Griffith High School - Reflector Yearbook (Griffith, IN)

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tracks, army tank, water tower railroad crossings in any one place, and it used to claim Broad street as the shortest highway in the nation, until the state gave it to Griffith in 1964. Having a high school in a town doesn’t sound too special, but when one spends one -third of each day in a school, it is like a second home to many. Approximately 1,000 students and 52 faculty members sit in school for 415 minutes each day between September 4 and June 7. Every morning, janitors open the building by unlocking 45 doors and flicking on 72 lights. For competitive sports, teams can use either one of two gymnasiums. The library offers more than 17,000 volumes for research or just for reading pleasure. Eighty -four years have passed since Griffith was settled in 1891. What was once a swampland, is now the flourishing little town of Griffith. Generations of Griffith residents have grown accustomed to the tank guarding Broad street and all the town’s children.

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Tucked in the northwest comer of Indiana, lies a small town, sandwiched between the bustling, industrial complex of Chicago — Hammond — and — Gary, better known as the Calumet Region. This “bedroom community” where fathers work in one town but live and rear their families in another is the suburbs of Griffith. This town is just like any other typical suburb, with one high school, mushroom-shaped water towers and a volunteer fire department. A steel -cast foundry and a paper-packing company make up the industrial faction, shops, taverns and the U.S. Post Office line the streets downtown, with two fire stations at opposite ends. Eleven gas stations, four recreational parks, and four elementary schools are scattered throughout the town. The Calumet area has been described as one big “melting pot,” in other words, name the nationality, and Griffith probably has it. The town is populated by more than 18 , 000 , ranging from Spanish-Americans, to middle- Europeans. Many belong to one of the twelve churches that are located within the town. Although the town is like many others, it does differ in some respects. Griffith claimed two entries in “Ripley’s Believe It or Not.” The town has the record for the most this is GRIFFITH PANTHER COUNTRY “This is Griffith Panther country. The legend painted on the water tower leaves no doubt as to what community a motorist is passing through as he spins down busy Ridge Road. Early evening in Griffith is exemplified by closed stores and the whizzing of cars as residents desert the streets en-route home from work. Griffith: conglomeration of railroad

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D m cd When alumni returned for Homecoming 74, they noticed that something had changed. There was no pile of wood, blazing flames or remaining ashes of a bonfire. They wondered what had become of it. “There were just too many problems and complaints con- nected with having a bonfire. The minuses outweighed the pluses, Mr. Sam Cox, principal, explained. The biggest hassles occurred with the collecting and storing of wood. Although this was the seniors ' responsibility, many underclassmen became involved. Some students stole from school and community alike. “Last year I received around 30 calls complaining about student vandalism and pranks due to the bonfire. Police received 60-70 additional cal Is, Mr. Cox stated. Problems resulting from drinking andtheuse of drugs at the place where the wood was stored was another reason for abolishing the bonfire, police Lt. George Phillips said. Some students considered gathering wood one big party with getting drunk part of it. Rivalry between schools presented another problem. After students traveled to a near-by school to destroy its wood pile, revenge was certain. This resulted in fights, injuries and more needless destruction. Mr. Cox, Mr. Tom Sfura, assistant principal, and some faculty decided to end the bonfire tradition as problems continued to mount. Mr. Cox felt there were too many disturbances due to the bonfire and it wasn ' t worthwhile or in the best interest of the school and community. During the summer, Dave Richards, Student Council President, and Dave Hallowell, Senior Class President, drew up a proposal for Mr. Cox to re-establish the bonfire. They tried to figure a way to have a bonfire without the usual problems. Police Chief Robert Herod and Fire Chief Bill Kane agreed to the proposal and two companies offered to donate wood. Despite the effort, Mr. Cox wouldn ' t approve the plan. He said most of the same problems would still exist. Any hope to ever reinstate the bonfire in the future looked doubtful. Seniors were more concerned with the cancellation of the bonfire than underclassmen because it played a big part in their last year of high school and was something they looked forward to and wanted to remember. But the end of this tradition didn ' t seem to affect students ' spirits as Homecoming activities continued as usual. ' I had good feelings about Homecoming this year instead of negative feelings as in past years. Mr. Cox said, “it went 100% smoother and there were no complaints or problems. Though no signs of a bonfire existed, returning alumni recognized other familiar Homecoming sights. The floats, football game, queen and dance still kept tradition alive. Bonfire era goes up in smoke as students smolder Twenty years ago, students at GHS displayed Homecoming spirit by decorating family cars, honking horns and joining the parade. The procession was enroutetothe bonfire where cheerleaders led the crowd around the raging fire in a snake dance. The queen was crowned at halftime and after the game everyone made their way to the dance where Big Al ' s Band provided the music. In the past, the bonfire tradition has always been an important part of Homecoming. Throughout the years, seniors gathered wood with hopes of surpassing the previous fire ' s height. This bonfire meant more to them than any other. It represented their class effort and would long be remembered. Alumni easily recalled fun-filled days of Homecoming preparation and student spirit. It wasn ' t winning the game that proved so important, but rather, the memorable experiences gained. The one thing I remember most about my high school years was the bonfire. We had a good time partying while gathering and guarding wood, Ken Shutts 74 alumnus stated. As times changed, so have traditions. What once played a big part in the past, may no longer exist in the future. “It seems that the school loses something different each year. Traditions are now just memories of the past, Kim Anderson 74 alumnus explained. Another Homecoming came and went this year. In some ways it was similar to those of twenty years ago, in other ways it definitely changed. Nevertheless, Homecoming still exists, even though the bonfire has died. 8