Irvine High School - Citadel Yearbook (Irvine, CA)

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1? ■ Khahn Bui GENTLE HUG: April Card and Robert Johnson demonstrate one way in which teenagers can support each other in times of stress. Feature 27

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Cracklfyg the stre harrier Stress is not a selective condition that only con- cerns adults; in fact, pressure from all sides, in- cluding taking the best sequence of classes possi- ble, maintaining good grades, becoming involved in school activities, or holding down a job, makes teenagers prime candidates to experience a destructive form of stress. Achievement, satisfaction, health, and hap- piness can all be seriously affected by that seem- ingly unyielding affliction. Dr. Hans Selye, one of the pioneers in stress research, defined the condi- tion as the nonspecific result of any demand upon the body, yet coping w ith these demands is the key focus for today ' s het: ' C society. Not only are students h.. cted to become in- volved, but they are also pressured to achieve in all areas, by either their parents or themselves. Some students turn to alchohol or drugs to escape from pressures, instead of finding another way to deal with their problems. Low self esteem is one of the biggest reasons why students use or abuse substances, according to Richard Messenger, choral music teacher at IHS and member of the Impact Team. A student who feels good about himself or herself will find recourse other than using drugs when they encounter a crisis. Learning that there are other alternatives and capitalizing on their strengths will help students turn away from such abuse, Messenger said. Although usually associated with frazzled people struggling to maintain a grip on sanity, stress is ac- tually a natural reaction to everyday situations. It can be either beneficial or detrimental to a person, depending on how the individual deals with his or her problems and experiences. Researchers have discoverd that sudden upsets in one ' s life (such as death of a loved one, an unex- pected move, or a divorce in the family) trigger feelings of anxiety, but that gnawing feeling really stems from the petty worries of day-to-day life on top of the big problems. The human body is equip- ped with the chemicals and hormones to combat intense grief or excitement, but if these substances are frequently tapped by menial tasks in addition to the major stressors, the body and spirit pay a heavy toll in the form of heart disease, ulcers, migrains, extreme depression, or other mental anguish. Some high school students become affected by stress both physically and mentally, as was one IHS student who developed an ulcer. There was a time when I worried about grades, parental pressure, living up to my sister, and swit- ching schools. Once, I was so scared of what my parents would do when they saw my report card that I sliced a vein so that they wouldn ' t get mad about the grades, but only care about my physical condition, the student said. Connie Caputo, transfer counselor from Foun- tain Valley School District, explained some techni- ques for alleviating anxieties. Relaxation exercises and creative visualization are ways in which students can offset stress. It ' s also important to find ways to nurture yourself, Caputo said. Students find ways to reduce pressure by play- ing sports, writing in a journal, talking to friends or counselors, and spending time alone. According to Toni Iseman, senior counselor, the method in which students deal with problems is a matter of personal style. Usually I either cry, or sleep to hide from it all, said senior Kim Bolton. I play sports which helps me relax; writing in a journal really helps a great deal, also, said Laurie Hagerman, senior. With increasing demands made on teenagers to excell in school and attend college, in addition to the need to be accepted by their peer group, comes a sense of inadequacy when these goals are not met. Often times, parents ' expectations are difficult to live up to, which only adds to the problem. Sometimes stress is so abstract, that there is nothing a student can do about it. One way to han- dle it is to make a list of all the stressful things in your life, indentify the most difficult problem, and work to get control over that one. Many times, reaching cut for a friend or talking to someone who would understand, can help a great deal, said Iseman. — by Allison Joyce 1 -U ' -J l4e VJ S iV c ii fl- A THE WRITE-UP: Helping students is just one part of Gilbert Luna ' s jobs as campus supervisor, as he handles a problem for Tim Pirtle and Mike EsmondT A Vc 1 (yu McxcA. Tcw- ' CWi - sW e, v 26 Feature A Va V tL SCHEDULE CONFLICTS: Changing classes at the semester can be a very stressful time for both counselors and students, as Medea Tallman and Toni Iseman illustrate. f- c. ' s ' Zs-JJj Kelly Irwin

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MiSS AMEBiCA k he was an achiever for her race I — the human race. ' Vanessa Williams, Miss America 1984, brought a new perspective to the title as the first blacl woman to be named to one of the most prominent positions a woman can hold. Not only did she win the swimsuit competition, she also came in first in the talent contest when she sang Happy Days Are Here Again. In the end, only one point separated Miss New Jersey, Suzette Charles (who became first runner up), and Williams. Although only 11 out of 2,750 women who have competed for the title have been black, this was a record year as four blacks vied for the honor. Williams, considered a controversial figure, had her own opi- nions about her accomplishment. I have never been extremely discriminated against, but I ' ve always had to do 150 percent more than anyone else just to get noticed. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I am black, she said in an interview in the October 3, 1983 issues of People magazine. According to Williams ' parents, their children were raised to be independent. They had to become responsible for handling their own desires. That ' s what real life is about, her father Milton Williams said. We didn ' t set out to raise a Miss America, but if our children feel qualified to do something, they should not hesitate based on so- meone else ' s prejudices, said her mother Helen Williams. One of the reasons Williams decid- ed to compete in various pageants was to defray the $10,000 tuition while she majors in musical theater at Syracuse University in New York. — by Allison Joyce Wide World Photos CELEBRATION: Accepting her crown, 1984 Miss America Vanessa Williams, receives con- gratulations from the previous winner Debra Sue Maffett. •LYMPiCS Ithough they got off to a slow k start, the 1984 Winter Olym- pics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia brought medal winning athletes home to many countries. From the one-member Chilean team to the largest team, the United States, which carried about 150 athletes, the Olympic motto Citius, Altius, Fortius or Swifter, Higher, Stronger was in full swing. The com- petition ' s motto also reached close to home in many cases. Even though the games were sup- posed to be an unbiased competi- tion, each country enjoyed choosing their favorites. Along with the in- dividual countries ' hopefuls, each different event also had a world-wide known name who was favored to win. Great Britain boasted of Jayne Torvili and Christopher Dean who received twelve perfect scores jout of a possible eighteen in ice dancing and East Germany based hopes on its Katrina Witt. The Russians ruled the hockey rink, and East German Karin Enke ran away with two gold and two silver medals in women ' s speed skating. The women ' s downhill gold medal winner was 17-year-old MIchela Figini from Sweden. The best ranking in this event for the U.S. team was 16th. Nineteen-year-old Paoletta Magoni of Italy won the gold in women ' s slolam, while Max Julen of Switzerland won the men ' s giant slolam. Canadian skater Brian Orser gave international Olympic favorite Scott Hamilton a run for his money. Hamilton edged out Orser to win the gold in men ' s figure skating. A lot of the competition was quite close, as was shown in the women ' s figure skating event. After a perfor- mance which earned her a perfect 6.0 from one of the nine judges, Rosalynn Summers was closely beaten by Witt. Other U.S. com- petitors in skating showed some sur- prising results, especially 16-year-old Tiffany Chin. Going into the short program. Chin ranked 17th in school figures, but after the short and long programs, she was lifted to a very close fourth, just missing the bronze. In the pairs figure skating, Peter and Kitty Carruthers, a brother and sister team, went into the games hoping for a bronze medal, but sur- prised the spectators by winning a silver. . Along with skating, the winter Olympics also consisted of alpine skiing events as, bobsledding and The U.S. didn ' t find much success in bobsledding or luging, but skiing turned in some fine performances. Debbie Armstrong, 20, edged out her teammate, Christin Cooper, in the giant slolam to win the very first gold medal for the U.S. in 1984. And men ' s downhill winner Bill Johnson set an Olympic precedent by winning the first gold medal in downhill for the U.S. in Olympic history. The other U.S. alpine victory was in men ' s slolam as twin brothers, Phil and Steve Mahre, won a gold and silver, respectively. The day progressed with Steve and Phil exchanging the possibilities of winning the gold medal throughout the two slolam runs. After one would finish a run, he would grab a walkie- talkie to warn his brother about cer- tain rough spots on the mountain. After his final run, Phil edged out his twin for the gold. On his way to the awards stand, Phil Mahre ' s day was made perfect with the announcement of the birth of his son two hours earlier. — by Barb Czech 28 Year in Review