Bland High School - Echo Yearbook (Bland, VA)

Page 6 text:

Global Productions All the world’s a stage ... The year was 1986-87 and the set- ting was nestled in the majestic mountains and calm valleys of south- western Virginia. The players grew up in these same foothills of Bland County and were coached and nur- tured by the producers (from local and surrounding areas). The actors totaled 471 with 224 of them being from grades K-7,9 preschoolers, and 238 secondary (grades 8-12). While most of the action took place in Bland, global activities affected the entire cast and left memories and changes in the hearts and minds of players and spectators. On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in the Soviet Union caught fire and exploded, spreading clouds of radiation around the globe. The amount of radiation was judged to be much greater than that of the bomb at Hiroshima. The Kremlin kept silent until neighboring scienti- fic monitors deteced the levels of ra- diation. Lives were lost, homes evacu- ated, and thousands were exposed to radiation-related illnesses. Unrest and strife continued in the Middle East. Tragic reports of delib- erate bombings, killing the innocent and unsuspecting, were often in the news. Abductions and hostages also CONTENTS Opening 2 Athletics 3 Community Life 15 Academics 19 Organizations 30 Individuals 49 Student Life 87 Ads 105 Index 125 Closing 128 made frequent headlines. Terrorism curbed foreign travel, and American decided to vacation on their own turf. Late January (’87) the State Depart- ment issued an order to halt travel to Lebanon by Americans because of the danger of potential hostages. The summer of ’86 brought the dri- est season since 1930. Farmers saw their hay and corn crops lie dormant or dry up. Hay was shipped in from western areas to feed the stock. Then on January 22 a major storm dumped 10-12 inches of snow over much of Virginia. Roads were barely clearned when a second storm on January 25 made its onslaught on the Old Do- minion, virtually paralyzing many areas with new snow depths of 12-14 inches. New low temperature records were set on January 26 with reports of -12° to -18° in Bland County. With 24 inches of snow on the ground and temperatures staying below freezing, roads remained ice and snow covered, and school was closed for seven straight days. In September an earthquake in San Salvador toppled high rise buildings trapping occupants be- neath the rubble. In December an ex- plosion ripped through a casino-hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, either kill- ing or badly burning occupants—a number of whom were Americans. On Decmeber 14,1986, the aircraft Voyager took off from California in the first attempt to circle the world non-stop without refueling, a 27,000 mile trip. It contained two crew mem- bers, Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan. The trip was made successfully with fuel to spare. President Reagan declared war on drugs, and TV media joined the fight by presenting various programs de- picting the crime and horror of abusers and pushers. Two outstanding sports figures (Len Bias and Don Rogers) died because of drugs and several others were cut from teams after test proved they were using drugs. The President’s tax reform bill, which he declared would help most taxpayers, created much controversy in Congress but eventually passed after amendments. Who will be helped remains to be seen. This coup- led with the Contra issue quickly de- creased the President’s state of popu- larity. Another Washington scam fol- lowing on the heels of Watergate left citizens dismayed and disappointed. Proceeds from the sale of arms to Iran were secretly channeled to aid Nicaraguan rebels. The New York Giants won the Su- per bowl over the Denver Broncos on January 25, 1987, with a score of 39- 20. Citizens of Bland County were once again faced with a major deci- sion concerning education. For six months, debates, speeches and edito- rial letters presented the pros and cons of a consolidated high school at a cost of $6'A million. The polls in November recorded the decision of the voters 2 to 1 against a new con- solidated school. They agreed that something needed to be done but a costly building was not the answer. This prompted the school board to consider other alternatives such as one elementary and one secondary using the two existing high schools. This was vetoed immediately because of lengthy bus rides for young chil- dren. Other choices were to do noth- ing, offer college prep courses at one school, or convert one school to a ju- nior high (7-9) and the other to a senior high (10-12) thus leaving all elementary schools open as they now are. 2 — Opening

Page 5 text:

Productions of 1986 - 87 © o c o © © 0! o i 9 « 7 O' 0 THE EC HO oj bj Q © o o © © 0 © 7 Volume 42 Bland Combined School Bland, Virginia 24315

Page 7 text:

Hall of fame A c i c n 3a SK£I b° c ' £? o. Ce n n J Cheer le C o o - e a , C xi - y V j 7 s Athletics x Athletic Division — 3