High School of Commerce - Caduceus Yearbook (Springfield, MA)

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¢ wy eu e all know that it’s not easy being a teen- ager. We are con- stantly facing new problems and obsta- cles. The best way to deal with these everyday teenage problems is to stay on top of them and not get buried with them. This is not as easy as if sound s, and this is wnere Commerce can help. The Winner's Circle is a new club this year at Commerce. The founder and advisor is Miss Blakeslee. The main idea of this group is to give teenagers the opportunity to share their feelings. Teens need a place where they can feel comfortable enough to talk and AMembers of Commerce's Winner's Circle are joined by students from Central's AWARE group to listen to a guest speaker on “Improving Your Style Through Assertiveness.’ Activities od discuss any problems they may have. Once teens start to communicate, they will find that they’re not alone. The Winner's Circle also stresses the importance of building self-esteem and desiring the initiative to become a winner. By learning to stay on top of yourself, you are open to new chal- lenges and choices that you may not Esteem have noticed before. Throughout the year, speakers have come in to soeak to members of the club. One of the speakers, Julia May- cock, areporter from the Union, shared her feelings and comments in striving for self-satisfaction. All of us have a long road ahead. If we plan ahead, build up our strengths and put our mistakes and we aknesses behind us, we can all achieve our goals. This is just what the Winner's Cir- cle is all about. AWinner’s Circle Members, top to bottom: Tammy Howe, J. Kimberly Hanks, Michelle Huard, Melissa Porter and Malissa Small. Preparing a lecture are Aimee Rivera, co-sponsor of the club, and Terry Hodur, counselor at Bay State Center For Displaced Homemakers.

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WW} 0 reak a leg!! What do you think of when you hear these words? Acting, of course. And to provide our talented adolescents with the opportunity to grow, a period 7 drama class was initiated this year. These dedicated “‘hams’”’ performed two plays this past year. The first perfor- mance this winter was That Girl From Texas, The second play was greeted with raves this past spring. Ms. Dunn, the drama coach, said, “Now that the drama club has be- come a class, students have a better opportunity to study acting.’ She fur- OW ther stated, ‘Only students who are se- rious about acting are encouraged to take drama.” It is a one credit class made up of juniors and seniors who meet for one period a day. To join, first you must audition. Ms. Dunn picks out @ monologue which Pengection must be memorized and acted. But you must also have excellent atten- dance and “‘a desire to work together with the rest of the class to improve acting ability.” An actress from StageWest comes in three times a week to offer work- shops on acting. The class has also at- tended plays at StageWest and Sym- phony Hall. Next year they hope to go to New York and Boston to catch a few performances. lf you are interested, though, keep in mind that ‘joining the drama class re- quires an attitude that you will cooper- ate and work hard.” Aliz Chaplin, Karen Weiss and Nate Stover show their excitement two hours before That Girl From Texas. Activities

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WScott Jambors, a freshman, takes time to ponder his next move. (v hess is a game for every- one! There is no limit or re- striction for anyone. This is probably why Dr. Franson decided to become Chess Club advisor this past year. Meeting officially every activity peri- od, these students also head for room 449 before and after school each day to play. In fact, interest became so high among members, that a competi- tion with Longmeadow High School was held in February. Dr. Franson is not shy about his feel- ings for the game. “| cannot be moder- ate in my feelings toward chess,”’ he stated. ‘| ‘modestly’ feel that it should q be a part of everyone’s life. The game gives one immense amount of gratifi- cation, challenge and competition in a controlled setting. That is quite a return on arather modest investment in time. Could one ask for more?” Having had no special standing or ranking in chess organizations, Dr. Fran- son feels he is, at best, an intermediate Eudeauor level player who has played for over twenty years only for the pleasure of the game. But he does not hesitate to liken it to the normal artistic endeavors of society. “Chess can easily be considered an art form. Those who play the game know that it is not possible to play the same game twice. Every game is unique. Each game presents its own beauty and challenge. Win or lose, one gains enormous satisfaction from a game that is played well.” Activities