Northwest High School - Vanguard Yearbook (Indianapolis, IN)

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1 J 1 1 v i l 1 i Z i rl L SAN Students' rights is an extremely vague and confusing area of the law. Students are somewhat like aliens in society: they have been granted a few rights, but they are not considered citizens and have little power to af- fect the institutions that govern them. Since there is no constitutional law on student rights, there are as many different sets of rules about student behavior as there are principals. -from Up Against the Law by Jean Strouse. Students rights were at times, a difficult concept for many Northwest High School students to grasp. As prin- cipal of the high school, it was Mr. Kenneth Smartz's duty to uphold the disciplinary policy organized by the Indianapolis Public School system. This policy was de- signed to provide an environment of good order for stu- dents so they might achieven the primary goal of education. Each student was obligated to respect established ou- thority, which included adherence to school rules and regulations as well as community, state, and national laws. The ultimate decisions of which rules applied to Northwest were left up to Mr. Smartz. These basic rules, outlined in the Northwest High School Student Hand- book, were created to preserve the rights of individ- uals and for living harmoniously together, but, occa- sionally, students did obiect to certain restrictions. 0 The deans disagreed on what they felt the most pro- tested rubs.were..-M..l1cm.tlilriJcm. deglofgirb. be: lieved tardiness to be- the most violated rule. Everyday there are large numbers of students lined up in the at- tendance office waiting to receive admittance sIips, she explairfed. Tardiness is a difficult rule to enforce because of the numerous excuses for lateness, however, the only acceptable excuses are late buses and illness. Mr. Paul Heaton, dean of boys, believed that students most often disobeyed the regulation concerning smoking on school property. I don't think this is due so much to the habit of smoking as it is a challenge of the rules. Directly related to this issue was the question if a law prohibiting smoking actually existed. lsee story at rightl. Students also disputed some rules concerning the dress code and attendance. According to Mr. Heaton, North- west had no written dress code. No overalls, no muscle shirts, shirttails tucked in, and the boys must wear socks are my only requests, he said. Miss Hib- beln reported that the only basis for enforcing the dress code was discretion of the deans and parents. The elim ar m , will protests W school, the A system of'Iaw and in-.4 3 5 3 l ,. rp l l 3 2 K it E, ii Ez sl 3 gl is we ' . K x.g -k,. Egg- I 4 A

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E ' TCQJ i lim' Cn a crisp January morning, two senior boys snuck stealthily to a car situated in the school parking lot. Their plan? To unleash a greased pig in the cafeteria during the fourth hour lunch period. The lookout glanced nervously around as the crate containing the pig was unloaded and addressed his companion. I wonder where old Heaton is? he asked. Little did the conspirators realize that Mr. Paul Heaton, dean of boys was cleverly concealed between two cars only a few yards away and had observed the entire proceedings. Just as the two were nearing the school's entrance, Mr. Heaton revealed himself to the culprits and declared, Here's 'old Heaton'. The boys made an abrupt about- face and returned the pig safely to the trunk of the car. This minor incident, humorous as it was, illustrated the need for strict enforcement of rules and regulations to maintain order at Northwest High School. The rules that may seem severe to some were created to benefit the students and the school,, said Mr. Heaton. They are all a part of the impression that Northwest gives to others. At the beginning of the school year, each new student and all incoming freshmen were issued the Northwest High School Student Handbook consisting of the basic rules and policies that students were required to follow. Outlined in this booklet were guidelines concerning at- tendance, hall passes, health services, program sched- uling, lockers, the bookstore, the library, protection of school property, and standard rules of courtesy. In the event that a student willfully disobeyed school ordinances, he was sent to either of the two deans, Miss Diane Hibbeln or Mr. Paul Heaton, who were respon- sible for essentially all disciplinary measures. We work together, commented Miss Hibbeln. I take the girls and Mr. Heaton takes the boys. Problems that were most often brought to the deans' attention included tar- diness, truancy, questions about dress, and general dis- orderly conduct. - Conferences, which usually involved a 40 minute pe- riod after school, suspension, or, in some cases, ex- pulsion were punishments commonly administered to those in violation of the rules. Statistics showed that the record number of summons' to the dean's office was held by a iunior girl with a total of 66, while the boy's record was acquired by a senior with 3l call slips. Only one case of vandalism was reported at North- west. The incident, which occurred in the fall, involved the setting of Mr. Heaton's office of fire. However, through much investigation, the responsible parties were finally apprehended and charged with arson. In spite of this unfortunate mishap, Mr. Heaton was well pleased with Northwest's overall record and appearance. While it has been necessary for most every school in Indianapolis to be painted, this one has never had to, he claimed. l really mean this . . . l'm proudtof these kids. 45

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lbl Chris Loggins, senior stamps his admittance slip to class while contemplating his ninth hour dean's conference that goes along with being tardy. lol The rule stating hands off other people and their prop-- erty, pertaining to boy and girl relationships is not fre- quently enforced as illustrated by Sonny Hall and Mariann Johnson, seniors. Www' H LITE-H'?'? making is legally impossible on school gounds be cause there is a state law which prohibits any smoking on school property This quotation from Vice Principal George Gale was in direct contrast to the word of the State Fire Marshall s Board which stated There is no state or city ordinance pertaining to the sublect of stu dents smoking in schools This matter is left entirely up to the superintendent or the principal of the school Who were students to believe? Some Marion County schools experimented with smoking lounges to observe the effects they had on stu dents Discipline problems increased immensely and most of these schools abolished the lounges due to the debris and safety hazards that resulted. Superintendent of Schools Stanley Campbell approved one such ex- periment at Carmel High School. In addition to the diffi- culties mentioned above, Carmel encountered com- plications in relation to the Anti-Cigarette Law which denied minors the right to purchase cigarettes. Despite the conflicting views of Mr. Gale and the fire board, prohibition of smoking in Northwest remained.