La Porte High School - El Pe Yearbook (La Porte, IN)

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LaPortc High School Sli- cers have traditionally made much of their Homecoming celebrations. Each year the entire week preceding the actual football game is dedicated to the building of “spirit . What exactly is this elusive and much sought after quality? Spirit, according to Noah Webster, is a spe- cial feeling or state of mind. To the normal teenager, it is also a loyalty to one's school. Plus, it is an attitude which makes the en- tire process of education much more exciting and stimulating than it might otherwise be considered. Spirit is. for most young adults, the essence of life. It causes individuality and exuberance to flourish amid the rather strict uniformity of an in-school community. In other words, it makes even the most boring classes worthwhile. One of the most specific examples of spirit that is to be found on any campus, college or otherwise, is without a doubt Homecoming. The preparations for this grandiose manifestation of student body backing for athletic competition encompass roughly one week's worth of work and one month s equivalent in planning. Each day of this spectacle is designated by a specialized type of wearing apparel. For instance, this year the week consisted of College Day. Beach Day. Toga Day and. of course. Orange and Black Day. In addition to the assigned clothing, competitions were held between the classes after school. There was a Powder Puff Football match as well as the traditional interclass games such as the tug of war contest. The pre-game festivities concluded with a night of wild decorating as each grade strove to create the most spirit-filled decorations for its given area. In the end. however, the Seniors managed to win the highly coveted Spirit Stick. Despite the minor problem of scheduling caused by a vacation day on the very Friday of Homecoming, each class triumphed in its own way. In doing so all students of La Porte High School proved once and for all that they arc the proud possessors of an immense quantity of school spirit. .V SLICES OF SLICERS Shane Valentin describet the Swimmers' float, which won the competition, thus: We went all out for our last Homecoming. We deserved to win. “ Homecoming decorators from the Senior Class of ‘88 pause from their creative pur- suits to pose for a commemora tn-e photo in front of a descriptive mural. Juniros too can become active in Homecom- ing preparations during Spirit Week

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The Homecoming Bonfire, feeding on effigies of fallen Vikings, manages to hum brightly in spite of the rain. Tracy Lipscomb and Nichelle Anderson seem ready to take on even the Chicago Bears as members of the Senior Girls' Powder Puff Football team. Tommy Wildhart and Jim Stoehr. both on the LPHS Boys’Swim team, give the world an example of their winning styles on Beach Day of Spirit Week. Twodedicated Freshman girls demonstrate their artistry and spir- it during Homecoming decorating before the game k MM®

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 The depressing weather conditions certainly did not put a damper on the spirits of the 1987-88 Homecoming Queen candidates. Despite the sentiments of the actual football teams, the s' s' nominees rallied around the track in time for the halftime ceremonies. Umbrella toting escorts tried to ward off the rain, at least for short bursts of time, to allow dresses to retain some semblance of order. Unfortunately, this proved nearly impossible since the downpour changed direction with each gust of wind. During the tense moments prior to the announcement of a winner and the runners-up. nominees assem- bled alphabetically on the slick, rain-washed track of Kiwanis. They huddled under huge, multi-color- S s'ted parasols, anxiously smiling at the dedicated spectators as their names were slowly listed. At the end 's' of several endless seconds for the twenty candidates, the new queen was crowned. Janalee Bowell had captured the title of Homecoming Queen for the Senior Class of '88. Gina Gierke and Lisa Daniel were awarded the runner- up distinctions. The other candidates included: Chris Bennett. NHS: Amy Bransford. Swing Choir; Beth Bunton. FCA; Jene Cox. German Club: Lisa Escue. Drama Club: Kirstin Falkowsky. Spanish Club; Natalie Hoover. Student Council; Ninette Hupp. GR; Kim Johnson. Speaker's Bureau: Robin Kaplan. PUSH; Kris Petersen. TAT; Diane Richey. Mat Girls; Joele Solmos. Yearbook: Wendy Stump. Band; Tracey Todd. Art Club; Sue Wedow. Health Careers: Beth Wilsberg. Photography Club. Beth Bunton and her escort. Brett Hargrave, seem eager to vent their opinions about the weather to fellow nominees. 2. 1987 Homecoming Queen Janalee Boa-ell and escort Corey Wrobleski are all smiles at half time in spite of the miserable conditions around them. 3. Lisa Daniel receives her rimner-up roses while her escort. Matt Miller, watches proudly.