Minnechaug Regional High School - Falcon Yearbook (Wilbraham, MA)

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Darkness and the night have always been a subject of mystery and misunder- standing. In ancient times it was believed that evil spirits lurked after sundown; and even now, in the midst of our advanced society, nightime is alien and frightening to most people. Because everything we do is geared toward the use of our eyes, the daytime is the only place we can feel safe and secure. Yet, much of each day is without light. As a result, our modern world has done its best to eliminate darkness completely by illuminating anything possible. For our convenience, everything from doorbells to watches have lighting devices to make their use possible at all hours. With such luxuries most people can manage any- thing they want when they want without ever worrying about a lack of light. Even modem technology can ' t keep us out of the dark completely. When pow- er fails or batteries go dead, something we take for granted becomes an incon- venience for everyone. It makes us realize how helpless we can be. One place we can get a good perspective of our area during this daily period of isolation is on the mountain anywhere in the Wilbraham- Hampden area. This unique geological feature offers a spectacular nighttime view of the entire Pioneer Valley. Spreading under you can be seen twinkling lights from nearby Lud- low to Holyoke on the other side of the valley. Encompassed in your view are thousands of people, most of them sleep- ing. However, there are many who are wide awake. Night-shift workers, insomniacs, people with next-day deadlines to meet, and crying babies with no conception of time, are all a part of the nightime world. So. although it may look peaceful and almost eerily silent from a remote view point, the hours between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. are an active part of many people ' s schedule. Jim O ' Shaughnessy

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° O CHANGES AT CHAUG IN 80-81 $ Although there are always moans and groans in late August when the return to school approaches, it seems everyone involved is optimistic about the start of a new year. Students are eager to start out fresh with new teachers and courses, administrators want to make things run more smooth- ly than last year, and coaches want to better their past season ' s record. When everyone returned to Minne- chaug this fall. Their attitudes weren ' t the only things new at the school since last June. There were many physical differences. The most obvious one was the new paint job given to the cafete- ria and several of the halls. Also imme- diately noticeable was the new schedule which omitted snack break, reduced passing time between classes, and moved up the final bell from 2:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Other changes included the length- ening of detention from 50 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes, and the consoli- dation of last year ' s 3:30 and 5 p.m. late buses into one run leaving at 3:45 p.m. Another unique factor of the 1980-81 school year is the evaluation Minnechaug will undergo by a group of visiting educators in October. Our administration is confident that the evaluating team will be pleased with Minnechaug ' s progress, As the new school year got under- way in a slightly different environment, this optimistic attitude of the adminis- trators, teachers, and students was evident. So with a new outlook and new surroundings, things at Minne- chaug kept movin ' on up in Jim O ' Shaughnessy Venture thy fate skyward To feel what feels the bird The grasp of sun And earth The joy of feathered Bird ... - The Hominid Avian