Parkland High School - Par Key Yearbook (Orefield, PA)

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Senior Jane Lakatosh and sophomore Denise Miller jump hurdles and practice running for the track team in the school hallways. Mr. Tom Filipovits supervises senior Mike Joseph in lifting a dumbbell to keep him in shape for baseball season. Gloria Mitch and Michele Barton prepare to put the javelins away after a hard workout from track practice that day. Team Tryouts 19

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Students ache from tryouts Queasy stomachs, nervousness, and headaches—these are not symptoms of a virus going around school; they are the effects of tryouts. Students who try to make a team are bound to experience this type of sickness. After basketball practice, senior Cheryl Charles said, I was on the basketball team during tenth and eleventh grade, so I was pretty confident about making the team this year. It takes hours of practice and determination to succeed in anything from a sport to a career. There are students in Parkland who are willing to put themselves out, and practice the skills required constantly. Students spend hours upon hours practicing the skills needed for a particular sport. Fifty laps around the gym, or two hundred laps freestyle may sound like a lot to a person not wishing to be on a team. For a student determined to get involved in a certain sport, this excessive practicing is not a chore. Junior Kim Sullivan said, The coach makes the team practice a lot, but I really love swimming, so it doesn't bother me too much. There were students who felt that even if they didn't make the team, the risk, they took was worth the effort. Many students felt that the effort they put into practice will pay off for tryouts the following year. Since practice is held almost everyday, students get more discipline. Sophomore Eric Gerchman commented about football, Summer sessions almost killed me, but when I started playing IV it was worth it. Tryouts put a strain on students, but when they have made the team the whole painful experience pays off. 18 Student Life

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 20 Student Life Junior Kris Krumanocker, senior Elizabeth Fuisz, and sophomore Andrew Zeitlen try out for the fall play. God's Favorite. Seniors Neal Fetner, Alison Weidner, Scott Erdman and Brett Silvius are members of the National Merit Scholarship program for the 1983-84 term. More trying and suffering Sports aren't the only activities that make a person's palms begin to sweat. Actors and scholars feel the old familiar jitters. They're natural, so take heart. For instance, anyone who wants to be in the Spring Musical has to try out three times: in dancing, singing, and acting. It’s not just a one-talent act. Senior Val Davis said, The pressure is really only on for those who wish to audition for the leading roles; everyone who doesn't get the leading role becomes part of the play by being a dancer or helping out with the chorus. Junior Patty Risley said that when trying out for the lead, all one can really do, is her best. The real pressure is living up to what other people think you are capable of doing. Patty also said that she had first intended to go out for the lead in South Pacific but Mr. Durishin talked her into trying out for Bloody Mary, which she got. It was more challenging because I had to sing with an accent and she was such a dirty person. The National Merit Program seemed to be lighter on the pressure when it came to applying. The merit program has focused on identifying and honoring talented students who rank at the uppermost end of the academic ability scale. The annual competition is for all high school students who are U.S. citizens and who meet NMSC requirements. Juniors enter the program by taking the PSAT NMSQT test. Seniors Scott Erdman, Neal Fetner, Brett Silvius and Alison Weidner are the finalists for this year from PHS. Alison, who is on a National Merit Scholarship, received a $1000 award directly from the National Merit Program.