Central High School - Pemican Yearbook (High Point, NC)

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The Central Angle was influenc- ed by our living in a town with a population. of about 65,000. Look- ing around, we found conveniences and disadvantages of being cen- trally located between two cities both with populations between 100,000 and 200,000. We sought entertainment from the Greens- boro and Winston-Salem coli- seum complexes and recreational centers. We sought large area shopping conveniences from ,Four Seasons Niall in Greensboro and Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem. But the large cities were crowded, impersonal, and carried with them liberal views of important issues. We were small, conservative, able to be personal. We lived in a liquor prohibited area with strict Sunday Blue Laws. We didn't have an excess of smog or over- crowding. We got along with each other. We cared about each other. The enthusiasm of our stu- dents was a product of a cross- town rivalry and pride in our school. Anything that affected the school affected the whole town, and in turn, anything that hap- pened in the town had an affect on the school. ln a big city, the faculty construction of a stadium would have been a minor issue, they have several others. But the breakdown of A.J. Simeon Stad- ium was big news, it was the only one we had. r The small town influence didn't let us form totally diverse cliques. 2 Sure we had groups' of people with similarities at Central, but our small town personality helped us accept others and tolerate them and their differences. Right here, in Central, the personal touch of a small town was evident. Service clubs increased the school's enthusiasm and inter- relationships by doing joint pro- jects. In a large town, it wouldn't have made any difference. Nobody would care to lend a hand to someone who wasn't in their group. Defechve Above- IT IS the only one we have Right- WE CARE about each other and are willing to help

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LOOKING BACK we saw that our changing views had af- fected the Central Angle. We had overcome many preju- dices in recent years. Com- mencement Nlarshals, previ- ously the ten girls and ten boys with the highest grade point averages of the junior class, were chosen differently this year. With no regard to sex, the Commencement Mar- shals for 1976 were the twenty juniors with the highest grade point averages. The Physical Education Department added coeducational gym courses, previously E unheard of in the High Point City School curriculum. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes opened its doors to include girls as well asthe boys it contained tradi- tionally, ln turn, nominations for the DAR Good Citizen were opened to boys. We felt that the rebellious attitudes of the '6O's were too drastic, doing little or no good to help us achieve a desired goal. Calm but effective, we found that the favorable re- sults of verbal actions greatly outweighed the results of physical actions. The drug problem was declining. Race relations and interdenomina- tional relationships were bet- ter because we had taken the time to accept people as they were. We were tired of the physical fight, but we were not tired of changes and mak- ing changes, working towards our goals. 4 There had been a time when the American ideal rec- ognized an All-American col- lege student. People in '76 were no longer striving for that ideal as forcefully. A col- lege education was becoming less important, secondary to obtaining a good job. People looked for happiness in their jobs, in their families, and in their environments. Our heritage, looking fur- ther back, was upon us in this Bicentennial year. We were surrounded by an invincible pride in America, in ourselves as Americans. The back- ground of our nation had ut- most influence on us, our life- style, our education, our lan- guage, our beliefs, and our way of doing things. Looking back on the previous classes at Central, we saw that we, the Spirit of 1976, had an inspira- tional force, more so than any previous class, the Bicenten- nial of America, boosting our enthusiasm. 1976 was a big year for the nation as a whole, but it was an excitingly special one for the Central Angle. M