Clearwater High School - Aqua Clara Yearbook (Clearwater, FL)

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Crystal Palace, the beac S. Thomas Pier 60 parking lot was a big issue over the summer. The motel owners fought until the parking lot was closed at 10pm because “rowdy teen- agers scare the tourists away. After the city shut down Pier 60 parking lot. students had to go elsewhere. Surfside is one of the main beach hangouts. Ali Goldenfarb shares some laughs with Sue Matallo and Cindy Graham. B. Sloan 10 Beach fATy. gameroom and night hang- out, became even more popu- lar after the city closed the Pier 60 lot. Gary Kirkland strives for the high score on Donkey Kong Junior.

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I I ) i ] i tl i I i ■H Seniors find that graduation is more than just a ceremony or a celebration Graduation takes a big chip out of everyone’s pocket and takes months of preparation. These seniors await the invo- cation. by Barbara Sloan T he last bell rang, but the year was not yet officially over until the gradu- ation ceremonies were completed. After the completion of exams on Wednesday, June 6th, the senior class met for commence- ment practice. Months had been spent in preparation of this memorable event. The cap and gowns were fitted in January; the invitations had to be ordered early so they could be mailed early in May. The band also spent many after- noons practicing their music for the ceremony. On the day of gradu- ation, practice began at noon. The seniors were to report to their home- rooms, so they could be put in alphabetical or- der rapidly. The seniors then rehearsed the ceremony step-by-step, under the direction of Mr. Gerakios. After the rehearsal, general instructions were given. They were told how to wear their cap, gown, and tassel, when to arrive, how to walk properly and how to behave. The pro- grams were also dis- tributed, and two re- serve tickets were giv- en to each senior for the parents. While the seniors sat in the neatly arranged folding chairs, Scott Sheplak, the Student Government president, started the ceremony by giving the invoca- tion. Other speakers in- cluded a speech by Chuck Hinton, the Se- nior class president, chairman of the school board, Mr. John Espey, the announcement of the school gift by the Se- nior class treasurer, Amy Zedan, and a speech by the valedictorian, Mark Neimann. To end the ceremony, Senior class vice president, David Crandall presented the benediction. After the speakers were finished, the se- niors filed one by one to the podium. Each se- nior had a white card with his or her name on it; this card was given to the proper speaker, either Mr. Gerakios or Mr. Anderson, so they could be announced. Then the seniors re- ceived a piece of paper that represented their diploma. The diplomas were to be picked up in homeroom after the ceremony. After the formal procedures were finished, seniors enthusiastically threw their caps in the air as part of a tradition. The city offered a va- riety of activities, called “Project Gradu- ation”, to try to keep them off the streets. These planned activi- ties included a movie, the use of the YMCA, and a pizza party. The seniors now graduated were on their way to represent us in the best possible way — by making the most of their future. 0 Graduation is a serious part Lined up and ready to enter •v of school, but these seniors the stadium, these seniors | try to get a laugh or so in be- are together for the last time fore the ceremony begins. as the class of ’84. ♦ Graduation (’84) 9

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CHS The major summer contro- versy — to close the lot or not. Both alternatives were tried to relieve congestion prob- lems on the beach. by Barbara Sloan T hey say we ruined their business, they say we were too rowdy, they say we scared the tourists, and they say we were too obscene. They were the beach motel owners, beach merchants, and elderly beach residents. The motel owners fought long and hard to get the Pier 60 parking lot closed at night. New signs were posted to keep teenagers away. These signs can be found along Mandalay and in Pier 60 . parking lot. NO PARKING 10PM-6AM LOT CLOSED 2 30 AM -630 AM METERS ENFORCED 630AM - 700PM- Students Battle for the Beach with the motel owners and sunworshippers They won. By summer, the major parking lot, the weekend hangout for many teens, closed at 10pm. When the parking lot closed, Mandalay became one big traffic jam, from the fire station to the Carri- bean Gulf Hotel. Cars parked on side roads and the limited amount of parallel parking along Mandalay caused even more congestion. “When the city closed the lot, they didn’t think of what it would do to the traffic. I don’t know what they ex- pected us to do except drive around,” com- mented Ed Mealy. Students had to find new hang-outs. Some used Crystal Palace, the beach gameroom, and others went to Surfside. The ones who chose Crystal Palace found it becoming very crowded and often vis- ited by the local police. When Crystal Palace got too crowded the po- lice would come around and kick us out, leaving us nowhere to go, which usually just caused more prob- lems,” stated Christina Hopper. Others who went to Surfside helped to cele- brate the last night of Downs and Price, the singers who preformed every night at Surfside. “I like to go to Surfside to have a great time. Now, more people seem to hang out here than at Crystal Palace,’’ stated junior Greg Wes. The city soon found a temporary solution to the congestion. They hired a policeman to collect one dollar from every vehicle that en- tered Pier 60 parking lot after 7pm. This was suppose to help control the “rowdy” teenagers who used the beach as their hang-out. ‘‘It’s B. Sloan worth the money if you can get a bunch of friends to join you,” said junior Kenny Climo. When the city instituted this, they made parallel parking illegal after 10pm. While night beach problems were starting to settle, students found another side of the beach during the day. From the time the last bell rang to the time the first bell rang, students found the beach the place to go. “The first thing I did when I got home from the last exam was to (cont.) A place to hangout, a place to play video games, a place to meet friends. Crystal Pal- ace serves as all three of these. Will McEuen and T. ). Shano get a laugh from Bill Steuer. Beach II