Central High School - Wakitan Yearbook (St Joseph, MO)

Page 12 text:

One-in-a-Million Gentroii iHiit by Gonsemi Soene Thousands of people milling around. Talking. Laughing. Waiting. A girl with spiked heels, a guy with hair standing on end. Finally, the lights dim and the crowd screams, for the anticipated moment has arrived. Colored lights filter through the smoked-filled arena raining down upon super-stars, objects of our worship. Lyrics force their way into our minds, telling us tales of love and life, while roaring music blares into our faces. . Though you may not realize it, living in'St. Joseph has its advan- tages. We take for granted the short distance it is to travel to Kansas City, a big drawer of cdncerts. Many people live miles and miles from a city that holds concerts and are never able to see any of their favorite groups per- form. Fortunately students at Cen- tral have been able to attend many good shows at Kemper Arena, Municipal Auditorium, as well as Memorial Hall and other places. Throughout the year, Centralites could be seen after concerts wearing their t-shirts displaying 8 bands from Prince to ACiDC. Although a concert is a very expensive evening, it is something that everyone enjoys doing once in a while. Sometimes tickets to see a popular band are hard to acquire. Many people camp out at the ticket outlets the night before they go on sale. This can be an experience in itself! Others prefer tolavoid the crowds by using diai-a-tic, a telephone ticket service. Whatever the method may be, once the tickets are achired, anticipation of the concert date sets in. Time drags until finally its the day of the show. Students enjoyed going to see bands varying from Quiet Riot to Dan Fogelberg; from Ozzy Osborne to Lionel Richey. One of the biggest and most waited for concert was by the Police. On the second leg of their Synchronicity tour, they stopped in KC. on Thanksgiving Day. The holiday didntt keep many Central faces from appearing at the Kemper that evening. Everyone who went couldnit help but feel the energy put forth by Sting, Stew, and Andy. Songs such as t'Walking on the Moontt, ttSo Loneiy , and Kingiof Pain', inspired everyone to get up and dance. On days after concerts such as this, the halls were alive with the chatter of the evening's excitement. the lights dim, and the crowd drones on; lighters flash in admiration. Finally, an encore or two and then it's over. The sweaty musicians and the voice-strained fans go their separate ways to wrap up the night. The importance and impact of music on our lives has been revealed and another memory is filled in the minds of those who attended. 1. One of the many concert t-shirts displayed in the halls of Central. 2. Ticket stubs serve gs rrInonctjentkos of a concert experience. 3. The new coach, Harv Welch, pauses for a moment IS es . footi Stu for Welt at a tean iNas He scen the: Aura sout taug coac arou: was reSpi point had athle athle ing t the His facul prec end cam tiai Spe. and rich, IOW t in C audi exp.

Page 11 text:

wet, WE CHM Um WEIWIEB The surf was up and the waves were high as exciting new movies poured into St. Joseph. Some of these shows let us soar to unbelieve- able heights of enjoyment, while others just got us wet. The movie that hit us the hardest was the unconquerable ttRisky Business. Tom Cruise provided Central Students with someone to idolize, admire, and envy. Lets face it, when your parents disappear for a week, the possibilities are endless. What better way to live it up than sliding around the house in your sock feet and favorite oxford, while Piazaa Theatres with a hilarious flick starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd, Trading aPIaces. No matter what your pleasure, there was always a movie to go see, such as Easy Money, The Big Chill, and who could forget Cujo, the next best thing to Benji? When a dog can bang his head into the side of a car and still survive, you have to respect his determination. That dog had Class! Speaking of which, so did the walls vibrate to the beat of Bob Segerts iiOld Time Flock and Roll? Talk about ttrisque business! The character of Joel gave us the inspiration to take a chance and live dangerously, even if it meant certain death of your parents' prize porsche. . As Joel so encouragingly put it, Sometimes you just have to say, what the With one smash hit under his belt, Tom Cruise continued to dazzle his viewers with another blockbus- ter, All the Flight Moves. However, Tom did not completely dominate the big screen. The summer started off the star of that particular movie, Rob Lowe. All the movies were not strictly fun and games. When ttScarface came to the screen, St. Joseph was introduced to the mafia world, but when referring to that killer Chris- tine, a different kind of terror strikes. A flat tire sure wouldn't have stopped this car. And what gas mileage! Sixteen-year-olds werenlt in such a hurry to get their licenses tiThe Day Afterit Stirs Nation As darkness fell upon the nation on November 20, televisions were tuned to ABC at 8:00 to view the widely publicized film 'The Day After. It was a basic depiction of the ultimate itwhat if : a nuclear bombing. The setting was in Lawrence, Kansas, less than 30 miles from St. Joseph. The seven million dollar nuclear horror show revealed virtually an entire popula- tion reduced to vaporized sil- houettes; people burned, many experienced loss of hair as they suffered from radiation sickness. Farmlands blackened as they were covered with ash and society crumbled. During production of these scenes involving enormous destruction through nuclear fires- torm, the actors wore trick wigs so that they appeared to be losing hair. Realistic-looking make-up was applied to simulate the burns and sores. The main goal of this two hour drama, starring Jason Robards, was to support effective nuclear deterrence. At the beginning and end of the film, words appearing on the screen implored world leaders and all viewers to prevent a nuclear holocaust. For some, this show proved to be both interesting and educational, but for others, The Day After hit a little too close to home. after viewing this piece of art. With the construction of the Plaza 4 theaters, there was access to an additional four movies. Hits like Terms of Endearment and Yentl were brought to the eyes of St. Joseph viewers. Though everyone does not agree on the rating of a movie, we all had our favorites. As long as we can afford the cost of these high-p'riced delicacies, we will continue to go out and see the stars. 7

Page 13 text:

hoHday ral faces mper that 0 went e energy .nd Andy. 9 on the . King of to get up concerts ere alive evenings and the 5 flash in ncore or e sweaty -strained ways to portance our lives another minds of ubs serve a moment Harv Welch, the new head football coach at Central, came to St. Joseph with a lot of enthusiasm for the athletic program. Coach Welch was excited about coaching at a large high school where his team could compete on what he felt was the best level of competition. He also welcomed a change of scenery and a chance to get out of the classroom. He came to us from Aurora, a small rural community in southwest Missouri, where he taught American history and coached football in a school of around 500 students. Coach Welchts goal at Central was to bring football to state respectability. Since he was ap- pointed athletic director, he also had the goal of improving all athletics at Central. His duties as athletic director included schedul- ing sports events and hiring officials for games. In addition to the above obligations, Coach Welch taught driveris education. His was a pleasant addition to the faculty of Central High School. New Coach Boosts Enthusiasm Jackson Enters Presidential Arena Dubbed the most visionary, articulate force in the pulpits and precincts of black politics, Rever- end Jesse L. Jackson began his campaign for democratic presiden- tial nominee in the fall of 83. With his amazing flair for public speaking, he captured support from blacks, hispanics, women, and other minorities. He stated his feelings against tax shelters for the rich, welfare for the poor, and the low black and ethnic representation in Congress. He reached for his audiences through his feelings and experiences of abuse and persecu- tion. . in early January, Jackson embarked on a self-appointed pilgrimage to Damascus, Lebanon, to plead the release of Lt. Robert Goodman of the US. Navy, who had been held captive there for some time. After four days of appealing only on a moral and humanitarian plane, Goodman was released, no strings attached. Returning to the U.S., Jackson received a herols welcome and a dignified ceremony of public praise and thanks from the President of the United States. Although the Logan Act of 1799 prohibits ordin- ary Americans to negotiate for the government, President Reagan . pronounced, i'You don't quarrel with success! This accomplishment reopen- ed communication between 'the U.S. and Syria's leader, Hafez Assad, while also gaining Jackson much support. This candidate may not have topped the polls, and he may not have been admired by black leaders, but he always had a prayer, which was enough to motivate Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson. 9