Northwest High School - Vanguard Yearbook (Indianapolis, IN)

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.5 J- Y , it I Qt side of their normal g avoid the shift in amilies had the choice of enrolling in private September 1971. To moving to another school schools or not attending school at all. Attendance records at Attucks revealed that there were at least 400 absences daily during the first month of school as a re- sult of rebellious parents refusing to send their children to school. Supporters of thetintegration plan felt it could have easily worked if it had been backed by all the parents, and perhaps interpreted the actions of anti-busing par- ents as being preiudiced. Those who adhered to the principle of forced desegration stressed the idea of brotherhood to prevent situations similar to these from arising in future years. According to respected psychologists, young adults would gain respect for members of other races if they went through the learning process with them. Whites learn that not all would realize that they are not inferior in the minds of Most importantly, students are hostile and blacks their white classmates. would whole-heartedly believe that everyone is equal. This may have been the ultimate goal, but NHS parents such as Mrs. Marguerite A. Brown disagreed with the methods used to unite blacks and whites in the North- west area. . . . busing of white children will not undo the iniustice done to the blacks. Two wrongs do not make a right. She stressed that parents paid increased taxes to build schools in the immediate area for their children. Mrs. Brown added that several did so without any complications. Transporting students from Northwest to Attucks was an effort to promote brotherly relations between blacks and whites but due to opposition, the situation became a tense confrontation between parents and the school system. 31

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Srudewr Council iNVESTS iN school pinir The student council led almost all activities promoting school spirit: jaj Jim Dimitroff and Laura Munn, seniors, and .lerry Francis, junior, make signs for the cafeteria with a personal footprint. Using the new sign-making machine, jbj Terry McKusky, sophomore, selects stencils for a project, and jcj Donna Cullins, junior, adjusts a stairway sign boost- ing the wrestlers. ldj At the pep assembly climaxing a pre- sectional school spirit week, seniors Tonja McKusky and Susie Ellcessor lead students in impromptu cheers. Another activity of school spirit week was the sale of gum during lunch periods by council repre- sentative, like Russel Calvin lel- The purpose of Northwest's Student Council was to promote better student-faculty understanding, and to represent the ideas and opinions of the entire student body. Sponsoring and engineering Homecoming and the Little 500 were among Student Council's major activ- ities. A large portion of the Council's funds were spent on a S500 sign-making machine complete with the nec- essary paper and multi-colored inks. The school spirit committee designed and posted signs made with this machine encouraging various Northwest clubs and teams on to victory or success. Occasionally, the Coun- cil planned after-game dances complete with live bands including Leghorn, a city-wide known group. Student Council also voiced girls' wishes to wear slacks to school and suggest student lounges and the en- closure of the mall. Miss Diane Hibbeln, dean of girls, considered the suggestions and either rejected them or presented them to school adminstrators. A student Council function that involved every Pio- neer was the election of representatives and officers. Each homeroom selected one Council member and an alternate. Only those freshmen having third period study halls were eligible for Council membership while all sophomores, juniors, and seniors were allowed to run. The candidates prepared and delivered campaign speeches that included statements of their qualifications and reasons for wanting to join Student Council. Otticers John Case, president, Russel Calvin, vice- president, Carmelita Kosh, secretary, Loreena Sandlin, treasurer, Tonja McKusky, historian, were elected at the end of the school year by a popular, all-school vote. Preparing the minutes of council meetings for the home- room representatives to read to their rooms was part of the cabinet's responsibilities. The representatives dis- cussed Council functions with the class and offered their suggestions to the Council. A suggestion box, located in the school library, was also available. The success of Student Council was largely depend- ent upon the basic principal of give and take. Council's duty was to fully represent the student body, in turn, the student body's obligation was to provide members with something worthwhile to represent. 33