Jefferson High School - Alexian Yearbook (Alexandria, MN)

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It is doubtful that any other aspect of Jefferson’s student ac- tivities caused as much controversy as did the 1971-72 Student Council Most of the year was spent in heated discussion over what the purpose of the student council should be. and the de- bate overflowed the council meetings to affect the entire student body. Constructive as well as destructive comments centered around four main possibilities for action: I. Leaving the council completely unchanged; 2. Leaving its purpose intact but reducing the membership; 3. Changing the concept to that of a service club and throwing out the idea of “student government”, or 4. Abolish it entirely. Each argument had good ideas, and although the final result did not end the debate, the members fortunately found time for other business. Among the year’s achievements were a 3-votc representation on Faculty Council and student service on the pass-fail study com- mittee. Other activities throughout the year which were organized by the Student Council included Homecoming, Midwinter, Sen- ior Citizens Party, Student-Faculty Variety Show and Teacher- Cook-Janitor Appreciation Day. Officers for 1971-72 were: Joe Perino, President; Dave Fors- gren. Vice President; Barb DeGrote, Secretary; and Jeff Licht, Treasurer. Discussions - Division

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Row I: B.Ranum, J.karlsgodt, J.Matccr, T.Or- ding Row 2: T.McCabe. R.Maloney, R.McCarten, B.Degrote, D.Forsgren, J.Perino, J.Licht Row 3: R.Wend, B.Carlisle, L.Berger, M.FIadwood J. Norlien, B.Forster Row 4: J.Flint. M.Sherman, D. Perdue. T.Nelson, P.Klein. J.Swedberg Row 5: J. Morrison, L.Lundstrom, M.Benesh, K.Mends, P. Wcstby Row 6: D.Gaugert, G.Pischke, FI.Way, G. Johnson, M. Biggott, J.Anderson Row 7: R.Hce- gaard, B.Arvold, T.Ewing, S.Maack. JJohnson, N.Navratil. Not pictured: M.Morrison JHS Student Council: 20

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AFS provided Jefferson was very fortunate in being able to both receive a student from Ghana and to send a student to Brazil during 1972. Mary Morrison, a senior, spent a wonderful summer vacation in Sao Jose do Rio Pardo, Bra- zil. Leaving Alexandria on June 24, she flew to Brazil to meet her new family. She was welcomed by her parents and four new sisters, the Luis Dias family. Luis and his wife, Dinalva both worked even though the family was wealthy. Luis owned both a gas station and a plantation. Dinalva owned a small botique which handled the latest fashions. Her sis- ters, Le, Liga, Chu, and Zinha, all helped to make her to adjust to Brazilian life. It was quite an exper- ience to learn to be an effective member of Brazil- ian society. Although she didn’t want to leave, she came home with many memories and hoping to return to Brazil someday. Stephen Kwamina Mends was our foreign ex- change student for the school year 1971-72. Kwame comes from Kumasi in Ghana, Africa. He has three sisters and three brothers; he is the second son. Swamina's father, Nicholas Mends, is a cocoa beans farmer which are exported to the United States. His mother, Araba, is a housewife and a trader in the Open Market. Kwame was looking forward to the snow and cold weather in Minnesota because in Ghana the temperature only varies from 72 to 85 degrees. However, he really likes the snow and has written home to tell them all about the cold Minne- sota weather. Kwame discovered that Jefferson had his favorite sport: track. He participated in Cross Country and Track, receiving a letter in both sports. Kwame lived with two families in the Alexand- ria area during his year with us. His first seven months were spent with the Walter Salt family. Tom Salt, Kwame’s brother, was a senior at Jefferson. Kwame’s second brother was Rob Aga, a junior at Jefferson. His last six months with the Ere Aga family added to his American experience. Kwame had many different and interesting experiences with his two American families. When July came, Kwame left Alexandria and the United States to return to Ghana and his home. Kwame will always be remem- bered as a fine addition to Jefferson. Above: With unadvisable talent. Kwame opens a pop bottle with his teeth. Below: Kwame was a good student at JHS. 22