Merrillville High School - Merrillvue Yearbook (Merrillville, IN)

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The capabilities of women were no longer ques- tioned in the Industrial Arts room when, on Community Involvement Day. able-bodied women manned the machines ready to work. Involvement Community Involvement Day stands for just that— the community gets involved. It’s a way for the school to let the Merrillville community’s adults know that they count. On October 31, students were al- lowed to miss school, as long as they had an adult attending classes in their place. Class was supposed to be car- ried on as usual, with students not lag- ging a day behind when they returned. In some classes normal procedure was not likely, especially in typing or for- eign languages, where fingers plucked at an even rate and other foreign words were stammered from loosely- formed mouths. For those who did come to class, classes were at best, not normal. The most common attire at school is jeans and comfortable tops, hut parents came wearing neat pantsuits, short dresses, and bow ties. The congeniality of teachers and administration was welcomed with open arms as fingers fumbled on combination locks and lockers and adults stood with bewil- derment written all over their faces from not knowing where classes were. The teachers understood the pan- demonium because it was the second year for Community Involvement Day. Many students were surprised when, on Halloween night yet, secretaries and vice-principals called to ask why students were absent that day from school. Some had compromising par- ents, some were sick, and some were just, well . . . On leaving school after the eight- hour grind, one parent was heard saving that he wished he could do it over again. That in itself proved Com- munity Involvement ' s success. Baring his chest only to find it covered with grass is Boh Ragonovich. Although a few years ago a shirt of this kind would be looked down upon, it is now almost accepted as any other shirt would he. 13

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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.

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Guest Wore Out Her Welcome — To An Ovation Bv Sue Long The fall play was to have been Marne, but for a lack of males, Mrs. Schmidt switched to the comedy- drama, A Guest in the House, which starred: Ann Proctor Jane Fileff Lee Shirley Tucker Hilda Pat Haymes Dr. Shaw Jim Waters Aunt Martha Sue Long Miriam Blake Linda Jackson Doug Proctor John Jackson John Pete Dakich Dan Procter Chris Reinhart Evelyn Heath Regina Hurst Mr. Dow Jim Bonick Mrs. Dow Avy Andreatos Pamela Rhodes Debbie Smith Cam Tracey Gary McClellan Student Director Cindy Poti Director Mrs. Kathryn Schmidt Six weeks of rehearsals every night from six until ten, laughs, screw-ups, unfinished homework, fallen grades, one minor argument, new friendships, and one ton of hard work. Six weeks of rehearsals for three performances that came and went all too soon. With make-up plastered on, hair sprayed down with glop, Avy spraying her dress with Cling-Free every ten minutes, Regina changing clothes on set, rushing to places when curtain starts opening, screaming at the stage crew for turning the lights down too soon, bursting a bladder, a standing ovation, tears, collecting stars off the dressing room door, the parties and TP-ing Mrs. Schmidt’s house and Mrs. Spurr’s car, and finally on the Monday after, getting clothes and props back. Its really hard to believe that six weeks could pass so quickly. 0 F