Chicopee High School - Memini Yearbook (Chicopee, MA)

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1979 1980 Sophomore Year 1 know it will be pleasant to retire because I will not have the same routine everyday, yet it will not be easy to adjust to retirement because I love it here at Comp ... These were the parting words of Mr. Stanley J. Ziemba who retired as Principal of Chicopee Comprehensive High School on August 31, 1979. In September of 1979 we re-entered Comp as sopho- mores under a new Principal and under a new course of direction. Mitchell S. Kuzozal took the position of Princi- pal and immediately began to initiate new programs and policies in our school. A new attendance policy went into effect establishing five, ten, and fifteen day notices for absences. We also adopted a Hearing Impaired Program which was the only secondary level education facility for the hearing impaired in Western Massachusetts. Howev- er, the most important changes which occurred during our sophomore year were the changes which dealt with the new course of direction of our class as sophomores. During sophomore year, we purchased our class rings revealing the pride and honor we had in our school and becoming a bigger part of Comp. We also started to take the initial steps toward graduation. We elected class offi- cers early in the year and began our candy sale as a fund raiser for our class. On St. Patrick ' s Day we started a tradition of selling green carnations: this tradition would be carried throughout our high school years. Although our class began to move forward, the world did not and suffered a serious setback during our sopho- more year. The United States faced one of its most crucial crisis since the Vietnam War. On November 4, 1979 4000 angry Iranian students under the influence of Ayatollah Runollah Khomeini marched to the United States Embassy in Tehran and demanded the return of the ousted Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. The Shah was presently in a New York hospital receiving medical help for gall bladder problems and treatment for cancer . Shortly afterwards the students forced their way into the embassy, seized control of the building, and held approximately 60 Ameri- can diplomats hostage. The Iranian crisis had begun and little aid the country realize that this crisis would last for 444 days. During our sophomore year many attempts and steps were taken to free our hostages. President jimmy Carter banned the import of Iranian oil, froze all Iranian assets in the United States, and threatened deportation of all illegal students. However, the only hostages which were re- leased were women and blacks-because the students be- lieved they were an oppressed people. A message was attached with their release stating, the rest of the hos- tages will be tried and punished because of the embas- sy ' s alleged espionage activities. Operation Blue Light was an attempt to free our hos- tages with the aid of eight RH 53 helicopters and six C-130 Hercules transport planes. The operation was a disaster- ous failure when a helicopter collided with a plane loaded with ammunition causing the death of eight men and injuring five others. At the end of our sophomore year, America was still held hostage! Further complications adding to the Iranian crisis were the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the presidential elections both in Iran and the United States. By December 27, 1979 Afghanistan ' s President Hafizullah Amin was ousted from power apparently by the USSR, and by De- cember 29th, substantial numbers of Soviet troops were reported crossing into Afghanistan. Scattered throughout the year were two environmental disasters. In the beginning of the year. Hurricane David swept through Dominica, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and the east coast of the United States killing approximately 1000 people and destroying thou- sands of homes. On May 18, 1980 at precisely 8:32 A.M. a dreaded disaster occurred. Mount St. Helens in Washing- ton erupted after being dormant 123 years. There were 34 persons who were killed during the volcanic eruption and 28 were missing and presumed to be dead. The total monetary damage was estimated at $2.7 billion dollars. This May 18th eruption was followed by six lesser ones; consequently Washington took on the nickname ashing- ton . Despite these tragic episodes, the United States still had several advances in the medical, scientific, and govern- mental departments. On October 17, 1979 the United States Department of Education became the 13h cabinet in the government. During this same month the World Health Organization announced the total eradication of small pox. Also in the medical field, a national virus fight- ing substance called interferon was manufactured in the lab for the first time. Science progressed with a closer look at the planets Saturn, by U.S. Spacecraft Pioneer 11, and Jupiter, by the Spacecraft Voyager 1. During the sports season between 1979 and 1980 we faced many triumphs. During the Winter Olympics at Lake Placid the United States won six gold medals, four silver medals, and two bronze medals. The United States hock- ey team brought one of those gold medals home after thirteen days of competition. The Boys of Winter basked in their glory as Jim Craig, the goalie of the hockey team, wrapped himself in the American flag which re- flected the emotional impact on the young teams success. Eric Heiden, a speedskater for the United States, also became a star during the Winter Olympics. He not only became the first athlete to win five gold medals, but also he set five Olympic records and one world record. An upset in the sports world occurred on April 12, 1980 when tne House of Delegates of the U.S. Olympic Com- mittee voted 1604 to 797 in favor of a boycott of the Summer Olympics in Moscow. The boycott was led by the United States and followed by dozens of other Western Nations. The reason was obvious: the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December. Among the movies of the year were: Kramer VS Kramer , The Deer Hunter , Superman , Apocalypse Now , The China Syndrome , Star Trek , and Rocky II . The trend of disco was still popular during our sopho- more year. Disco rollerskating became the big fad and dance music became the popular choice. Donna Summer, The Village People, Chic, Rod Stewart, and Blondie be- came the popular disco artists. Other trends were toward the already well established rock bands such as Led Zeppelin and The Who. The Who released two films during this year, The Kids Are Alright and Quadrophenia. The excitement of sophomore year had passed, and we were already half way through high school. Our class was looking forward to the next two years of high school which would lead us to graduation-and open the doors to our future. With everyone looking forward, the past two years just faded in our minds.

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1978 Freshman Year 1979 As we entered Comp in 1978 for our freshman year, we didn ' t know what to expect. We were on new territory and unsure about our future. We became the targets of upperclassmen ' s pranks and insults; furthermore, the four years until graduation seemed to be miles away. Little did we realize that these four years were going to be the best years of our lives. When we entered Comp, the school was in the process of undergoing many changes and renovations. Under Principal Stanley J. Ziemba an Instructional Media Center (IMC) was built to house our new school library. A new entrance from Montgomery Street into Comp was in- stalled to solve the traffic and busing problems. The athle- tic field, gymnasium, and cafeteria were also renovated in 1978, and during that same year equal rights left its mark on Comp by developing coed gym classes. The most embarrassing incident of our freshman year was when our freshmen sign was spelled wrong during the first school rally, and we carried the ridiculous name of freshman throughout the year. Despite the beneficial changes which were ocurring at Comp, there was much distress in the world during our freshman year. On September 28, 1978 Pope john Paul I died after serving as pontiff for only thirty-three days. The world was stricken with despair and sorrow. After slowly recovering from the Pope ' s death, the world was once again hit with more brutal and disasterous news. On November 18, 1978 United States Representa- tive Leo Ryan and four others were killed by members of the People ' s Temple in Jonestown, Guyana. Hours later over 900 people were found lying dead along with their cult leader. Reverend Jim Jones, who had taken control of them and convinced them to commit suicide. Two terrifying accidents occurred during the end of our freshman year. On March 28, 1979 an accident took place at the nuclear power plant at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania. Above normal levels of radiation leaked out, and there was a serious threat of a nuclear core melt down. Two months later a terrible plane crash made the headlines. Shortly after take-off from Chicago ' s O ' Hare Airport an American Airlines ' DC-10 jetliner lost its en- gine. This disaster cost the lives of all 273 persons on board. Between September 1978 and June 1979, we lost the lives of many talented and loved people. Edgar Bergen, Nelson Rockefeller, John Wayne, Gene Tunney, and Keith Moon died leaving their memories behind. Even though we faced these tragedies, we also faced many achievements toward a better future. On October 16, 1978 Karol Cardinal Wojtlyla became Pope John Paul II, the first non-Italian Pope in 456 years. China and the United States shook hands and finally established full di- plomatic relations. Margaret Thatcher became the first woman Prime Minister of Great Britain. We also celebrated two historical birthdays and a cen- tennial during our freshman year. The first was Mickey Mouse ' s 50th birthday. The second was the birth of the first test tube baby. It ' s a girl! and it was born to parents in England. In March of 1979 we honored Albert Einstein through a centennial. Many names and faces broke through the ordinary dur- ing our freshman year. In sports Steve Cauthen, age 18, won the Triple Crown; Nancy Lopez made her debut as a professional woman golfer; Muhammed Ali defeated Leon Spinks in the ring; Bjorn Borj was the winner at the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament and Pete Rose smashed his 3000th career hit, and also held the modern day re- cord of a 44 game hitting streak. The television series of the year was the hilarious show Mork N ' Mindy and following the series was the often repeated saying Nano Nano . Movie goers crowded into theaters to see the biggest hit Grease starring Olivia Newton John and John Travolta. Saturday Night Fever followed right behind in Grease ' s steps. Other smash hits were: Annie Hall , The Boys From Brazil , and National Lampoon ' s Animal House. Debby Boone lit up the charts with her hit song, You Light Up My Life. The record of the year was Hotel California recorded by the Eagles. The album of the year was Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, and the group of the year was the BeeGees . The best seller list contained such books as The Sec- ond Generation, Mommie Dearest, if Life is a Bowl of Cherries What Am I Doing in the Pits, and The Complete Book of Running. Our freshman year passed quickly. We were glad be- cause there were now only three more years until gradu- ation; yet, we were sad because many of the events of our first year were not just memories.

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1980 Junior Year 1981 Junior year finally came around, and we were no longer underclassmen. We were upperclassmen and in the third year of high school. During this year we faced the pro- nounced effects of Proposition 2 V 2 . Teachers, classes, and extracurricular activities were cut for the end of this year and for our upcoming senior year. However, we still made use of our time by becoming more involved in the activi- ties which remained. Our class actively participated in the Magazine Drive and we met our class goal. We beat the seniors in the traditional Powder Puff football game dur- ing Homecoming Weekend by a crushing score of sixteen to zero. During the Christmas season we once again out- shined the seniors when our class collected more cans than any other class for the Canned Food Drive. “The Best of Times was chosen as the theme for our junior Prom because those four words summed up our feelings toward our junior year. We were now becoming aware of the significance and excitement of our high school years which were passing by so quickly. Prior to entering school in September of 1980, Iran was still holding the American diplomats hostage. Further ne- gotiations and steps were taken to free the hostages but no agreements had been made. On July 27, 1980 the former Shah Of Iran died in Cairo of cancer. During the beginning of our junior year, the United States Congress became involved in the most controver- sial federal investigation of corruption on Capital Hill. Operation Abscam identified 31 federal, state, and local officials as subjects for jnquiry into political corruption. Undercover agents posed as wealthy Arabs or their repre- sentatives who were interested in buying political influ- ence. The congressmen who accepted their bribes were secretly videotaped by the Federal Bureau of Investigation during the transaction. Among those convicted in Abs- cam were Democrat Representatives Frank Thompson Jr., John M. Murphy, Michael Myers, Raymond F. Lederer, and John W. Jenrette. The 1980 presidential elections took place in November of our junior year. The election itself and the outcome of the election were unique. For the first time since 1924 there were three presidential candidates; Republican Ronald Reagan, Democrat Jimmy Carter, and Indepen- dent John Anderson. Ronald Reagan was victorious in the election and once again the G.O.P. took control of the Senate. The major issues of the campaign were the Iranian crisis and the hostage situation along with the present economic affairs. On January 20, 1981 Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the 40th President of the United States; fur- thermore on that same day after 444 days in captivity, the American hostages were released. Throughout the Iranian crisis the patriotism and unity of the United States was the strongest it had been since the 1940 ' s. The release of the hostages was celebrated with enthusiasm and zeal such as was displayed during the New York City Ticker-Tape Pa- rade. In Washington D.C. the hostages were honored at the White House. The Iranian crisis was over!!! During the years of 1980 and 1981 there were numer- ous assassinations and assassination attempts. On De- cember 8, 1980 former Beatle John Lennon was shot out- side his New York City apartment by Mark David Chap- man. In the spring of 1981 John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate President Reagan outside a hotel in Washing- ton. Ronald Reagan, his press secretary (James Brady), and two security officers were wounded during the incident. Two months later another assassination attempt took place. A Turkish terrorist, Mehmet Ali Agca, shot Pope John Paul II at St. Peter ' s Square in Rome. Fortunately the Pope recovered quickly. Throughout our junior year and continuing into the beginning of our senior year were the numerous murders of black children in Atlanta. The un- solved “Atlanta killings left fear in the hearts of Ameri- cans. Along with the numerous assassination attempts which took place, there were also numerous strikes which were occurring throughout our junior year. The first was a 50 day baseball strike by all the major league baseball teams. Deadlocked negotiations, empty ball parks, and collective bargaining among the players and managers replaced the normal activities of the baseball season. The next major strike was the revolt of the workers in Poland. Approxi- mately 150,000 workers walked off their jobs demanding higher pay, lower food prices, free labor unions with the legal right to strike, abolition of censorship, and freedom for all political prisoners. They organized themselves un- der their strike leader. Lech Walesa, and took on the name of “Solidarity . Despite martial law and threats of Soviet intervention, the strike still continued throughout junior year and throughout senior year. The last strike which occurred during our junior year was the fatal hun- ger strike of Bobby Sands. Sands was the Irish Republican Army leader who endured 66 days of starvation. The pur- pose of his revolt was to force the British government to grant political prisoners status to Irish nationalist inmates rather than treating them as common criminals. Bobby Sands died in vain as Margaret Thatcher refused the IRA ' s demands. On April 12 the United States had a dramatic uplift when the first re-usable space shuttle was launched with success. John Young and Robert Crippen piloted the space shuttle Columbia which made 36 orbits. REO Speedwagon dominated the charts with their number one album “Hi-lnfidelity . On New Year ' s Eve Kim Game ' s song “Bette Davis Eyes was revealed as the number one song of the year. During our junior year the cinemas were playing such popular movies as “Superman 11 , “Arthur , “Raiders of the Lost Ark , “Endless Love , and many others. Junior year faded into the summer before our senior year. We faced the last year of high school and the most crucial year. All the difficulties and problems of our junior year seemed very minimal to the difficult decisions and questions we would face in the last of our high school years. ' V WELCOi back t FREEDO