, ,Wh uw' T - Theme school pro vide experience

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Bachelorhood made easy INDEPENDENT LIVING - CREDIT: V2 unitj GRADE: 12, PREREQUISITE: No Home Economics in grades 9-11. Course teaches basic cooking skills, minor sewing skills, and skills important to those living alone. Study topics include apartment selection, food preparation, clothing care, social behavior, time management, and money management. This is the course description of the Independent Living class as taught by Mrs. Lynne Beasley. The class is basically an all-male class. The guys learned to sew everything from a rip or a button, to a pair of shorts and backpacks. They also learned how to fend for themselves in the cruel world. Above right: To Rob McConnell, senior, learning how to wash dishes is just part of the class curriculum. In this picture, he doesn't even seem . to be bothered that he might develop dishpan hands. Center: Mrs. Lynne Beasley, Independent Living instructor, seems eager to taste one of the meals prepared by the guys, but Mark Stielow has other ideas for it. Below left: Duke Maddox, another senior guy X I preparing for bachelorhood, expresses the ioys of XS X eating a meal fit for a king that he made himself. g , fr' -fa MMM f t1LJ9.'q91' M ' I A l I 26