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

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Routine Reinstated Exams were scheduled on the fourth, fifth, and seventh of February due to snow days. Students dreaded getting up early on Saturday, the second day of exams. Seniors who had a ninety, or above average for the first three six weeks were exempted. On the tenth, all periods were cut short so that the student body and faculty could watch a Boys ' Basketball game, rescheduled during school because of snow. This game was against Prince Edward, the result was Chargers winning S3 to 75. Junior academic English classes and several drama students traveled to Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on the seventeenth and saw one of Shakespeare ' s plays, Hamlet. Students glanced out of classroom windows, and saw snow flakes falling. School dosed an hour early February the eighteenth. Special Education classes, taught by Gail Watkins, and new to the county, provided special attention to students who needed it. A new absenteeism policy was introduced. Each student was allowed to miss twelve full days, or twelve periods from any class without any question or approval. After these twelve absences, the student and his parents were allowed a hearing to explain why the student should receive credit for the classes missed. In The Nation . . . The Supreme Court upheld the government ' s right to fix tolerance standards for pollutants discharged into rivers. About the State . . . Governor Mills E. Godwin, Jr., ruled local governing bodies to maintain lines of communication with employers but upheld his opposition to public employees ' collective bar- gaining. Around The Towns . . . Senator James Edmunds proposed a tax-increasing bill in the General Assembly. After a continuous two hour exam, students flood the hall on their way to lockers, lunch, and crash studying for the afternoon exam. ■- . February 59

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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

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“What’s Your Pleasure?” r r r CARS Monte Carlo Corvette Camaro Trans Am Cobra II Grand Prix SONG I’ve got Love on My Mind I Wish Evergreen I Like Dreaming Car Wash You Don’t Have to Be a Star ACTRESS Barbra Streisand Farrah Faucette-Majors Pam Grier Kate Jackson Lindsay Wagner Racquel Welch V J C J V MALE SINGER Stevie Wonder Peter Frampton Barry Manilow Elton John Rod Stewart A1 Green J FEMALE SINGER Natalie Cole Linda Ronstadt Aretha Franklin Olivia Newton-John Barbra Streisand Mary McGreggor J ' PLACE TO EAT EXPRESSIONS Pizza Hut What’s Happening? Big Tee Sit On It Home A-h-h Hardee’s Cool McDonald’s Bonanza FOOD Pizza Hamburgers Steak Chicken Spaghetti Cheeseburgers A FASHIONS Jeans Jumpsuits Gauchos Longer Length 60 Preferences