Blue Springs High School - Campus Cadence Yearbook (Blue Springs, MO)

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CHA GI G TIMES... By June Watson or those students who have grown up in the era of thriving business and industry, it is hard to imagine Blue Springs as the old homestead. Blue Springs was once a tiny farming com- munity. June Watson, one of the 27 members of the class of 1937, remem- bers the small town ambiance. Mrs. Watson came to Blue Springs from East High School in 1935, finish- ing her junior and senior years in the Hansel Lowe Building- on- Vesper. At that time, the grade school occupied the ground floor, and the four rooms upstairs housed the high school. One room functioned as a study hall, and students moved among the other three for classes. Course selections were ex- tremely limited - no typing or physical education was offered. Both the princi- pal, F. L. Stillons, and the superintend- ent, Hoyt Shumate, taught classes. There were two outside restrooms and no bus service. If you had a boyfriend with a car, you had it made, Mrs. Watson says. There were no girls sports, but boys could play basketball and football. To graduate, a student had to col- lect a certain number of scholarship points along with regular credits. An E earned four points, an S three points, and so on. Mrs. Watson graduated at sixteen, and she says this caused her some problems because it was the Depression and I had no transportation to work. Being the oldest of seven children, I couldn't go on to school. Mrs. Watson married and her six chil-' dren all graduated from Blue Springs. Five of her grandchildren are currently enrolled. She has seen the changes not only in the town, but in the school sys- tem as well. There was a better sense of dis- cipline then - we never would have 6! Changes thought to talk back to a teacher or dispute authority, she says. But kids today have every advantage in the world as far as preparing for jobs. I'd give my right arm to have learned some of the things that are offered in the school system today. As they do now, students belonged to certain social groups. There was a big gap between the town kids and the country kids. The town kids were the elite - l was a country kid, Mrs. Wat- son stated. Carrying on a tradition - June Watson, class of '37, compares notes with her granddaughter, June Watson, class of '85, ., .. - f. . .......r .. .. .,..L..,.., ....a,-....r..

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xcellence highlights year Yearbooks are for memories. The memory this year's Cam- pus Cadence is dedicated to is the year Blue Springs High School was honored for Excellence in Education. The honor was awarded to us through Secretary of Education Terrel Bell's Secondary School Recognition Program. It was an honor that not only the school could be proud of, but our recognition was shared by the Blue Springs community as well. The students of Blue Springs High School have accomplished many great things in recent years. You have performed well. You have achieved excellence in athletics, music, theater, debate, student government and club activities. You have achieved excellence in academics. So, this year we saluted the students and staff of Blue Springs High School. You are the greatest. It is easier to become one ot the best than to stay one of the best. Never forget that. There are those who envy us, and 11 Principal who will want our place in the spotlight. But, those who achieve greatness need not boast, for their achievements stand for themselves. So, l challenge you to keep your enthu- siasm - to be enthusiastic about school, learning and life. And always remember, with enthusiasm you may achieve great things. With enthusiasm you can meet the challenge. John Denver wrote in his song On the Road to Experience that, Sometimes l fly like an eagle, sometimes Im deep in despairf' Well, this was the year we flew like an eagle Congratulations to all of you . ' l vf ' Robert V. Blaine 1984 gulfii. pff . .i.4n.nmL . School of ExceIlencef5

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. . . BSHS moves from tradition by June Watson he technological age arrived at BSHS in the form of nineteen new computers and Dr. Blaine's prized inter- com system. The data processing class, in its second year of existence, has twelve Apple II Plus computers and two Apple Il E's. Students began using the ma- chines the second day. of the course, and by the end of the semester were computer literate, said Virginia Bate- man, instructor. They were taught computer history applications and to technolog programming. Enrollment for the class was high, and Bateman hopes to add an advanced course to the program. Another area utilizing computers was the library. Three Apple's, one Texas Instruments, and one Atari were added over Thanksgiving of 1982, and this year the library aides learned to use them. Kay Coen, head librarian, said they were valuable in processing overdue charges, and that a few teach- ers used them to figure grades. One technological advance that especially pleased the administration was Dr. Blaine's coveted intercom sys- tem. The intercoms enabled the offices to communicate more effectively with the classrooms, and were available for emergencies. Beginning the day by hearing, Hey, be careful out there! became a new Blue Springs tradition due to seven years of hard work on Dr. Blaine's part. ' FRONT Becky Rainey senior and Kellie Cleveland junior work on the computers in the data processing lab Changes! 7 9 ! , . n Q - ' ' . . - 1 J 1 1 ' - ----1-i ,..i,,,,,.- ,.,,.,,.,,..,,-m,,,,,L,, ,,.,m,,,-,,,W ,Y-A U Y W