Ouachita Baptist College - Ouachitonian Yearbook (Arkadelphia, AR)

Page 24 text:

ENTERTAINING at Magic Springs was a major part of the summer for Gary Ar- nold, Marcia Ramirez and Don Brown. 20 Student Life A mixture of memories Singing, sacrifices and saying goodbye by Deb Williams and DeAnna Travis pring fever’s salvation. Winter’s alter-ego. Summer. It began with April's warm breezes, became Lake DeGray days in May and matured in time for our farewell finals. The last test was over and three glorious months were in order. At last, a chance to get away from the grind, laze around, or make some money. And for the academically-inclined, there were eight weeks of summer school. Kay Green, a junior special educa- tion major went the scholastic route. She said, ‘‘I went to summer school for the hours. I didn’t think I'd enjoy it, but it was really fun. I’m even planning to go again next year. | might as well enjoy one last summer of afternoons at the lake.” The summer also saw second and third year veterans returning for extra hours. ‘“‘This was my second summer, ” said Kelly Norton, ‘‘so I really knew the ropes.” That partly meant how to creatively beat hundreds of campers to the front of the line at meal time. When camps composed of junior high basketball boys, Girls’ State delegates, and the nation’s Baptist Student Union direc- tors and their families, the summer school students were actually in the minority. Another trick to learn was how to get studying done before the library closed at 5 p.m. Braving the ever present mosquito, students retreated to Terrel Moore. Academically, the summer proved to be the biggest challenge, especially for those who had 6:30 a.m. classes. “It’s incredible the amount of reading that was required,’ Deb Banzhof said. “What actually happened is that we crammed what normally is read in four months time into four weeks.” Summarizing her feelings, Kelly Morton said, “‘It got a little boring. If I could have done something else for the summer, I would have.” FOR 465 STUDENTS, summer means more school and another registration line. Ultimately, summer school did pay off for fifty-three students on July 31. At 10:30 am. in Mitchell Au- ditorium, Dr. Dolphus Whitte, Jr., executive director of the Joint Educa- tional Consortium, delivered the commencement address. Dr. Daniel Grant awarded 29 stu- dents with bachelors degrees and 24 with masters. Other than the 465 students in- volved in summer school, everyone else did everything from hanging out at hometown pools, to working at odd jobs, to becoming stars. That’s right. Stars. — in the musical variety shows at Magic Springs. OBU students sang, danced and played their heart way into the hearts of visitors to the amusement park. “Give your family a magical day, Magic Springs, ... Magic Springs.” The words were from television adver- tisements and were plastered on billboards and pamphlets. What was so unique was that several OBU students were the stars. Most of the performers got into their jobs for the ‘fun and excitement” of it. But many of them found that the work had a way of opening doors for other opportunities. One such student was Deanna Briley, a rookie performer. She said, “The work itself was exciting, but the chances that have stemmed from it are unbelievable.”” Deanna’s opportuni- ties included singing with a group called Country Connection, and cut- ting a demo-tape for the theme song of the movie “So Fine.” And so, the summer was a mixture of experiences, each as unique as the students who lived them. (eee} ati THE YEARS OF TESTS, term pa- pers, and books to read finaily pay off as students prepare for summer | commencement. |

Page 23 text:

oy | Sy S e) v=] © 3 Ss © i Oo

Page 25 text:

€5 3 § é 3 if it Summer 21