Choctawhatchee High School - Tomahawk Yearbook (Fort Walton Beach, FL)

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New York City. Tomahawk held its assembly on May 24 in preparation of the summer- delivered book. John Stercho, editor- in-chief, displayed the cover and an- nounced distribution procedures for the August delivery. The student body cheered when they learned the book carried a kelley green cover, instead of a “red, white and blue special.” Elections for the succeeding school year’s Student Council were held May 25. After a runoff the following morn- ing, Amy Autry was announced as the upcoming president; Gary Phillips, vice-president; Linda Gotith, secret- ary; Laura McCarthy, treasurer. While elections were held for juniors and sophomores in the gym, seniors were honored by sophomore volunteers in the auditorium with Senior Apprecia- tion Day. May 28 saw the final day of school arrive for seniors. No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks . . . JUNE Graduation activities commenced as the Class of '76 slowly faded away. Baccalaureate held jointly with Fort Walton Beach High School was deli- vered the night of June 1. Senior Break- fast and Senior Honors' Night came on June 2. Highlight of the week, the year, and every senior s past twelve school years, Graduation Ceremonies, came on the night of June 3. June 9 arrives. Faculty, administra- tion, juniors, and sophomores rejoice as the school year closes. Noon ap- proaches, students tense, teachers re- lievingly sigh. The dismal bell rings re- leasing students to the long awaited summer and faculty to another week of post-planning. A dramatic surface photograph of the planet Mars taken by the Viking I Lander Saturday, July 25.1976. Viking I is the first craft from earth to land on the Red Planet and perform scientific investigations to determine possible life existence. Mysterious figures resembling the letters B and G appear at the extreme left of the picture (arrow). Scientists at the Jet Propulsion laboratory in Pasadena, California, explained them as shadows or an illusion caused by weathering processes, but failed to comment on the possibility of them being a Martian stone carver's discarded ware. Calendar 23

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in spelling; Kelly McNeil, third in Par- liamentary Procedure; Cathy Guin, first in Public Speaking; Sharon Rasmus- sen. first in Senior Clerk Typists; Leslie Fails, third place President’s award; Choctaw CBE, Best Club award. Steve Hall, Debbie Padden, Bobby Johnson, and Fraser Sherman learned on February 24 that they were selected as finalists in the 1976 National Merit Scholarship contest. The Santa Rosa Mall opened for bus- iness on February 25. Fort Walton citi- zens now had competitive merchandis- ing to participate in; What a differ- ence!” Hi-Y and Tri-Hi-Y club members left on February 26 to attend the 19th an- nual Youth Legislature session in Tal- lahassee. Returning on February 28, the 64 CHS participants brought with them over half the state awards. MARCH Mu Alpha Theta sponsored a na- tional mathematics test for all in- terested students on March 9. One hundred-forty-six students partici- pated in the two hour long exam. On March 13, the Downtown Busi- nessmen’s Association initiated their shuttle service along the Miracle Strip Parkway. A British-built double-decker bus served as the novel form of trans- portation. Student Council sponsored Twerp Week March 16-19, which saw girls reversing roles with boys; escorting them to class and carrying their books. Topping off the unconventional week was the even more unorthodox Twerp Dance Contest. Winners were Nancy Bixby and Bruce Gleneck. Wheelettes held their annual “Mr. Mock CHS contest on March 13. Win- ners were Jim Parrish, Mr. Mock CHS; Steve Hall, first runner-up; Chuck Boudreau, second runner-up; Gary Eckel, Mr. Sweetie Pie; Charles Bull” Rigdon, Mr. Physique. APRIL Billionaire Howard Hughes was rushed from Acapulco, Mexico for emergency treatment at Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas on April 5. His death during a diabetic coma set off a flurry of falsified wills, each claim- ing rightful inheritance to the multi- billion dollar estate. Smoke Signals held their first an- nual Way-Out Games on April 24, as a fund raising project. Hi-Y won the games, with Leo taking second, and Sophomore Tri-Hi-Y third. Teachers and students alike helped Student Council present an Indian modified Hee Haw” show. The April 27 spectacle gave teachers a chance to roast themselves and their students. April 28-May 1, CHS choristers com- peted at state level competition before accredited judges at FSU. Superior performances were delivered before a panel of highly impressed judges by the four performing groups. MAY The following week on May 8 in Fort Walton Beach High School auditorium, both Choctaw’s Symphonic and Con- cert bands received a superior rating for their performances at the state level of competition. Steve Hall and Debbie Padden were notified on May 13 that they were two of the 1,485 recipients of Merit Scholar- ships for 1976. Steve received his scholarship to FSU, while Debbie re- ceived hers to the University of Florida. Tammy Fortenberry and Mike Bow- yer were informed on May 20 that they had been chosen as valedictorian and salutorian of their class. The junior-senior prom was held on May 22 at the Ramada Inn. Following a bicentennial theme, the Blue Room was decorated as a colonial garden during a spring evening. Two Concorde supersonic jetliners were allowed to land on American soil May 24. The two flights, one an Air France from Paris International and the other a BOAC from Heathrow in London, landed at the Dulles Interna- tional Airport outside of Washington, D.C. The federal government initiated an 18 month noise-ozone pollution study conducted by the FAA in conjuc- tion with airport authorities at Dulles and John F. Kennedy International in On May 24,1976, the British Airlines concorde jet departs Heathrow Airport on its Trans-Atlantic journey to Dulles International Airport in Arlington, Virginia. The historic flight is scheduled to take three hours-fifty minutes. 22 Calendar

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Presidential Candidates Arrive In Northwest Florida For Campaigning In Bicentennial Year This Bicentennial year was also election year for our country. Many of the presidential candidates visited Northwest Florida to cam- paign in one of the biggest and most important primaries. When our own town of Fort Wal- ton Beach was having disputes over prayers in public schools, Governor George Wallace of Alabama came to speak on the issue. It was a rainy day and the rally was held in Memorial Stadium next to Choctawhatchee. A sparse crowd came to listen to the governor and hear his views. Jimmy Carter, former governor of Georgia, visited our neighboring city of Pensacola, which proved to be a worthwhile trip. Even President Ford campaigned in this area. Presidential nominees were be- ginning to see the importance of the growing area of Northwest Florida, as was proved this past year. Since Fort Walton has increased in size, it has attracted more campaign of- fices. In the coming year, more cam- paigning can be expected. Top Right: Jimmy Carter and friends look over the speech he will give to his supporters. Good speeches and the right form are impor- tant to all the presidential nominees. Center Left: Ronald Reagan, former governor of California, signs autographs at one of his political rallies. Reagan seems to have a lot of appeal and was considered for vice president. 24 Elections