Northwest High School - Vanguard Yearbook (Indianapolis, IN)

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As always, seniors greeted graduation with mixed emotions-ioy for the end of childhood, the coming of age, sadness for their departure from North- west, friends, and security. From the beginning of the school year, they were a select group. Their schedule included Senior Parent Night, September 29, Senior Recognition Day, October 13, cap and gown measurements, November I 2, end of the fall semester, when 61 Northwest seniors completed graduationrequirements, Januray 28, Senior Class Day, June I, Vespers, June 4. And Com- mencement. Diplomas went to 534 students-di- plomas containing the last words of afour-year .book of many chapters. June 7, 1972, graduation, Class of '72, the end of the beginning. l26 Ill? ll QW Q

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ment. Yet, with the proposal of the twenty-sixth Amend- ment to the Constitution, Northwest students built their hopes on its ratification, for they would then be able to make mature decisions that would have an effect on the government. Robin Downing, an 18-year-old senior, said, I feel I'm important and responsible enough to express my thoughts and opinions, and to let people know how I feel. A large portion of students agreed with Robin's opin- ion. Boys, however, added to her ideas with the often- voiced thought that if a young man is old enough to fight in Vietnam, he is old enough to vote. Joe Ambers, senior explained, Since at 18, the government will ex- pect us oo go over and fight for our country, we should at least have the opportunity to choose who we want to fight and die for. There were skeptics, even among those who stood to benefit from the measure. I believe that young people are not sincere in a lot that they do, commented Dan Gagen, senior. I feel that most of them will be apathe- tic about voting. Whatever the opinions, on June 30, 1971, the Ohio House of Representatives voted 81-9 in favor of the Twenty-sixth Amendment, making it the thirty-eighth to do so, and completing the two-thirds maiority needed to ratify the revision. Though only a handful of Northwest students 18 ,B . years or over were directly effected by the change, the remaining students anticipated the new responsibility as a welcome addition or alternative to other modes of ex- pression. Social studies courses took on new meaning as students prepared for the experience of voting, while some classes experimented with a mock voting machine, others discussed the maior issues of the 1972 election. On November 4, 1971, the new voters were given their first opportunity to vote. The maior Indianapolis contest, that for mayor, between Democrat Dan Burton and Republican incumbent Richard Lugar, ended, as forecast, with Lugar on top, the 18 to 20 year-olds had not appreciably altered the outcome in either direction. yet the important fact was that enough youth voted, thus proving their sincerety in the matter. Senior Dick Beuke reasoned, People went to all the trouble to get 18-year olds the privilege to vote, I figure I owe it to these people to show l'm responsible enough to deserve it. The true test of 1 8 to 20 year-old suffrage will be the presidential election of 1972. Most of the Northwest Class of 1972 will have the right to vote. Whether or not they will live up to the pre-suffrage concern over na- tional issues, whether they will unite behind one candi- date or will make individual decisions, whether or not they are prepared to accept the responsibility of govern- mental participation remains to be seen. 73 W , X' Q 1 rf?J7SMie Q-J 50.-r , 1 dorff funk... C

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