Memorial High School - Excalibur Yearbook (Manchester, NH)

Page 128 text:

The opening of school was our biggest worry at the start of our Sophomore year. The teachers went on strike, and we had two first days of school. For the first time, Memorial High School hit national television. Sports reached their highest this year. Winning the triple crown was great. Highlighting this year, we handed Central a football defeat and won our first of two consecutive State Basketball Championships. Some of us were shocked with the rumor of Paul Mc- Cartney's death. But to save the tears of millions, Paul showed up in front of the cameras and proclaimed that he was alive and well. l .-- 108 suicide. ,J 1- 8 ta,.:ye,a2x,,? L f S ' ' . l As the end of the year approached and the weather became warmer, the desire to turn to jeans and things caused Memorial's greatest turmoil. The dress code had been al tered to allow girls to wear slacks during the cold winter months. The males of the school were calling for equal time. A vote was conducted by the Student Council. The result . . . our dress code was abolished. The picutres from My Lai both horrified and shocked the American public. Once again we began to ask ourselves if it was worth it. But even more now we were wondering what kind of people this war would mold us into. Ted Kennedy drove over a bridge this summer. At the same time, in some people's eyes, he committed political

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Unsatisfied with what we first encountered here at Memorial, we joined in the upheaval of change. The Barnacle, an underground newspaper, developed by upperclassmen, proved to be a good place to reveal our more controver- sial thoughts. Since one cannot live with out food, we began to think of ourselves as connisseurs of fine food. Cafeteria eating was not full-filling our desires. A boycott was organized and brown bagging became the style. When sandwiches be- came boring, we retumed to eating hot lunches but our taste buds were still screaming . President Nixon and Vice-President Agnew entered office. While some looked on with speculation, we were willing to wait and give them a chance in hopes of once again uniting the nation. 107

Page 129 text:

W kg, .9 3, ybii s 4 or E ,eeaecaaec lg .PmaAa'f'fues,aaai? Q 14 if Returning as upperclassmen gave us a feeling of power. Death was prevelant in our lives. A title wave caused many people to die and many others to become homeless in Pakistan. Two of the most admired rock stars were gone. Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin had died from overdoses. Students were shot and killed at Kent State during demonstrations. But not all of our junior year was overshadowed with darkness. Eighteen year olds acquired the vote. Political cam- paigns no longer seemed so remote. Our time periods were changed from 1-7 to A-J . The hockey sport began to grow. Last year's Stanley Cup championship ignited the spirit of Memorial's own team as they went on to capture their first of two Southern New Hampshire Hockey League Championships. The year ended with our junior prom. For most of us it was the first time we donned formal wear. In spite of trying not to step on our gowns and struggling with suspenders, the night turned out to be one we will never forget. 109