Griffith High School - Reflector Yearbook (Griffith, IN)

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£3 ' 76 seemed routine traditions kept intact; just another year or no? typical elevator seasons of ups and downs and as it turned out, it seemed as if neither team got out of the basement. If the opposing team wasn ' t enough, the track team found more battles as it fought against sparse crowds and the unpopular tradition of scheduling Prom the night before the Conference track meet. Girls track took up arms as it too fought for fans and the threat of extinction due to lack of a coach. Fall and spring musicals returned to entertain a somewhat less than full house audience and the frequent clashes between the stars and chorus spiced up the tedious rehearsals. Student Council resumed its traditional role of preparing Homecoming and then spent four weekly meetings debating whether to paint the school ' s wastebaskets red, white and blue. The annual epidemic of Turnabout and Prom Fever rerupted as girls saved for that special dress and guys searched for that extra nerve and money needed to ask girls out for a date. Once again career days were set aside to help students in choosing a vocation. And once again the students flocked to the rooms just to get out of their classes. Not to be left out, the band continued its tradition at parades by performing the Number 89 song on the WLS music survey of 1967: Everyday People. Events of the 1976 school year happened as they had in previous years. Traditions were kept inact and few new events were started. So it appeared as if 1976 would pass as though it were nothing spectacular. But was ' 76 Just Another Year? 4

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Big Bicentennial year causes few apparant changes in students, school, home, town life Lunch hour, although still only 30 minutes long, remains a popular part of the day. Even students without cars find a chance to catch up on the latest gossip. Despite efforts to stop vandalism, destruction throughout the school continues. Washrooms seem hardest hit as janitors frequently must repair damaged facilities. 1976 — Oh boy, the big Bicentennial. Never again will we have the chance to wish the United States a happy two- hundredth birthday, (so we ' ve been told at least 200 times.) But wait a minute. Was 1976 at Griffith special? Physically the high school didn ' t change. No construction was done to change the building ' s outward appearance. It still had a main office, a library, two gyms, a cafeteria and over 1,000 students roaming its halls. Mentally the Bicentennial didn ' t give the students a brain power boost or a special insight into American history and apathy still affected the school ' s activities and spirit. Students still smoked in the johns and wrote their graffiti on the walls. The cafeteria lines were once again short on fish day, soybean burger day, ranch steak day, etc. as students pushed to Mickey D ' s and Burger Whop for their double-decker hamburgers. Forty minutes later, long lines of students formed outside of Mr. O ' Rourke ' s office as they were forced to collect tardy passes and detention because they ate their Big Mac ' s too slowly. The football team, despite a new coach, experienced a similiar record and almost identical statistics in the number of points scored against them: 276 in ' 74 and 260 in ' 75. The baseball and tennis teams had their Continued on page four 3

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Activities night once again highlighted Homecoming. Wheel barrel and tricycle races as well as other events amused participants and viewers alike. Presenting Annie Get Your Gun as its fall musical production, the Drama Department adds another play to its wide list of performances. ✓ jf ' AA, V -S ' Free time is limited for students who decide to engage in part-time jobs. Since prices keep rising, parents are no longer a good money source. Even though gas prices have skyrocketed, students continue driving to school. When these situations arise, traffic problems occur. A permanent sight outside the school, the flagpole with its banners waving in the breeze, had special meaning as the bicentennial year took form.