McCluer North High School - Polaris Yearbook (Florissant, MO)

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Cant pinpoint: Our ‘class” There is something to the entire atmo- sphere around McCluer North. It’s nor really anything you can pinpoint, but rather sever- al things together which help creare a very pleasant, relaxed, and friendly feeling for students and teachers. There is a certain looseness and freedom in the rules and regulations of the school which students are trusted to abide by. No hall passes or monitors are found ar MN and students here, unlilse most high schools, en- Joy the privileges based on a trust between the scho ol administration and students, in which administrators grant the privileges and loose rules, while students are trusted not to take advantage and are responsible for themselves. Teachers also help to create the feeling of warmth art MN. Here caring, helpful teachers are found always willing to help. Mosr will even extend themselves fo stu- dents beyond normal school hours. Teach- ers here have a genuine concern for stu- dents. Students and faculty at MN don't stand on opposite sides of the fence in a tug- of-war, bur rather are on the same side working toward a common goal. McCliuer North is a very special school. Few school, if any, can march MN in envi- ronment and quality of education. When | leave, | know | will have really gained a lor. K.C. Lam, senior MN faculty THANKS! Everyone familiar with McCluer North knows it’s a great school, bur why? If you ask the incoming sophomores they'll say; “Because of commons!” If you asls some- one who plans fo major in architecture, he'll say: “North is great because the afmo- sphere is spacious and has lors of bright colors so you don’t feel hemmed in.” Orh- ers may answer the question by pointing to any one of the many clubs, or the full time counselors, or maybe they will answer it by speaking about the large amount of varied courses offered. My answer, however, Is nor any of fhe above, though they are certainly true. | feel it is simply because of the faculty. Gla AV if wae This is hard for me to admit, bur | actually started uo at Norh as a sophomore, nof merely by name buf actions as well. Since thar time the faculty ar North has truly “whipped me into shape.’ Of course, | can not speak about all the teachers, and some may have had a more special effect on others but deep down in every senior’s heart and soul they know this faculry has helped (us them) a great deal more than we will ever know. One of fhe grearest men | have ever met, or expect fo, | mer ar this school. Mr. Haenssler is without a doubt a definite creator of character, whose very presence adds another dimension fo the school. Mr. Marsh with his incalculable amount of knowledge thar he transmits to every student and makes them accomplish more than they had ever hoped. Mr. Nau- mann and Mr. Proffit are quick to display whar caring and sincerity can accomplish. Mr. Decisert and his quicls witted, dry humor command you stay alerr and ready for anything. Mrs. Eschen has helped me learn | can't stop a buffalo stampede by standing in front of the herd and yelling stop. | musr run along with the herd and change their course gradually. Now, we come fo Mr. Chamberlain, a most formidable opponent who always has time fo tell me how wrong | always am. Finally, we come to Mr. Schraer, a very unorthodox teacher who stimulates, and nearly overloads your brain- waves whether you wanted if or not. Again, | have not mentioned all fhe teach- ers and every teacher compliments at least two others. Some other seniors might have mentioned other faculty members as high- lights, bur the fact remains, all of the seniors at North, as well as myself, owe this faculty an incredible debr. Thus | would like to thanls you, nof only on my behalf, bur also for the entire class of 1982. Eric J. Wulff, senior — i Ce JAK Qcant AM Ate | Af A Que VV SE Gt 2 ED NY GS Oe LVy Act th bATK : K Ore ge (Oa he “a Hol Aen x, bes Cha 1a! (vt ge f a ee he NA XC. fae. a Lilt) oie ta OpNG Ad be Oe Digg Bye ) in bth ule 2! ‘ Vr‘ CHALLE C CX rol Vex Advisor and much more There | was, a ninth grader, looking at the McCluer North course catalog; | was intimidated by all the choice, contemplating flunking ninth grade and dropping art 16, and stupid, very stupid. So whar happened to me? Whar happened fo me was my advisor, Mr. Doug Lane. Mr. Lane took me under his wing the moment | set my trembling foor in the tre- mendous school. | had more scheduling, planning and counseling ahead of me than | knew existed, bur he knew. He knew thar as my advisor he was required to gef me into classes besr suited for my abilities along with the ones necessary for my fufure. He knew thar | would have questions abour colleges, which would require research on his part. He even knew nor fo schedule my hardest course first hour because | would nor be fully conscious yer. Bur just realizing all this was only half of what Doug Lane aid for me; the other half comes under the cafegory of just being a friend. This last one, probably the way he has helped me most, is assuredly the thing | will remember most abouf my advisor. Whether it has been foo much homework or pressure at certain points, the way | missed thar grade by two-fenths of a point, or how life seemed to be closing in on me from all directions, Mr. Lane has treared me and my problems with the care of a friend. In a way | am excited abou leaving McCluer North for bigger and berter things, expanding my horizons and thar sort. Bur if leaving high school means leaving the kind of warm, friendly atmosphere thar has giv- en such a caring advisor and faculty, | know ! will carry my alma marer with me forever. Robin Saffley, senior A i ff {AL f yn SW (Ke pyr LAY S- A “an au ; LE Soy Gp P f A LAs ON oy v iis — a) CK Lf gt ATLA nite. LMT y ei Ke VT @ fa L DA he age Wes (ft Lh ft ye {- ba ( 7 ) Pale (ae Senior Acts 105

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Senior Acts A look aft ‘senior year” So here it is — my senior year. | can't believe I've finally made it! | mean, just 13 short years ago Mom was getting me up to warch Romper Room and Captain Kanga- roo before | even had fo thinls abour gerting ready for school. And the days — they were so tough! Go in at 11:00, have Show and Tell, re- cess, nap time. 3:10 and the day's over! That sure was fun. Then the next thing | knew | was in Jr. High! We might have been the ‘little guys” again, but boy we sure were near! Changing classes, meefing new people — the days went by so quicls! Thar sure was fun. Sophomore year — back to the bottom again. I’m getting rather uh — upset here. So | moved info another new building — so what? Although | must admit it's a pretty classy place. Bur hey — there's only three more years, right? 1982. Light years away. Senior year is gonna ksicls! Right? Bur... now... it’s... here. Final- ly, after 13 long years, it’s finally here. ‘It’s 6:00! Rise and shine!’ sings the radio. “'Ir’s 7:30! Rise and shine!”” Oh great! The bus just left 15 minutes ago. It’s just like kindergarden all over again — Show the teacher your pass and Tell why you're late for the fourth day in a row. Commons everyday — | can get homework done then, right? Betrer yer I'l catch up on the sleep | lost doing home- work last night. Brrring! Oh no! Oversleor again! Will it never end? The same old grind day after day, Month after Month, YEAR AFTER YEAR — 13 of ‘em! Gradu- ation -- come and get me! College is gonna kicks, right? Janice Cox, senior North has gor if all McCluer North is a great high school be- cause it contains such a wide selection of courses to take. With such a large number of courses fo choose from (over 200 differ- enf courses each quarter), a student is able fo take courses he is interested in, choose the level of difficulty, and obrain an ex- tremely well-rounded education to help prepare for college and jobs. 104 Senior Acts First, at McCluer North, a student can take a course specifically suited to his interests. Whether it’s history or present-day politics, British-Lit., or how to write a research paper, chemistry or oceanography, computers or calculus, Spanish or Latin, Accounting or Shorthand, 2-D design or Advanced Sculp- ture Studio, Concert band or Show Choir, welding or power mechanics, child-devel- opment or clothing design, Driver's Educa- tion or Weight Training, McCluer North's gor it all. Next, a student can choose the difficulty of his courses. There are three types of courses: general (beginning courses), inter- mediate (medium difficulry), and ad- vanced, (more difficult courses which are included in the honors program.) A student is able to take any combination of these three types of courses. Lastly, because of such greaf opportuni- ties, MN students are able to obrain a well- rounded education to help prepare them for college and jobs. Experience with ma- chinery, labs, cars, animals, art media, lec- ures, and writing give students a great chance to learn. This exposure to so many different areas enables a student ro choose a career and prepare for if. McCluer North is a storehouse for knowl- edge because of its many opportunities ro learn about so many different areas of inter- ests, all provided by its vast course selection. Cathy Ritter, senior Faith in fhe individuals and GrOuos The ‘'neartest” thing abour McCluer North deals with the sense of freedom and. individ- uality one feels. The atmosphere ar North is very relaxed, which gives the sense of freedom. One may roam the halls, enjoy the campus our- doors, or socialize in the library or concourse during commons or any free time. Also, when one first enters North, one is intro- duced to several choices which also trans- lates into a sense of freedom. The students have the choice of their classes, choice of what fo do during their free time, and a wide choice of clubs and programs. The many programs offered at North let one express one’s individual talents whether it be art, sports, or music. For ex- ample, Probe is available for the exception- ally smart kids, Senior Art Portfolio for the extremely artistic students, and Pop Choir for the students with musical talenr. Nor to mention the regular programs such as sports, drama, band, and choir. McCluer North is not an average high school, but one which has faith in its students and allows them to be individual. Sandy Fehmel, senior We've come a long way! Seniors! We've come a long way! We've changed, made friends, and learned a lor. From adding 2+ 2=4 to Calculus, Geome- try, and Algebra, — more than we wanted even. Can you believe we've finally made it? We've been waiting (sometimes impatient- ly) for this year fo finally be over! Senioritis “to the max”, ACT's, SATs, mega admit slips, dragging up three flights of stairs (eight times a day), missing the bus one foo many times, Ms. Pope's Anatomy rests, college applications, learning to appre- cate our ‘‘dassy” school, pulling our hair over schedule conflicts and credit rallying — and becoming involved as the driving force thar kepr North alive and kicking during 1981-82; but now thar if is over the years flew by all too quickly. Was it only yesterday thar we were in Kindergarden with Mom walling us to ele- mentary school; and then to junior high, where we changed classes for the first time; and was it only yesterday that we learned the ropes of NORTH?” We were the awed sophomores and were ready for the last stretch of high school. But, now it's over, romping the halls as seniors, dominating the clubs, cheering at OUR infamous hockey games, worlsing all night on a sad buf ‘interesting’ homecom- ing float, complaining of 6:00 a.m. rude awakenings, and congregarting in the con- COUTse. The year we waited so much for was gone. Wait! We must have missed some- thing! It flew by too fast! North — it was grear! Doni Driemeier, senior

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Between classes, students such as Jeff Kneemiller, Tim Schulte, and Todd Olsson walls in the halls, ralls in the halls — all between red brick walls. Chris Abeln 10 Jeff Abeln 11 Karhy Abrolar 10 Milke Accardi 11 Jim Ackerman 10 Robert Aden 11 Kelly Adler 10 Terry Agar 10 Mary Ablerr 11 Don Alber 10 Wenay Allen 11 Sharon Allison 10 Leigh Almand 11 Gina Amos 10 Jana Amos 10 Marls Amrhein 11 Mike Amrhein 10 Dave Anderson 11 Lisa Andler 10 Milse Aoun 11 Sue Armstead 11 John Arnold 11 Dana Asadorian 10 Kary Ashley 10 Carri Aubuchon 10 Tammi Aubuchon 11 Caryn Baarz 11 Eric Baier 11 Chery! Baines 11 Linda Balser 11 Raylynne Baker 11 Jeff Baldas 10 Gint Ballinger 11 Gretchen Bangerr 10 Glenn Bardon 10 Chris Barker 11 Jackie Barlser 11 Tad Barrareau 11 Brian Barks 11 John Barlow 11 Kris Barnett 10 Charles Barry 10 Bryan Baskerr 10 Cindy Baslserr 10 Lisa Batchman 11 Laura Barhe 11 Carol Becker 10 106 Underclass