Longmeadow High School - Masacksic Yearbook (Longmeadow, MA)

Page 8 text:

We enter at fourteen and immediately sense a change. Middle school, with all its chewing gum laws, one-way corridors, and four foot sixth-graders, is behind us at last. On we go to a world of elective courses, parking lots, towering upperclassmen, and passing-time chaos. Endless new experiences await us — once we can find our way around. We are high school freshmen. As is often the case with new thrills, they wear off quickly. It takes surprisingly little time for this huge, unknown environment to become totally familiar. It really is not so hard to find room 243, and maybe chewing gum is not the ultimate freedom. During our four years of high school, the LHS environment grows to include friends, sports, studying, artwork, clubs, competition, and testing. We begin to find areas where we can excel, and where we fall behind. We may be discouraged by competition or discover new potential. Junior year, so we hear, is the hardest. We may think that we worked hard as sophomores, but just wait! Along with all those courses put off from ninth and tenth grade, comes a series of all-important, Saturday morning tests. It starts with the PSAT ' s in the fall, and from there the list goes on and on. Oh, to be a senior! They have it made. Senior year. By now, for the old time native Longmeadow High Schooler, the building is like our fall-winter- spring home away from home. We know every graffiti mark on those old walls, and we have been through a large percentage of the faculty. We have swamped our poor guidance counselors with enough problems, schedule changes, and last-minute college applications to make ourselves remembered, and it is time once again to march on. We become more and more distracted as the year progresses, and by March, senioritis has set in for good. Thank you, Longmeadow High School. Thank you for letting us grow as adolescents within your walls, and for releasing us as hopeful young adults into the outside world.

Page 10 text:

Who would stop to look at a s ' ngle flower petal, plucked from its stem and lying on the ground? Who would collect a pile of single petals decorate his home? We all know the a ver, and we understand why it is so. Only when the petals are joint tgc her in a definite ttern, do they uecome a thing of beauty. The flower is a triumph of nature; it is pi? d, it grows, and finally it blossoms in a burst of color and symmetry. In its virgin simplicity, it has come t mbolize love, peace, and even beauty itself. Alexander Pope wrote that Worlds on worlds compose or. verse. Thus, the earth is hut a single petal in a larger scheme of things. Yet, within our own world there j smaller petals: the seas, the deserts, the mountains, the forests; all of ese combine to form the entire I our earthly environment. As we narrow the focus of our environment rom the r verse, to the planet Ea. to the town of Longmeadow, and finally to Longmeadow High School, we discovt. that °ven within this school there are smaller petals, sub-environments. The?e merge to form our familiar hip h srSol atmosphere, that unique entity known as LHS. There is the enviror nt of academics, ex, y all students in the high school. English, math, history, Latin, science; we e it, hate it, sleep thri it. It affects us. We affect it. Then there is the athletic environment, not reserved for jocks alone. M. ' us have thrilled to the sound of a cheering crowd; many of us have felt the sadness of defeat. The arts, wnether music, sculpture, painting, or technical and business skills, create another environr filled with pride, self-expression, and concentration. There is also a service environment which encomp? -.a all those in our school who make it their business to help others. Finally, there exists for everyone an environment of the self. This atmosphere prevails during lunchtime, between classes, after school, or at any time that escape from the other worlds is possible. After graduation, most seniors will c Jon begin to specialize in areas of their choice. The painter will surround himself with an artist environment; the math whiz will immerse himself in academics. They may later seek a more well-rounded life, but they will never find quite the same multi-faceted world that they left here. At Longmeadow High school the scholar as well as the athlete, the politician as well as the esthete may develop side by side betce moving on (O larger environments, worlds on worlds on worlds. Who would stop to look at a single flower petot, plucked from its stem and lying on the ground? Who would collect a pile of single petals to d orate his heme? We all know the answer, and we understand why it is so. Only when the petals are joineu tocher in a definite pattern, do they become a thing of beauty. The flower is a triumph of nature; it i c ited, it grows, and finally it blossoms in a burst of color and symmetry. In its virgin simplicity, it has .ne to symbolize love, peace, and even beauty itself. Alexander Pope wrote that Worlds on worlds compose one universe. Thus, the earth is but a single petal in a larger scheme of things. Yet, within our own jrld there are smaller petals: the seas, the deserts, the mountains, the forests; all of these combine to form the entirety of our earthly environment. As we narrow the focus of our environment from the Universe, t( .lie planet Earth, to the town of Longmeadow, and finally to Longmeadow High School, we di over that . en within this school there are smaller petals, sub-environments. These merge to form oc tami ,ar high school atmosphere, that unique entity known as LHS. There is the environment of academics, experienced by - n°nts in the hi?h school. English, math, history, Latin, science; we love it, hate it, sleep through it. It aftects us. We afff ct it. Tien th re is the athletic environment, ..it reserved for jocks alone. Many of us have thrilled to the sjund of a cheering crowd; many of us have felt the sadness of defeat. The arts, whether music, sculp u; p ii g, or technical and business r ' :l ls, create another environment filled with pride, se.. expre io J c c ntration. There is also a service environment which encompr es all those in our school who . it their business to help others. Finally, there exists for everyone an environment of the self. This atmo phere prevails during lunchtime between classes, ofter school, or at any time that escape from the other worl ; is possible. After graduation, most seniors will soon begin to .pet. ize in areas of the- choice. The painter will surround himself with an artistic environr ait; the math whiz will immerse ' in. elf in academics. They may ei seek a more v. ell-rounded l ; ' out they w ; ll no ver Tnd quite the same multi-f ' ted world that thp v Ht he j. At Longmeadow High .ool the si Mar as ell as the athlete the politician as well as ti .thete may Hevelop side by side before moving on to larger p i jrments, worlds on worlds on worlds. ' o would siod to look at a single flower petal, plucked from its stem and lying on the ground? Wh would jiiect a pile or single petals to decorate his home? We all know Copy: Diana Simon Photo: Robin Odentz