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

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Rehearsing a scene from the one-act play “Impromp- Talking to the Interact group during one of their tu,” are Tony Hartsfield and Keith Vehlewald, sen- weekly meetings, Vicki Corich, junior, encourages iors. the participation of the students. “Rock This Town,’’ the theme for the Reverse Dance, is created on posterboard by some of the artistic Interact members. Smiling while rehearsing, Thespians Becky Cowles, senior, and Paul Gatrell, junior, enjoy their practice. 52 Thespians And Interact

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Why, 4 SS Presiding at a Student Council meeting, Andi Bruder, senior, explains the purpose of this service group. Gesturing to help emphasize her point, Denise Zan- gera, junior, explains her feelings about getting along while John Stransky, sophomore, and Vance Shannon, junior, look on. Solving conflicts, helping unity Whenever a group of people who are of different races, come from various back- grounds and have different attitudes gather ina single place, problems seemed to arise. McCluer North had its share of these type of problems this past year. What was to be done about these matters? And who was going to do it? Enter the Student Relations Committee, “a group of people who work together to promote integration and association be- tween everybody,” in the words of co- president Rhonda Bishop, senior. The committee’s first task was to make other students and faculty members aware of the problems at North and ev- erywhere. After that, it was a matter of changing things for the better. The committee met after school on vary- ing days. They first got to know each other and discussed their personal opin- ions regarding the good and bad points of our school. They reported on complaints and praises they heard. “Student Relations is a group that wants to make students aware of problems and how to solve them’’- Rhonda Bishop. Student Relations’ first project was a “Battle of the Bands” which featured dif- ferent kinds of music and both black and white musicians. In between bands skits were performed and local radio personal- ities gave talks on racial unity. Joining in a group round of applause, Rhonda Bishop, Lyndon Pulliam, and Paula Burns, seniors, express their enthusiasm. Student Relations 51

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Performing and serving Thespians, Interact do good deeds Many students enjoyed the play produc- tions that other students produced and performed. Audiences felt happy, sad and tense as these dramas unfolded be- fore their eyes. Who did these plays? The McCluer North members of the Interna- tional Thespian Society were the ones to thank. Consisting of about twenty mem- bers, the thespians performed the plays that thrilled all who saw them. What did it take to become a Thespian? Requirements were simple. A student had to have ten points, each point equal to approximately ten hours of work. Actors and directors received points according to the size of their roles and the extent of their involvement. Thespians had several jobs. They not only worked on theater productions, but they also helped train other students to suc- ceed them, conducted initiations, and at- tended theater productions and Thespian Conferences. Several teachers helped with the produc- tions. Mrs. Billie Teneau, Mrs. Connie Sch indewolf and Mr. Doug Lane were all involved. Interact was another school club that was often overlooked, as uanne Carlson, sen- ior, explained. “Interact is the most ac- tive club in the school. Lots of people don’t even know what it is.” To become a member of Interact, a stu- dent had to attend five meetings and have participated in a community service project. These projects included Christ- mas caroling, the Reverse Dance and a float for the Homecoming Parade. “| really enjoy being a Thespian. | love everything about theater.” Jim Simandl The club was sponsored by Mrs. Sue Barry and worked closely with the local Rotary Club. Also, all foreign exchanges were sponsored by the club. Every year, exchanges to and from Mexico, France, Germany and New Zealand were major occupations of Interact. Showing the intense concentration and dedication it takes to become a Thespian, Tony Hartsfield and Linda Graybael, seniors, rehearse for their upcom- ing roles. Several Interact members discuss and share ideas during their weekly meetings in the Foreign Lan- guage room with Sue Barry, sponsor. Thespians And Interact 53