Central High School - Sword and Shield Yearbook (Victoria, VA)

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LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW! A white covering over the county ' s terrain gradually lost its novelty and became an accepted part of the sur- roundings. For the entire month of January, Central did not remain open for the entirety of any one week. Every- one took advantage of the extremely odd weather and, for the first time in years, enough snow covered the ground to build a decent snowman, go sleigh riding, and make snow angels; there was enough snow for many to wish for rain. The four days the school board allowed for snow in the school year were quickly exhausted and make-up days began to pile high. Exams were delayed three times and were finally pushed completely out of traditional January and into February. Teachers adapted to the weather and began giving assignments a week in advance, making the days missed for snow no more than school away from school. By the end of January many students wished for nothing more than that the snow be stopped while others still hoped for more snow and more days away from school. As the weather continued, with the temperature read- ings from 0° F to 20° F, jokes from weather forecasters became slim and the fuel supply in Virginia and the nation lowered dangerously. Talk of Governor Godwin dosing public schools became more than a rumor when all schools serviced by Commonwealth Natural OH Company were forced to dose. Relief for optimistic teenagers failed this try, since Central was heated by electricity. AH over the nation thermostats were lowered to 65° in an effort to conserve energy. Many large factories and businesses were forced to dose, thus laying off thousands of workers. Between the snow storms several special interest ses- sions scheduled by the guidance department were con- ducted. On January 14 Miss Leslie Hamilton, the Fashion Coordinator and Public Relations Representative from Kings College in Raleigh, North Carolina, presented a Fashion Workshop. Members of Home Economics classes, FHA, art classes, the Stenography II class, and the Clerk- Typist II classes learned tips on fashion design and clothes coordination. During English 12 classes on January 27, Seniors met with Mr. Mattox, financial aid officer for Southside Community College, who explained the equation which determines a student ' s financial need, and advised many about scholarships. ■f ' Dried, brown grass picking above snow fails to ' dis(tburage bundled up students who pass snow days sfbddin Ldown Victoria ' s mountain.

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THE GIRL I USED TO KNOW MARY FRANCES PERKINS Born — June 16, 1959 Died — January 2, 1977 Long faded memories, replicas from long ago, these are the things that made you, the girl I used to know. Old faded jeans, wrinkled posters on the walls, feelings only we shared, incidents only we dared. Grass-stained knees, mud on our faces, in top of an old oak tree was our unique hiding place. Being young women, little did we know, our future would require, these memories to inspire. God chose to take you, the candle starts to fade, with our treasures from the past, in my heart you shall ever last Long faded memories, replicas from long ago, these are the things that made you, the girl I used to know. Goldie Mae Marker dedicated to — Mary Frances Perkins (the girl I used to know) In the Nation . . . James Earl Carter became the 39th President About Virginia . . . Governor Godwin declared a state of emergency and issued an order that all businesses observe a 40 hour week and homes a 65° F. thermostat setting. Around the town . . . Dark tobacco sales resumed for 3 weeks in January. Mixing and matching and switching creates many differ- ent outfits for Leslie Hamil- ton during a fashion presen- tation. Cold weather or not, farmers selling dark tobacco stack trailers and trucks and hope for high prices. 52 January

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“The Best Years of Your Life?” The phrase heard often, “These are the best years of your life,” seemed very unlikely to those living through the ups and downs of “growing up.” Besides the fun and games each teenager shared with one another, there were many problems that were also mutual to most, but expe- rienced and dealt with differently by each individual. During high school years, teenagers began realizing the importance of friendship. Playmates turned into confi- dants and soul-searching partners. As a part of his adult training, each person went through the agony of making, and more importantly, keeping friends, thus learning his responsibilities in human relationships. Loneliness was also an ever present threat, and teen- agers discovered that friends were an important element in combating this situation. Although friends helped, there remained times when loneliness was inescapable. It was during this time that the frightening question of “what’s it all about” was dealt with. The problem of what was right and what was wrong troubled teenagers trapped between friends and moral expectations. Each teenager was forced to examine life and to decide what it would hold for him. The question of “what do 1 do after Central” seemed easy to anyone except Central stu- dents. During his high school years, a teenager’s life was more or less planned. Another vital and painful teenage experience arose when boy met girl. Acne, weight, hairstyle, clothes, and make-up suddenly became some of the most important considerations. This desire to appear attractive was com- mon to both boys and girls and usually had the opposite sex as its fuel. The need to have that special someone underlined the teenagers’ need for love and communi- cation. As they grew older, many tepnagers began to under- stand and relate to their parents. Teenagers felt growing unrest as they dealt with the problems of money and the demands of others, thus teenagers could understand their parents’ pressure. No matter how far this understanding extended, the inability to get along with parents arose every so often. A problem more frequent to some, teen- agers lacked the closeness to parents that insured peaceful co-existence. Every now and then, teenagers became frus- trated and muttered of their parents “they just don’t understand.” The lack of local activity, and for many, the absence of transportation to get to the action, plagued teenagers living in a rural community. Perhaps because of this problem, the question of teenager conformity became acute. With a limited amount of people and even more limited oppor- tunities some teenagers found it difficult “to do their own thing.” School, the biggest complaint of many, was an unavoid- able pressure which had to be faced each week. Boredom was a well-known companion, and students yawned, slept, and day-dreamed through many classes. No student totally escaped the problem of teachers. Each student had his own special or “not so special” teacher. Teenagers also com- plained about the rules and regulations that had to be followed, saying these school rules were binding and limit- ing. And then there were the major problems and consider- ations; the ones which took up most of the teenagers’ time. Like deciding whether to wear the patchwork or the pink shirt with the blue jeans; or which perfume suited today’s mood; or whether to go to the game or do home- work. Chatting before school, Debbie Wilkinson and Carolyn Brooks show what friends have in common by both dressing up on “Spirit on the Loose Day”. 54 Problems