Hoover High School - Husky Yearbook (Des Moines, IA)

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8 Introduction

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The most serious Haw in 1973’s curriculum was student misconduct. First semester open finals were cancelled solely because of student misbehavior. Fire alarms plagued lunch hours early in the year, and vandalism spread to in- clude various signs and posters, fire ex- tinguishers, and innumberable personal items. Other problems were not dealt with realistically. Smoking was hypocritically accep- table for faculty members and “a serious viola- tion of city fire ordinances for students. Activities at Hoover were few but successful. Too many events that were successful in past years - Cheap Thrills, Fun Nite, Sock Hop, Pan- cake Day - were cancelled because of a lack of in- terest. A weak, almost nonexistent Student Council was unable to get people involved. Attandance plunged to record low numbers and abolishment was discussed. The Council ' s election for the fall semester of 1974 was reduced from the traditional all-school assembly to personal es- says in one issue of The Challenger to simple nominations and elections at one of the last Coun- cil meetings. Meetings were cut to bi-weekly assemblies. Other traditional activities were ab- breviated. Hoover Seminars, originally the Keck Seminars, were held just one day with the choice of classes also smaller than the year before. The estimated 50% of the students that attended were pleased with the majority of classes. Sports activities grew in number and size. Boys’ football, basketball, cross country, and water polo had winning seasons. Hoover had two squads of girls’ basketball playing in a city-wide round robin tournament with conference com- petition planned for 1974. The defeat at the State Girls’ Swim Meet was a disappointment to the Marlins, but The Challenge r staff learned more about individual rights from the dispute that followed between Roosevelt’s swim coach and Hoover parents over the use of ninth grade girls on the state champion team. The Challenger staff grew to evaluate sub- sequent letters with more discretion after Hoover parents wrote a letter to the paper con- deming Roosevelt’s coach. Introduction 7

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Behind the majority of activities were Hoover’s organizations and clubs, whose success ranged from strong and meaningful to a struggle for survival. Girls’ Club replaced Student Council as the key organization for student involvement and sponsor of school activities. Cavatelli dinners, Christmas and Valentine dances, service pro- jects, and guest speakers highlighted a successful, growing year for the Girls’ Club cabinet and other members. Service Volunteers, initiated in 1972, worked with the Red Cross and local hospitals to provide talent shows. Over a dozen students created a chess club. Other groups did not fare as well. Hooverettes and Twirling Cadets were almost disbanded at the end of their spring marching season. Twirlers and pom-pom girls will be incor- porated into the marching band. Student activity in the community focused on 1972’s political events and projects for non- profit organizations. Both the Democratic and Republican parties employed Hoover volunteers. Des Moines’ Hunger Hike, Cerebral Palsy Walk-a-Thon, Hike for Muscular Distrophy, and the Special Olympics for retard- ed children were all backed by Hoover students. One class received extra credit when they par- ticipated in Mays’ Bike Marathon, a state-wide drive to raise money for bicycle trails. At Hoover, as well as all area high schools, students signed petitions to better the quality of a local stereo FM radio station. Tickets to a number of local rock concerts were sold at Hoover as students spent more time and money on entertainment. Hoover saw the end of many traditional high school activities and philosophies during the 1973 school year. But those who value life see an end as a beginning for something else - a new type of action or idea may grow and develop. Whether it be a subconscious desire to excel at every task or a conscious growth, growth is a continual process necessary for life. Unbalanced as its growth was during 1973 , Hoover moved toward becoming a unique entity in the communi- ty and more than three more years of education for its students. Growth is the basis of life.