Minnechaug Regional High School - Falcon Yearbook (Wilbraham, MA)

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Minnechaug Scene Time For The Minnechaug Muffins We see this place almost every day. Each morning we stumble into home- room, sometimes late, more often asleep. We study here (supposedly) — we learn. One thing is for sure, the Wil- braham-Hampden Regional High School, Minnechaug, will have a lasting impression on our lives. Not many people know what Minne- chaug means. Most know that it ' s some Indian name. Minnechaug, berryland refers to the region ' s berry bushes which thrived despite devasting fires that swept through the area. The only organization, to my knowledge that uti- lizes this unique heritage is Project Blueberry, Blueberry referring to the definition of Minnechaug itself. I think that it could have been used more cleverly, perhaps as the school mascot. Could you imagine if Minnechaug teams were known as the Minnechaug Muffins. The possibilities are endless. Today ' s major portions of the school were not even included in Minne- chaug ' s original construction. H-Hall is Using a variety of laboratory equipment, Min- nechaug ' s science department is one of the best in the school. an addition, as well J, K, and M-Halls, the Media Center and the New Gym. Nowadays, with over a thousand stu- dents attending Minnechaug, it ' s hard to imagine fitting everyone in the school without those popular additions. Minnechaug has probably one of the best academic systems in Massachu- setts. Students can plan their own cur- riculum over the four-year span of high school. That is similar to the more ad- vanced college system of scheduling. What we call Arena is foreign to stu- dents from other schools not to mention the foreign students. What they know of scheduling is nothing more than a com- puter and an operator who punches in the correct sequence to make the sched- ule work. Here, students first select the courses that they hopefully will be taking start- ing the next fall. Faculty members must recommend prospective students for the proper level. This prevents many problems that could result in students overstepping their bounds in harder courses and understepping their bounds in easier ones. The next phrase of Arena involves the actual organization and composi- tion of the student ' s schedule. Everyone is sent a booklet that lists all the courses to be offered, the teachers and the blocks during the day. From this the student is expected to compile alternate schedules, if possible, using the course sign-ups as a guideline. Finally, students are required to come to school, before classes start, and decide upon the one schedule they will follow for the year. Cafeterias two and three are filled with tables representing each department of the school. Stu- dents obtain computer cards for each warn The eighty-member combined groups of the Minnechaug Wind Ensemble and Concert Band rehearse daily for their scheduled concerts. Most of the musicians have been playing for five to eight years, the majority starting lessons in grade school. The Media Center provides a healthy environ- ment for students to study, read, or relax. The typical Minnechaug student — hungry ; all times. Time, May 1983.

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TIME Founders: Concerned citizens from the communities. Co-Editors-in-Chief: Linda Ersing, Lisa Pabich Yearbook Advisor: Diane Jeserski Business Advisor: Pat Gordon Business Manager: Cathi Isham Copy Editors: Anne Fath, Ruby-Ann Samsel Photographer Editors: Eric Sherman, Carla Valentine Seniors: Suzanne Desautelle, Gayle Sherman Academics: Kari Carlson, Lisa Nowak Underclassmen: Marilyn Gorman, Candice Porter Sports: Karolyn Moriarty, David Wise Activities: Nancy Desautelle, Sharon Kane Ads: Christine Boyajian, Mark Guthrie, Mark Havican Typist: Sherry Supernant And special thanks to all others who contributed TIME, effort, ideas, and smiles to Mrs. Jeserski and Don Lendry, representative, Josten ' s Amer- ican Yearbook Company. Time is . . . To slow for those who wait. To swift for those who fear. To long for those who grieve To short for those who rejoice But for those who love, time is not. Henry Van Dyke In June Minnechaug students eagerly await the distribution of yearbooks. Little do they realize how many long hours are actually spent into producing it. Mrs. Diane Jeserski, the yearbook ad- visor, is the one that makes it all possible. She ' s the one who ' s con- stantly on the telephone with the photographer or yearbook repre- sentative making last minute deci- sions; but most of all, she ' s the one who guides the yearbook staff through the best and worst of times. When deadlines sneak up and problems arise, she is the un- derstanding one. Mrs. Jeserski ' s responsibilities are endless. She must choose a reliable staff; organize work meetings to determine theme, teach layouts, and assign photos; and proofread copy, just to name a few. Mrs. Jeserski started teaching business at Minnechaug in Sep- Little did Mrs. Jeserski know that she would be teaching. Today Mrs. J still smiles even with all the troubles of making deadlines. tember of 1976 and became year- book advisor in the fall of ' 79. I asked Mrs. Jeserski if being the yearbook advisor takes much time out of her personal life. This was her response. Definitely! Any extracurricu- lar activity a teacher takes on in- volves time outside of school. I ' ve kept track, in the past of my hours outside of school, and the number is so overwhelming that I try not to think about it too often. Mrs. Jeserski says she likes working with the students and finds them responsible and hard working. She also says they are all dedi- cated to their job on the yearbook staff. The entire yearbook staff, from the copy editors to the photogra- pher owe much gratitude and thanks to Mrs. Jeserski, who helped us through a very long and productive year. Without her we would be lost! From all the editors of the year- book staff, we wish to thank Mrs. Diane Jeserski for her guidance throughout the school year. Time, May 1983.

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One more time everybody, Columbus sailed the ocean blue in fourteen hundred and ninety- two. class, making sure they don ' t take more than one major during the same block. For freshmen and new students espe- cially, arena can be a confusing and frightening experience. The locator cards are hard enough. In the end, Min- nechaug students may or may not get their first choice for a schedule. The student who is unhappy must remember that next year, things will be better. Minnechaug offers a wide variety of classes. Proposition 2Vz hasn ' t really di- minished this variety but only increased class size. Strong programs can be ob- tained in the Math and Science depart- ments as well as English, Social Studies and Foreign Language. The advanced classed in these areas involve indepen- dent reading in Engligh and Foreign Languages, college-level mathematics, long-term Science experiments and ac- tive student participation in history. Minnechaug graduates have scored well on standardized tests and a large Rush hour traffic in K-Hall will ease up when the next class starts. Lunch time gives students the opportunity to spend time with fri Mmm, that guy sure is good looking Were the pictures in the math book really that funny? New paperbacks provide easy free reading for students. percentage attend college immediately after high school. Minnechaug has an excellent reputation as a college-pre- paratory school and hopes to maintain their high standards. So much for the academic part of Minnechaug. The real fun comes with the extracurriculars. Athletics are a major part of after-school activities at our school. Minnechaug was lucky to have the space and the money to build tennis courts, a swimming pool, a track, two large gymnasiums and fields upon fields upon fields. The physical educa- tion classes emphasize lifetime sports like tennis, raquetball and fitness as well as the team sports like field hockey or soccer. (continued on page 6) Time, May 1983.