Belleville Township High School East - Yearbook (Belleville, IL)

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Obvious display of non-involvement” is a popular way of get¬ ting attention at Belleville East. Sitting down during the school song and the National Anthem is a sure method to get someone to look at you . Perhaps this is the only way some people CAN get attention. I am totally in favor of involvement in school activities. I sup¬ pose I cannot present an unbiased opinion because nearly all of my friends either participate or support some form of school ac¬ tivity. I believe that those who participate in extracurricular activities demonstrate a great deal of self-pride in their accomplishments. Personally, I have a great deal of pride in this school. It means something to me to be able to wear the uniform of Belleville East in interscholastic events. I have pride in anything that I might do to help to further the respectability of this school. I should think it would thrill any individual to be one of the few with an opportunity to represent East and this would inspire him to give his best effort. I also realize there are people who have no interest at all in school activities and they should not be put down for their feelings. I don ' t, however, see any point in some of these individuals putting down those who are involved in activities. I should think that being a part of any team, club or other or¬ ganization would give one a sense of accomplishment and re¬ sponsibility. It seems most people who frown on school activi¬ ties are those who were, at one time, participants, but event¬ ually failures in those activities. Isn ' t it every little boy ' s dream to become a successful athlete in some sport? Some people chose this type of goal and strove long and hard to achieve success. How can these, same people be put down for achieving, or attempting to achieve, a worth¬ while goal? This is just my personal idea of achievement and I don ' t appreciate being looked down upon because I am an athlete. Those active in other school activities such as drama, debate, journalism, scholastics, language clubs, and so forth, probably don ' t appreciate being looked down upon for their involvement, either. To develop school pride, one must first have SELF-PRIDE. If an outsider makes a remark about East, are they actually cut¬ ting down the school itself, A building, B100, or the indivi¬ duals who make up the school? One of those individuals is YOU. If a person doesn ' t have enough pride to stand up for himself how can he expect others to have respect for him? I ' m glad I was able in my three and one half years to observe East in a relatively objective way. I ' ve never been on the side of either of the extremes: Super Lancer spirit as opposed to anti-spirit . East isn ' t really a bad school, as far as high schools go, it ' s a 6

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Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty if only we have the eyes to see them. John Ruskin

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pro Am com good one. The people mess it up. They complain about too little freedom, or too much, but when the time comes to stand up and be heard, they can ' t be found. They ' re too busy littering the snack bar or burning trees by the creek. The other demanders are also too busy—making posters for the big game or deciding what dress to wear to what dance. For example, the issue of open campus was brought up and students and faculty members were asked to come and express their views at an open meeting. There wasn ' t a hand-full of students or treachers present. Similar committees have been formed to present the demands of the students, but, without support, these selected few haven ' t any power or strength to influence the administration. If students really want regulations changed and to gain more control it is necessary to get sufficient evidence proving that a change would be beneficial to the entire school. Present the evidence to the administration after preparing a plan of action. Find students and teachers who agree with the issue and are willing to back it up. Most of all, make sure the reasons are substantial, because if you really have a case and can prove it with sound reasoning, you ' ll hit a sore spot. Students who come up with better ideas than those already-thought-out by the administration are usual¬ ly turned down by the big A . Don ' t be discouraged, however. Let them know you ' re not puppets! Even if your demands aren ' t met right away, they may be realized in the future and benefit other students. Finally, let ' s look at school spirit . There is too much emph¬ asis placed on sports and the value of pep assemblies. Many students are forced into attending assemblies. Why should such individuals be forced to sit for thirty minutes against their will, listening to screaming and yelling concerning something they don ' t care about? Last year I asked this question and was an¬ swered, Because it is an educational-learning experience; it teaches you to react in a crowded situation. Ah, yes it does do that: it teaches you how to dodge jabbing elbows, ignore knees gouging your back, and to place hands over splitting ear¬ drums-not to mention accustoming your posterior to hard bleacher seats. It would seem sensible, yes, logical, to allow students who don ' t want to yell to be excused from these assem¬ blies. At least they wouldn ' t dampen everyone else ' s school spirit . I ' m not criticizing those who enjoy pep assemblies and profit from them, even learning how to react to crowded situ¬ ations. However, no one forces an athlete, pep club member or a cheerleader to attend a play, an art show or concert. School spirit should not be offered at the feet of the idol athle¬ tics. People are most spirited about the activities to which they best relate. The concept of school spirit should be ex¬ tended to all activities, clubs, and even classes. After all, it isn ' t sportsmanlike to confine spirit to sports, is it. 7