Niles Township High School North - Saga Yearbook (Skokie, IL)

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Tricycles were a part of almost everyone's childhood. But Kim Kochman seems to have outgrown hers. An emcee was needed to relay the details of the day's proceedings.” Mike Schachter provides the details and also a little spontaneighty to add to the fun. juniors took yellow for their team color and later took the title of victors. Linda Scholnik and Alan Hirsch add more points to their team score as they race through the obtacle course. White was the freshman team color. They can still laugh and enjoy themselves even after a fourth place loss. 20 — Student Life

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ON STRIKE Salary Is Not The Only Issue One might have noticed that the morning rush hours on September 30, 1985 was unusual in some ways. Traffic throughout the streets in Skokie, Morton Grove, Niles, and Glenview was lightened by fewer yellow school buses. On that day, students woke up after 8:00 a.m. without worrying being tardy. It was the first day of a eight-day walkout by the Niles Township teachers' union and education-support personnel. For the third time in the past nine years, the Niles Township Federation of Teachers hit the picket lines. Although the board and the teachers' union had agreed on some issues six months before the first day of school, not one of the six major issues, as named by the teachers, had been settled. Those issues were job security, salary, fair share, supervision, curriculum council, and Educational Issue Committee. Salary increases were not the only major issue. The thing that aggravates us most, Mr. Miya said, is that we get the implication that the board really isn't interested in the kind of contribution we would like to make to the district in school planning and programming. We thought maybe there were some things that we would be changing for good. According to the administrators, however, the strike was neither caused by the board nor the union. There is no winner in the strike. Both parties were not being able to communciate effectively to each other. The decision to call on strike was made by the union, Mr. Giles commented, and I think people have the right to do it, but there was no need for the strike. The eight-day long strike was finally over when arbitrators were brought in between the two parties. - Jamie Kwan The strike issue was a concern to the communities as well as to the state. Chuck Burdeen, a state official from the Illinois Federation of Teachers, expresses his concern on the issue. How the negotiation was doing was the main topic in the discussion. Mr. Herbst. as the president of the teachers' union, tells the latest news from the negotiation. The chilly weather would make anyone who was standing outside to call for a warm cup of coffee. Mr. Grossman, talking to Mr. McCarrell. warms up with coffee. Strike — 19

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A TRADITION BEGINS A New Kind 1985 marked the first year of the much advertised Vikingfest, the battle of the classes. After little time for planning and many postponements, the Student Con- gress brainstorm was finally held. It was a little chaotic, but it was fun. The rules weren't strictly enforced. Everyone cheated, especially the juniors in the tri- cycle race! said senior team member Kim Kochman. As with any first attempt there were some ragged edges and wrinkles that needed to be smoothed out. One problem was with the time allotment which was slightly off as the organizers had judged it would last an hour and a half, but it only lasted a little over half an hour. Despite some difficulties, the first Vik- ingfest proved to be enjoyable for both the spectators and the participants. The Fest included four events in which twenty representatives (ten boys and ten girls) from each of the four classes competed. At the end, the points were tallied and the team with the most of Memory points was declared the best class. The first event was the tricycle relay race, where clumsy students, too big for their bikes raced around the track, each leg of the relay being a quarter of the track. This was followed by the obstacle course, which required that two team members, a boy and a girl, perform absurd tasks that ranged from playing horsey to walking through a wading pool with flippers on. The third event was the eat- ing contest, which was messy and for the on-looker, unappetizing. Finally Viking Fest included a centipede race where the team members, attached at the leg by string, were to run from start to finish together, standing, and attached. At the end of these activities the juniors, with the most points, were proclaimed victors, the sophomores, a close second, followed by the seniors and finally the freshmen. This fun-for-all fest provided enjoyable memories and was the beginning of a new Niles North tradition. Belinda San Juan The sophomore team color was red and it put them into a partying mood. A few feisty team members help a fellow comrad get ready for his event. Although they weren't victors, the seniors carried the true Viking spirit with purple as their team color. Ready and relaxed, they sit back and enjoy themselves while they await the final event, the centipede race. Viking Fest — 21