Northrop High School - Bear Tracks Yearbook (Fort Wayne, IN)

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Below Senior Mark Coppock works to perlect Ki jht Northrop coriiijuter students work in the his program, photo hy Stt ' ( ' Hut;. study ouhiiles, photo hy ' I ' iin Shinivrr A Northrop student works fervently to complete his program on time, photo bv Steve Hug. Computer Feature — 13

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ifsUSe, 9 3 rs Part Df Dailig Life When man looks back in retrospect, he will recall the 70 ' s and 80 ' s. ' The Age of Computers. ' This is the feeling of Alan Rupp, Northrop Computer teach- er. Considering that the computer in- dustry is relatively new, blooming just five or six years ago, our lives are al- ready being caught up in this whirlwind of excitement. Since the spring semester of the 1975- 76 school year, Northrop has offered computer courses, with approximately 200 students taking advantage of them each semester. Rupp says, We have a very good computer system compared to other high schools, but next year we will have a much bigger and better sys- tem. This system turned out to be the VAX 11 750, made by Digital Equip- ment Corporation, the second largest computer company in the world. There are fewer than ten high schools in the nation with a system having equal com- puting power. Each of the seven high schools in the Fort Wayne Community Schools has a system similar to North- rop ' s. When all of these computers are linked together, no other high school system in the nation has comparable equipment. The computer course is divided into two one-semester classes. Introduction to Computer Programming and Ad- vanced Computer Programming. In the introductory class, students learn to write programs, learn the workings of the computer and what the computer can and cannot do. In the advanced class, students stress data manipulation in files and learn additional program- ming techniques. Rupp says that he enjoys teaching computer programming because, It is a challenge to keep up with the new tech- nology. It is also an opportunity to pro- vide students with a vast amount of in- formation to help them in life. All stu- dents need to know a suitable amount of information about computers to get along in life. Rupp also feels that ev- eryone, whether interested in program- ming or not, should learn all that they can about computers because it is good training. As said before, the computer industry has just recently exploded into a mania that leaves no one untouched. Mr. Ply- ley, a sales representative from Compu- terland, said, There has been a steady increase of interest from the beginning . . . mostly because of heresay, and also because people don ' t want to be left out. Businesses use them to become more productive. One local businessman ex- plained that he bought a computer to help him in his business to become more efficient. But the computer isn ' t just for busin- esses. More and more companies are making it possible for home owners to enjoy the convenience of a computer through a wider range of prices and sizes. The computer is indeed becoming more and more a part of our lives, with more people than ever making, pro- gramming, repairing, teaching about, and learning about computers. New functions are being discovered every day. Elmhurst teacher, Carter Lohr, summed it up. The sky ' s the limit as to what the computer can do for us, he said, written by Jeff Wunrow Sophomore Rick Shaffer, intently studying his [J materials, enters a program into the terminal. S photo by Elana Crane. Watching to see if the program will work, junior Donna Spake, senior Paul Augspurger and sopho- more Wendy Haberstock stare at the screen in- tently, photo by Tim Shauver. 12 — Computer Feature

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Lost In The Feeling Of Victory In the pouring rain on a chilling Oc- tober night, wet but spirited fans bun- dled up as they watched the climatic game. Though half-time saw a Bruin lead of 21-0, the slaughter of the Snider Panthers wasn ' t over. The massacre raged on, finally ending with a breath- less run for a single touchdown by the Panthers. If that sounded strange, it ' s because it is a description of the 1977 Northrop Homecoming game, the last time Nor- throp won their homecoming. In reali- ty, it was not Snider, but the Bishop Luers Knights. The night was warm, clear, and dry. Only one major item stayed the same in both years — the winner. Northrop, after four years of loss, won their homecoming game 21-9. Just as in 1977, the fans came in spirit-filled crowds, adding an exciting end to an unusual week. The unusual week began with But- tons, Sweats, and Sunglasses Day. Many students participated because the apparel was easily found. Every kind fo button from Garfield to I Love Buns showed u p. Some even wore large size sunglasses to read the buttons better. Lick ' em activities were incorporated into the day as cheerleaders sold Toot- sie Pops three for a quarter. A new kind of day was inaugurated on Tuesday. Favorite Sport Day catered to all the athletes, both participating and sideline. Even a few fishermen couldn ' t find that ultimate tuna, some of them came back on Wednesday dressed as New Wave. Amid the safety pins, orange heads, and mini skirts, the teachers dressed in fifties style. Mr. Ron Kuhn, math teacher, even exhibit- ed his senior cords. All this made Rock- and-RoU Day a success for both old and new music fans. The Beach Boys are a part of both generations of music lovers and the group would have felt right at home on Surf Day (Hawaiian style). Highlight- ing the day was a beach party held in the Commons before school. Senior Brad Reinking even ran around shout- ing Surfs up through the basking crowd of beach towel bums. Mr. Schwab ' s and Mr. Laurie ' s homeroom tied for the winners of the Door-Deco- ration contest, each class receiving a breakfast in their room. Thursday night brought the tradi- tional Powder-Puff football game. The winner of the qualifying game played earlier in the week. The juniors shared the field with the seniors in Thursday ' s final. In a close game, the junior team won out, 12-6. Following the game, a bonfire helped to warm a cool October night in the west field behind the stadi- um. Student Council members served free popcorn and apple cider. Besides the victorious Homecoming football game, other important things happened on Friday. At the pep session on Friday morning, WMEE jocks pre- sented Northrop with their High School Football Team of the Week tro- phy, actually awarded several weeks be- fore. At halftime of the game, senior Laura Didion received the Homecoming Queen crown. Don Hendrick, Varsity football player, bore his crown deeming him Mr. Irrestable. To celebrate the win over Luers, stu- dents let go on the commons dance floor after the game to the music and lights of Unique Lighting and Sound. Though the music, fads, and facts were different than 1977, the enthusiasm and spirit stayed the same. Everyone was in a wonderful dream lost in the feeling of victory, written by Kim Simpson The 1983 Homecoming Courl: Row 1 Icll to Belcher, senior, -Julie Holing. Ireshman, .Joanna Shanta Springer, junior, .Jill ( ' .laze, senior, I.aura right; Rhonda M. Donald, sophomore, Laurie Cook, sophomore; Row two — Mai Fields, fresh- Didion, senior, Kelley Oshorne, sophomore. Bordner, junior, Amy Johnson, junior, Tracy man, Robin Davis, freshman, Vicky Stoll, senior, photo by Steve Hut; 14 — Homecoming