Northrop High School - Bear Tracks Yearbook (Fort Wayne, IN)

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Students Save City From Flood They called it the Great Flood and the Children ' s Crusade. Because when the city of Fort Wayne was being hit by its second-worst flood ever and was facing over 100 square blocks of destruction, it was the students that banded together to save it. Everyone who was in Fort Wayne in March of 1982, remembers the flood. It is not something that is easily forgotten. It was a time of great trouble and panic as thousands of people feared their houses and belongings would be washed away. And it was a time of great pride as they saw their own town on national news for over a week and watched with awe as thousands of students and adults staked sandbags along the dikes night and day in order to save homes that weren ' t even necessarily theirs. Even Ronald Reagan came to visit. Though the true beginning of the flood is hard to place, it all came to a head on March 13, when the massive piles of snow left over from the winter blizzards melted with the suddenly-warm tem- peratures. Then the rains came — two days of thunderstorms. All of this excess water then began to fill the St. Mary ' s, St. Joseph ' s End the Maumee rivers to capacity. Then to over-capacity. Until by March the 18th, the rivers were over nine feet above flood level. The sudden waters then began to put too much pressure on the already weak Pemberton and Edgewater dikes. Here is where the volunteers came in. In order to keep the dikes from burst- ing and destroying thousands of homes, sandbags were needed to enforce them. And people were needed to fill and stack the sandbags. A plea went out and soon hundreds of people were showing up to help — then thousands. They worked night and day in shifts, piling sandbags upon sandbag until the danger was over on March 23. In the midst of all this excitement, all three national news networks covered the Childrens Crusade (dubbed by Mayor Win Moses.) and on March 16, President Ronald Reagan came to see the damage and handle a few sandbags. Although the flood of ' 82 was certainly destructive, and no-one would want a re- peat preformance, it did teach us two things — what we had and what we needed. What we had and still do was lots of water and caring community to help combat it. What we needed was stronger dikes. Copy by Amy Miller Sandbaggers survey the damage done by the ' 82 flood. Photo by Jeff Szobody. j. Flood waters near the steps of Northside but sandbaggers managed to sa ve the school from damage. Photo by Jackie Wail. 26 — Flood

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Social studies gets everyone What do students think of when they here the words Social Studies? It is surprising how these two simple words put fear in the hearts of many. Well, not exactly fear, but not joy either. Why is It that the courses offered un- der the label Social Studies (including several kinds of History, Psychology, Government, Economics, Sociology, and a number of other scattered classes) con- jor up visions of dusty battles, complicat- ed analysis and fact upon boring fact? It could be merely the fact that most of these courses are required. To some a required class is a dull class, a class that no one would take if given the choice. According to Sophomore Michele Keck History just seems to be too many boring dates and facts. This type of thinking seems to be the current trend. Another reason could be the very knowledge that Social Studies classes require thinking. The students in those classes aren ' t just sliding by. I thought Sociology would be an easy class, but it ' s really pretty rough. We take alot of notes. said Kent Bundy, Senior. But the one major contributing factor in students ' lack of enthusiasm about So- cial Studies classes is a misunderstand- ing of them. A junior about to enter the world of U.S. History or a Senior ready for their Psychology class has no precise idea of what awaits them. They therefore come up with the old History-is-just-too- many-facts or the Psychology-is-too- complicated theory. Only a little of which has truth in it, a lot of which does not. Many people enter the classes expect- ing to prop their lids open only to find they had the wrong idea. When history class began, I thought it would be diffi- cult and boring. I found out it is much more easier and more interesting than I thought it would be. Said Junior Bart Wadkins. Others felt the same way. I thought that this class would be a waste of time, said Chris Hamhn, Junior, of her History class. But I have learned not just History, but the present and fu- ture of the United States as well. Not, what do you think of when you hear the words Social Studies? Said sophomore Bunny Storch I think of how my ancestors struggled for their freedom to live in America. Junior Kris Staller just says Computors do not wor- ry about Social Studies classes. by Amy Miller Mr. Schneider gives his government class a erton hands-on voting experience. Photo by C. Ath- Social Studies — 25

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The flood ofS2 brought out the best in human cooperation as thousands of students and adults gathered at the Coleseuw before being assigned to their flood stations. Photo by Jackie Wall. Tired students give it their all. Photo by Jeff DeVilIe. As the waters in the St. Mary ' s River swelled to ever increasing heights, the Three Rivers Apartment houses, along with many other homes, were flooded with up to two feet of wateA.Photo by Jackie Wall. Mid-Winter blizzards that left snow piles like this one often kept students out of school for up to four days a week. Flood — 27