Merrillville High School - Merrillvue Yearbook (Merrillville, IN)

Page 15 text:

Although these workers aren ' t identified, the man on the right said he would buv a yearbook if his picture was published. Both men are facing the great mound of dirt that seemed to envelope the area. The crane working above the pit gives a good picture of what the grounds around school looked like. The student parking had to he moved in order to let cranes, trucks, and workers move efficiently. What once used to be the ticket booth jutted out of the wall reminding one of what used to be. There were no casualties of students messing around in tlie construction area. The earth was not broken around the construction sight with a shovel during a publicized ceremony, but this crane completed the task in a much wider scope. A helping hand was always appreciated by tin workers, especially when they were the ones getting paid for the job. Jerry Sharp found the construction area one place in school worth exploring. Dig a whole and climb in is a habit prompted by three years of tedious schooling. Construction workers found themselves in a rut daily. This worker is laying footing for the new gymnasium. Aitv. 11

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Remodeling In MHS Began Again The world today is subject to change. These changes have occurred in various ways and will change even more drastically in days to come. We watch history taking place every day, whether it be on the world scene, na- tional scene, or even the school scene. Voices were raised questioning the validity of the President and Vice- President of the United States, neither of whom were elected by the people. The hungry people of the world still cry out for aid and soldiers wake up every morning to the sound of guns and dying people surrounding them. Why the world has to witness these events and for what purpose they serve no one may ever know-. Changes in the school that appear to have no significance sometimes The early morning rays filtered through the tar- paulin and scaffolds in what was once the gym. The hint of rebuilding was seen throughout the school. confuse the students into a state of mind that they don ' t know what is coming next. WTien the new auditorium, library, and cafeteria were added, it changed the school ' s appearance. Now instead of the conventional square shapes usu- ally associated with school buildings, circular rooms with windows and sun roofs added the look of modern architecture. We have gone ultra-modern with the halls remodeled and the offices having played musical chairs around the school. The entire guidance crew is being transported to the old cafe- teria and the new main office will be located in the old auditorium. These changes are all needed. What were once rooms that weren ' t used for anything besides measuring for caps and gowns, will now be air-condi- tioned and carpeted. The high school may not be too late in catching up with the modern junior highs. The main offices will be converted into classrooms, the gym is being com- pletely redone, a new industrial arts and art area are being built. The halls and classrooms will be remodeled and a new social studies and English office will be added also. These are changes that the school will undertake. That also explains why there are so many ruggedly-dressed men walking around school with torches in their hands. It will be beneficial for teachers and stu- dents to work and study in a comfort- able and more congenial environment. 10

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Once upon a time, not so long; ago, there was a large number of people who went to school and had the nasty habit of smoking cigarettes. At first these students were rejected, made fun of, and punished by those elders who disapproved. But the group who had this nasty habit grew in number and formed their own territory, where they could leisurely loll about in nice weather or shake from cold in had weather, on a large grassy corner lot that they christened informally The Hill.’ Soon. ' The Hill’ was taken away and the students were allowed to go behind the school to smoke, in the mud fields where bus traffic is the most menacing factor to consider. The attitude developed that if The Hill ' was taken away and they were stuck in no-man’s land (it could be considered that since it took so so long to get to classes from this spot), that many stu- dents should make the short journey to the bathrooms instead, where it was warm and smokes were fired up in bathroom stalls. Logical thinking prevailed and a new smoking area had to be the best idea so far, thought the smokers. Lo- cated in the grasscovered area en- closed by classrooms, where peeping teachers and glassed-in-hall-ways were sure to expose even the slighest hanky-panky, the smokers had found contentment. But, alas, this smoking area was taken away. The situation was different this time though. Through no fault of the school or the administration, the smoking area was closed because it was under police jurisdiction and they said it was a fire hazard. No wonder they have never had male Pom-Pon tryouts! Cindy Kirby can ' t help from smiling as Community Involvement Day proves to be edu- cational for everyone. Since some of the bathrooms that were once popular relief rooms were closed to prevent further violation the smokers have had to make pilgrimage out to the street . . . where they have neither garbage cans nor the comfort of enclosure. What the smokers do have is the worry of getting hit by a car! Now, as the story comes to an end, we can see that the smokers will go where they’re put. And that they will travel over hill and mud just to satisfy that urge. But you know you always find one joker who says. I’ll quit to- morrow ... I think.’ He then contin- ues in this metamorphosis of habitry as he soon realizes how hard and ri- diculous it is to shake the ' I can quit right now if I wanted to’ habit. Providing ample time for meditation, the Activ- ity Period provides Miles Cohen with the chance to get his thoughts clear. (EDITORS NOTE: From the time this story was written until the time of publication , the location of the smok- ing area was changed. At first many of the restrooms were closed to pre- vent smokers from smoking in them during Activity Period and the lunch hours. This was more of an inconven- ience to the nonsmokers than to the smokers. Students were sometimes obliged to walk to the other end of the school just to use a restroom. A petition was started to re-open the enclosed smoking area. One condi- tion was added to the privilege of being able to smoke in the area, those who went out to smoke were either 18 years old or had permission from their parents in the form of a slip of paper. The smoking area was reopened May 1, and this is where the students of Merrillville are left smoking.) Students nowadays are seen popping in and out of everything. Jenny Lewis protrudes her head out of a garbage ean long enough to catch a smoke.