Wayne High School - Sentry Yearbook (Fort Wayne, IN)

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' Some think of me as a soft touch ' SENTRY: What do you see your role as being with students? LEIMAN: I think my first job is to be a friend to the students and help them in school. SENTRY: Then you don ' t mind talking to girls, even though you ' re a dean of boys? LEIMAN: My duty is to students, primarily to boys, but first to students. SENTRY: Do you see an increase in student disturbances or prob- lems? Has it really increased during yoiir years as a counsel- or? Are more kids getting into troiible? LEIMAN: I ' m quite familiar with student problems. I think there are more problems working with students today than there were five years ago. This is partly due to the fact that students to- day are more outspoken, more knowledgeable, more concerned. SENTRY: Have there been a lot of racial problems at Wayne this year? LEIMAN: I don ' t know what you ' d call racial problems. There ' s been some tension, but not a lot. SENTRY: Do you think the prob- lems at North Side had any real effect on students in other school populations and at Wayne? LEIMAN: Some effect. Anything different from the norm is going to have some effect. SENTRY: But you didn ' t notice anything like fights at that time? LEIMAN: Slightly increased, probably less patience with each other, less tolerance. SENTRY: What is due process? LEIMAN: It used to be that if the student wasn ' t following the rules the principal just kicked him out of school. In that method of prac- tice, there was an injustice once in a while. The courts have de- cided we need some type of a hearing. SENTRY: Then is it like a trial? Do you go to court? LEIMAN: We don ' t like to call it a trial. It ' s not supposed to be a legal thing. It ' s supposed to be an opportunity for the student to present his case and to hear the reasons he ' s been asked to leave school. SENTRY: Do you think a lot of students take advantage of the right to due process? LEIMAN: I think it ' s turned around. I thiixk the school ' s on trial instead of the student. I think it creates tension in schools and I think it ' s a source of great concern for administrators. SENTRY: Do you think students have too many rights? Many stu- dents feel their ri ts aren ' t publicized because the adminis- tration doesn ' t want them publi- cized. LEIMAN: I think students are more aware of their rights than their responsibilities. Your re- sponsibility at school is to learn and not to interfere with others ' rights. SENTRY: Has Wayne had a lot of due process? LEIMAN: No. I think we ' ve had a very low number. We ' ve may- be had 8 or 10. 6 — Interview

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students escape via drugs, alcohol; doubt elder reason Although the administration, faculty and parents seemed to ignore, or at least be unaware of, the situation, drug and alcohol use became common among students at Wayne. Reasons for their use ranged from Everyone else does, to There ' s nothing else to do on Friday night. Whatever the reason, many students found a means of enjoyment by using marijuana, acid, mescaline, wine, and beer. Indiana remained firm by not lower- ing the drinking age, and President Nixon refused to comply with the fed- eral commission ' s recommendations that criminal penalties be ended for smoking marijuana. (Far left) Many under-aged students found a fast trip to Ohio or Michigan an easy way to quench their thirst legally. (Middle) The question of reforming weed laws remains unanswered, despite vigorous campaigning by many interest groups. (Above left) At Wayne it was reported that students went as far as to smoke weed in the parking lots and restrooms. (Below left) According to a March report from the federal drug commission, heroin is the number two drug problem in the U.S. WAYNE HIGH SCHOOL DRUG AND« ALCOHOL SURVEY fl Ever smoked weed? If yes, use hard drugs? Drink alcohol? Which do you prefer? Is alcohol more harmful than weed? Should weed be legalized? YES 48% NO 52% YES 80% NO 20% YES 84% NO 16% WEED 20% ALCOHOL 35% NEITHER 47% BOTH 5% YES 32% NO 39% SAME 16% NEITHER 1% NO OPINION 8% YES 34% NO 55% NO OPINION 7% Should the drinking YES 75% age be lowered to 18? NO 19% NO OPINION 4% Note — Survey was taken on 106 seniors in Mr. Sheets ' classes. Drug scene — 5

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SENTRY: If a student or group of students feel tiiey have a legit- imate complaint, is there really anything they can do to change a school policy? LEIMAN: Usually big things don ' t change overnight. Sometimes it ' s a state law that students want changed (Coke machines) and it takes, my heavens, five years. I tiiink students are anxious. They want things done NOW. Schools are willing to listen to students if it ' s reasonable. SENTRY: A lot of students think Wayne is strict, but it seems very easy to, s ay, skip out for lunch. LEIMAN: It is easy to skip, but not a week goes by that at least one student doesn ' t get caught. Then he ' s suspended until a par- ent conference can be held. All schools are doing this. SENTRY: Would ' you say Wayne ' s a strict school in comparison to others? LEIMAN: I don ' t think we ' re strict compared to others. I don ' t think we ' re the easiest. and I ' m sure some think of me as a soft touch. SENTRY : Do you think commit- tees such as the athletic commit- tee should have student repre- sentation? Do you think they woiild be helped or hindered with student representatives? LEIMAN: Many times we ' ve asked students to participate and they just don ' t show unless there is a big controversv. SENTRY: There ' ve been 6 ath- letes who ' ve gotten their letter jackets taken from them. What do you think of student repre- sentation on the athletic commit- tee? Why not have the Letter- men ' s president, the captain of cheerleaders, and the Student Coimcil president on the athletic committee? LEIMAN: Why especially the athletic committee? SENTRY: Because it is a power organization. It ' s probably the most powerful organization in the school. It has more effect on a student (loss of athletic eligi- bility and letter jacket) than. let ' s say, the English depart- ment committee. LEIMAN: Well, athletics is cer- tainly different from English. Rules have to be tighter. It ' s a little different when you walk down the street than when a let- terman walks down the street. SENTRY: Without necessarily condoning these athletes ' actions, don ' t you think a student should also be judged by his peers? LEIMAN: Another factor is that we try to keep these matters confidential. The more people involved, the more people are going to know. Maybe that per- son ' s been on dope; maybe there are personal problems. . . SENTRY: It gets around school anyway. The athletes themselves were telling other people. LEIMAN: They had the choice whether to tell or not to tell other people. SENTRY: Have we had any par- ticular administrative changes? LEIMAN: Attendance procedures have been simplified. SENTRY: What about the sign out sheets in the rooms? Have those been working? LEIMAN: I think so. The purpose of the sign out sheets is to stop the vandalism we ' ve had in the restrooms. This usually happens during classes. SENTRY: What ' s your over-all impression of Wayne? LEIMAN: I ' ve never worked harder and enjoyed it more in my life. I think the morale is higher among the staff. I think the stu- dent-teacher relationship is bet- ter. I don ' t think we feel like one body yet, but there ' s more tolerance. I ' ve enjoyed it. I ' ve never been at a place I didn ' t hate to leave, and if I should leave Wa3nie, I ' m sure I would take along fine memories. Interview — 7