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

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Over the past several summers Beth Crawford has spent her time working at Bement Center Camp in Charlton, MA. This past summer Beth worked as a camp counselor. She has many experiences of teaching, advising, and entertaining groups of young children includ- ing Wilbraham resident Sandy Ziobro pic- tured on the far right. Spare time? I ' m sorry, I never took Japa- nese, I don ' t understand you. What? It ' s an English word?!? Oh yeah, I remem- ber now. With all the hustle and bustle fluttering the minds of us Minnechaugers, we rarely stum- ble upon spare moments. But when we do, look out! Usually, when plagued by extra time, we dive into the comfort of our beds, a virtu- ally unknown concept during school. The first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning is going back to bed, which usually isn ' t until 1:00 the next morning, says Matt Meade when commenting on his busy sched- ule. To those of us who know (and care) that if we fall asleep, it ' s going to take an explosion to wake us up, the refrigerator is the place to find solace. Eating is an extracurricular activity favorite to many. Of course, then there ' s those concerned about their weight. For them, television can be quite an experience, especially to those who have forgotten it ex- ists because they ' re always doing homework during prime-time. Time for television is usually obtained when that one teacher who usually gives you three hours of homework a night is absent. The only problem with televi- sion is that, like eating Lays potato chips, once you watch one show, you just have to watch another! Since all the good shows aren ' t all on the same channel and the remote is out of reach, we usually end up watching such re- runs as The Newlywed Game or Divorce Court just because they ' re on the same chan- nel as Family Ties. That ' s the only reason The Dating Game has survived so long, right? Spare time makes us lazy and greedy — no one can get enough of it. Thank you, Minne- chaug, for rescuing us from the clutches of indolence. STUDENT LIFE STUDENT LIFE DIVIDER

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STUDENT LIFE DIVIDER

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WE HAVE OUR REASONS hy do people live in Hamp- V den? Why do people live in Wilbraham? Contrary to popular belief, our parents did not settle here simply because there was nowhere else to go. No, people live here for a purpose. We are tiny bed- room communities. Crime is at a minimum. There isn ' t much traffic, not much noise. Some of the youn- ger generation feel this is very in- convenient. Who wants to live in a town where night life means a trip to Friendly ' s? When you stop and really think, though, we are very lucky to live in the Hampden Wilbraham area. In a world where thousands are starving and homeless, we should feel terri- bly safe and protected. Our mothers drive station wagons, our fathers coach little league and Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti Night. Here, the world ' s terrors have difficulty break- ing through the barriers of our tiny towns ' protection. Here, we may walk down Main Street late at night, with no fear of muggers. We can come together in celebration at the Peach Festival with positive feelings and experience a community rich in culture, history and heritage. As the seniors graduate and ven- ture out into the fabled real world, our small towns will seem but a dream. They will become an unreal representation of a complicated and very large world. Both Wilbraham and Hampden are among a vanishing breed of close-knit communities. Our memories of youth here should be treasured forever. Snuggled within our solid homes which dot the countryside, hidden in the deep Connecticut River Val- ley, we are safe in our assurances. What a great place to grow and learn, what a great place to live. Michelle Manning researches a tombstone at The Adams ' Cemetery following a field trip with Miss Brewer ' s juniors Honors U.S. Histo- ry class. The cemetery was named for Deacon John Adams who resided in the house at the corner of Tinkham Road and Main Street, presently owned by Peter and Mary Ablondi. STUDENT LIFE