North Scott High School - Silver Shield Yearbook (Eldridge, IA)

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munication is SO important. According to Tom Leavell, parents and students do a good job of commu- nicating until about third grade. When they have reached the junior high level, he says, the students have a tendency to get rebellious. When they reach high school, it is generally assumed that they are pretty much on their own. One reason that kids don't tell par- ents completely what they do in high school, according to Mrs. Cummins, is because they are afraid that parents would make too much out of it. Leavell agrees, saying that when kids tell parents, the parents' general reaction is Well, you shouldn't goof 0 f. THE SA School social worker Dave Gould ex- plains that the communication gap works both waysg parents don't know what the kids is like in school, the school doesn't know about the kids' home life. Gould gives the example of a girl whose father was very violent. When the girl was at school, she was very docile. Consequently, when she broke down at school, no one understood why. The only person that knows both roles of the student is that student, Gould reminds. lf the student has two roles, are ei- ther of them the real person? In the mind of Mr. Agosta, the real person is a combination of both rolesg each role is one side for the person's character. The real person is the one that can go from one role to another with a degree of comfort. Dave Gould has a slightly different idea about that, though. ln his theory, the individual can have a third role that may be the dominant role. According to Gould, that third role could be what you feel about yourself. Is this Moeller the real Shelia in band? 4? 1 ls this th I Sh I' Moeller t h 5 I 6 F93 9 I8 8 OITIG studying? 2 ? wHo AM ' -J

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ohn B. had had a good clay when he got on the school bus heading home. He and the guys had really given Hoffman a hard time in English and wasn't too surprised when the teacher had given them a detention. But it wouldn't be too bad, serving detention with his friends. When John got off the bus, though, he unconsciously changed personal- ities. Now a controlled, less talkative young man took the place of the loud, boisterous kid of a few minutes ago. He would go in and complain to his parents about Hoffman, that 'Gee mom, we didn't do anything wrongl' The character of John B. is, accord- ing to educators, psychologists, and parents typical of most adolescents. Whether they realize it or not, kids, es- pecially high school students, assume roles in school that are different than the behavior they display at home. And, because of a communication gap between parents and students, par- ents very often don't know what their kids are REALLY like in high school. lf parents could see their kid at high school, they'd be shocked! contends Mr. Andy Agosta. A good number of parents' eyes would be opened up if they could see their kids away from the home setting. According to Mr. Agosta, psycholo- gy teacher at North Scott, it is human nature for people to assume different roles in different situations and envi- ronments. At home, for instance, kids may be brothers or sisters or sons or daughters, while at school they be- come friends to different people, club members, students or athletes. The two types of life-styles will require kids to act differently to accomodate both of them. l don't see how we can get away from roles, says Agosta. The danger is when the role becomes THE thing. They can distort a person if he tries to be popular at the expense of a true relationship. lt would be nice if none of us had to play roles , thinks Mrs. Kathy Bous- quet, guidance counselor, but you can't do that. School fosters the two roles, and that they both be distinct. After high school, people assume even AEE WE TAILKHN ls this the real Shelia Moeller with her friends? fl If lNTF?ODUCTlON more roles throughout life. To change that, you'd have to overhaul society. Students have troubles with roles, she says, because at that age, the role of the adolescent is really undefined. Too old to be thought of as children and too young to be the chief bread winner, the role of the student is all that is left. Few kids are ONLY students though, so they have difficulty deciding exactly what their roles are. For the high school student, then, the two main roles that he lives are very often seperated by a great change in personality. Of all the roles that people will play in their lives, Agosta says, there is the greatest amount of differ- ence between the home versus the school roles. According to Agosta, a student's roles at school can be characterized by a more pronounced use of body language, greater verbilization of their opinions, and a tendancy to assert their place. A greater tendency to ex- press their emotions, whether hostility or affection, is also customary. Mrs. Alrleen Bohlmann, mother to a senior, and Pam, a freshman, agrees. The peer group is the thing for most kids. Either you're in or you're out. Rachel, a freshman and Tim, a sopho- more, thinks kids are generally sillier when they are with their friends. There is a lighter feeling of laughing when peers get together and they can usually find many things funny. Any- thing in general can bring a laugh. A lot of kids feel better at school than they do at home, contends Mrs. Bousquet. Kids are on a more equal basis with the people around them. At home, some kids have to experience some family conflicts that can get pret- ty vicious. Of course, this is not the case in all families, as pointed out by Mrs. Nancy Cummins, mother of Penny, a senior. According to Mrs. Cummins, her chil- dren are generally more confident at home, and consequently more outgo- ing at home. Peer groups, it was generally agreed, are all too often the deciding force in how a student acts in school. Parents and teachers were impor- tant fifteen years ago, but now the peer group is the most important force, thinks Mr. Agosta. Mr. Robert Goellnitz, father of Barb, AIQUT According to Mrs. Bousquet, the student will often look for support from peers on his problems, because they have been through the same situa- tions. They look up to the really popular kids at school, when underneath, they really have the same problems. Parents often have a faulty impres- sion of peers when they first meet them, according to Mr. Tom Leavell, North Scott school psychologist. The first thing that the parent tries to determine when he or she sees the peers is 'How is that group going to screw up my kid'?' when, in fact, they don't know what their own kids are like. ln most cases, when a student as- sumes a family-home role, he has a tendancy, whether consciously or not, to keep certain facts about school from his or her parents. This, according to Leavell, can lead to a gap in the relationship between parent and child. Parents generally don't have a lot of awareness of what is going on in school. Unless the parent has a real close relationship with the kids, they take a lot for granted and the kids are suspect. The whole business of com-

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I V I Smit 1, n .ij it if if l ff A iff art ll f?,l li iff, iii ri PAIGE POWER l SPRING As l peer through a window in the first months of spring, our yard is like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon. The last of the white, merciless snow creeps back into hiding and leaves the brown, crisp ground to once again be overcome by fresh, new, green grass. The once bare and lifeless trees budd and green. The first robin flutters from tree to tree carrying its crisp melody, sweetly ridding the air of its cold si- lence. The lavender lllacs decorate the bushes with their delicate petals and smooth leaves. As I once again see the refreshed beauty of spring and inhale the fresh clean air, I get a feeling of clear purity and newness of life. l get a feeling of spring. MARI DRENTER NX 55 ,A Qt ,, Xml K ft 4 iw. l l X W. .V , W, ' v' 1 Fw' X, ' ,A f W 1.1 T ri, 4 tcm, 5. f .,. Pmciu.A MARTIN If g lftjnf I K qi fix, I ,A X' 1' f ' XM' illtlitfll rf' . THERE WAS A KNOCK AT THE DOOR The subdued sun rose reluctantly into the blackened sky. lt seemed to the man that it was mourning the de- struction of humanity. As the sun rose even higher, the man could see the tortured earth upon which he stood. He fell to his knees and wept bitterly. Everything he had ever cared for was gone. It was like a living Hell. He had no family. He had never cared for mankind, the only species of all the creatures of the world to kill others of his own blood, and cursed the csy he was born. He had gone to live in a cave as soon as he was old enough to leave home. He wanted to be far away from this barbaric race. He fell in love with the cave as soon as he set eyes on it. lt was a curious cave, and had totally defied his imagination. Now that was gone, too. World War Ill was a nightmare. Even though it was three years done, it still haunted him. The United States was not ready for the attack. While the U.S. was still building up their defenses, a New Roman Empire was founded. Rus- sia was their leader. They felt the time was ripe, and immediately declared war upon the United States. lt only lasted a few days. By then everyone was dead or dying. All buildings were leveled. Somehow, he had miraculous- ly survived, but the radioactivity had marred his skin. lt had impaired his vision as well as his speech, and he could only move very slowly. lt was too quiet. The silence preyed upon his tortured mind. He vividly re- called screaming, and the searing heat: heat hot enough to peel the flesh right off the bone. The man shook his head to dispel the memories, and slowly walked to his shelter. It consisted of pieces of charred wood stacked tightly against each other, with a piece of mutilated metal for the roof. lt was only large to allow him to lie down, and its chief purpose was to shield him from the elements. He had found a doorknob buried in the sand, and had fashioned a kind of door. lt was crude, but very well done, considering what he had to work with. The man fell into a trance of sorts, and listened to the wind howl for a good half an hour. Soon a vision pre- sented itself before him. He stared at it, aghast. His eyes widened with horror. lt was a mutant form the war, stripped of its flesh. The last man on earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock at the door. It was subtle, but it was enough to disturb the silence. The man slowly rose from his seat, and limped to the door. He had a last hope. Could it be another human? He wondered. He threw open the door, only to find no one there. But there was something out there. He could hear singing. It seemed to be coming out of the very sea itself. He closed his eyes slowly and al- lowed the music to lead him. He dreamed of a world where there was no sickness, no hate. Only love and health. The song led him on. He felt the cool water lap at his ankles, and now his knees. He found what he was look- ing for. His perfect, blissful world was a reality. KRIS MEREDITH 11 f' J-V onasrrmt wonks 1