Kentridge High School - Accolade Yearbook (Kent, WA)

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Over the course of ten years, world population doubled. People in the Kent area felt closer to this world situa- tion than any other. ln 1979 alone, Pacific Northwest population. quadru- pled and houses began popping up everywhere. Save Our Farmland legislature was presented, but with insufficient turnout to the polls, the measure failed. Kentonians also saw drastic changes in scenery, as old city hall was torn down and a new one built, Meeker street was Beautified , and the Renton Loop re-constructed, Shopping centers shot up on every available piece of land. New, innovative art forms arrived including Freeway and Waterfront Parks. Some art exhibited amazing mobility namely, Earthworks Park on West Hill, which moved tons of earth across the highway during torrential downpours in the Fall of 79. Bulldozers played and essential role, as they stripped trees and bushes from the countryside in the name of progress. A new trailer park was added across the street from the school, Glen Carin doubled in size, and Timberlane expanded to almost 3,500 homes. 1. Kent's new city hall adds dignity to Fourth street. 2. Traffic gets heavier every month as the community grows. 3. Shopping centers get larger and more crowded. Here is Southcenter Parkway and industrial park. 4. New apartments sprout at 208th and Benson, near the school. 5. Seattle Centers arches are yet another attempt at new art. 6. New Supermarkets are con- structed every few months to accomodate the increasing population. 206 THE SEVEN TIES J Murphy 1, L. Backus -- 5 , '--, N D. Schwartz ,f AXQGLA YK W Y L. Backus 5. G Green

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'1 im., Vsgonzef 1 L. Backus 2. ' .WN .asf-was W-N-5 Nf5 r Q wg . 7 s U .X 3 m.. m,x K Pe 3 K Pernne S.C ares 5 Kentridge itself changed. ln 1970 the class system turned completely around from an open concept pro- gram with individual time schedules, to a more traditional six-period day. This was done for organizational reasons. Dr. George Wilson recalled, Before the change in schedules, there were times when six or seven hundred stu- dents were roaming the halls for their own fifteen minute breakwhile other classes were in session. lt was chaos. ln 1971 the school became one of the first high schools in the area with co-ed Physical Education classes. The attitude of the nation was reflected by the students each year. When KF? was first built, there were strong feelings of unrest in the country and community. Students demon- strated it through their actions and dress. One day in the early seventies, 250 students took part in a walk-out, but there was no violence. As for dress, many girls began wearing pants to school for the first time, and young men grew hair below the collar. This, along with efforts by student council members, lead to significant changes in the District Dress Code. As the decade grew older, the world situation became calmer and so did students. 1980 was termed The Year of the Apathetic Student by many. But Dr. VWlson felt the students simply have learned to get the most out of the system. School is an opportunity and students began to realize this, They became better informed, more respectful each year. Many natural phenomena occurred in ten years, including the short-of- spectacular return of the comet Kohu- tek in 1974, Hurricanes Fredrick and David fthe first to be named after menj, a total eclipse of the sun over Washington State in 1979, and an immobilizing snow storm that hit an unsuspecting Northwest in January of 1980. Snow Days extended public schools winter vacation from fourteen to twenty days. 1. Students roam the halls only at certain times now. 2. Mrs. Barbara Dorrough's organizational tasks are much easier with uniform schedules. 3. Schools everywhere closed down with the first snowflakes. 4. Styles and fads became fan- cier and classier with each year. 5. Kentridge courtyard lies peacefully under a blanket of snow. THE SEVENTIES 205

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arid war Ill ? ,.:- ' ' MOSLEM HOLY WAR lranian Style Fmlsn ,,.,-t 531 f .2-f I g its at A M E Q 3,000 mlles HUW to PNY: A to Mecca -M t T IRAN J 4' to 57:13-f-M gui l '-'3' I it Vlgonzef 2. K. Perrine 3. Naiiow National events had a heavy impact on the security and future of many. The decade began with war in Wetnam and ended with the Soviety invasion of Afghanistan. - and reinstatement of U.S. draft registration. This changed the perspective of many college- bound students. The United States saw four Presidents in office - more than any other ten year period. Presi- dent Johnson 's term came up and Woe President Nixon was elected to office. Following Watergate, Gerald Ford held the seat for two years, fol- lowed by a smiling Jimmy Carter. The serious effects of this rapid change- over in leadership was reflected in Carter's Crisis of Confidence address in 7979. Americans saw men and probes in space, and an actual US!Soviet ren- dezvous in orbit. This was a sign of international brotherhood in scientific exploration. Another event held in the spirit of brotherhood was threatened as Carter proposed a boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics. November second, 1980, was a tragic day. lranian students attacked and took control of the US embassy in Teheran. They held 49 Americans hostage, pending release of their Shah from US hospitals where he was undergoing medical treatment. The Shah finally relocated, but no hos- tages were released. Along with their leader, The Ayatollah Ruyallah Kho- meini, Iranians became the target of American anger and resentment. America 's position as a world power and it's respect in the eyes of world cit- izens began to decay. Gas lines stretched from sea to shin- ing sea as Americans searched for alternative energy sources. One change that made this decade unique was the metamorphosis of morals across the nation. The age old insitution of marriage started to break down under the stress of frequent divorce. Society began to accept cou- ples who simply lived together . The Seventies were eventful times, full of loss. change, and progress ,in every area. We left the decade behind, but will always remember the cirum- stances - both happy and sad - that shaped that period in our lives. THE SEVENTIES 207