Pittsburg High School - Pirate Yearbook (Pittsburg, CA)

Page 217 text:

Before the arrival of the new school year, a new decade of stu- dents gained a great advantage over previous freshmen classes by attend- ing a first ever Freshman Camp in the Sonoma Hills at Silver Spur, for a three day, two night stay. Freshmen were introduced to faculty and upperclassmen, who helped each and every individual get a head start on what high school was about and what to expect. The interaction be- tween the upperclassmen and enter- ing freshmen helped to develop a special bond of friendship for the year and the years to come. They learned how to work together as a class, rather than leaders from sepa- rate junior highs. But, most of all, they learned how to express them- selves as individuals, to start the year off with success, as well as with a new tradition. As we took our first walks down Christy Barrett on new school improvements: The improvements give our school a better image and make it more enjoyable. the school hallways, we found that three new faculty members had en- tered the lives of many students. We saw the new faces of our P.E. teach- er, Maureen Mattson, the English Department's own Patrice Shipe, and a new counselor, Annette Porreco. Each taking the time to help other students grow for future suc- cess. With our yearly great expecta- tions in our sports filled with team work and victories, we found three new-born teams added to the D.V.A.L. conference. Both girls' soc- cer and boys' volleyball teams took on new challenges towards achiev- ing a winning season. The freshmen girls' basketball team expressed their talents with a single dribble of the ball and all around spirit. Though all were inexperienced in their conferences, each brought out a bright new meaning to teamwork. New traditions became a very important asset in the 1986-87 school year, with the Back To School Dance, the U-Can Dance, and the Pirateer! Uglyman Dance. The Back To School Dance sponsored by Friend's of the Pirates was a big success, when all proceeds were contributed to the Freshman class to give them a head start on their class funds. The U-Can Dance, another success, was a special and heartwarming event for many students, where instead of paying money to get in, students do- nated as many as two to three cans to be contributed to the needy people of Pittsburg. The Pirateer and Uglyman Dances, a big tradition, were finally brought together as both king and queen were crowned together on December 12, 1986. As we look back on the school year, each of us will have found a memory or two that will linger in our minds forever, whether it be a mem- ory of a face, a dance, or an event. It will have become a part of each of us as we grow older and look back into the years. L. Kristine Buffo and Kathy Alexander on Campus: Combining the Pirateer and Uglyman Dances was an excellent idea! We noticed more people with more enthusiasm at the dance. .-1 -'M - Q' n to 213 ' 1- - if L - 'lb -'Milli ' l,,'f,',f , -

Page 216 text:

The Reagan Administration sent helicopters into Bolivia to crackdown on cocaine. lust Say No became a popular slogan for those resisting drugs, but the battle had only just begun. The year's end, December 31st, struck a bad note as a San Iuan, Luis Martinez on the campaign against drugs: I feel it's about time something is being done. Students need to be educated about the drug problem through government programs. Puerto Rico hotel burst into flames. Arson was the cause of the Du Pont Plaza disaster, which claimed 96 lives. This, the worst hotel disaster in history, was suspected to be result of a severe labor dispute. OCGI Pittsburg and its surrounding cities were the focus of several ma- jor news stories in 1986. The contro- versy over the proposed dump site was the top story in Pittsburg. Con- cerned and angry citizens attended meetings in Martinez, Antioch, and- Pittsburg. The proposed sites, one near Bailey Road and the other off of Kirker Pass, found much opposi- 212 Mini Mag tion. On December 11, it was an- nounced that the Bailey Road site plans had been abandoned because of all the community opposition. In September of 1 985, Elizabeth Martinez, a local disc jockey was shot while travelling on Highway 4 near West Pittsburg. She was paral- yzed from the incident, and Pitts- burg resident Donald Carrol was arrested for the crime on February 27, 1986. Carroll fired from his car at the victim and her boyfriend, and later claimed it was mistaken iden- tity. On April 30, Pacific Southwest Airlines CPSAD was given permission by the Federal Aviation Administra- tion to take off from Concord's Bu- chanan field. To some, it meant con- venience, but others felt it a threat. Many local residents were distur- bed by the increased air traffic. They feared major crashes would occur. -The noise from the jets also disturbed many. Lido Square and El Pueblo, two low income housing projects, were known by many as drug dealing communities. Many residents in the apartment complexes felt threat- ened by the crime in the areas. For those reasons, the city of Pittsburg set up guards to patrol both com- plexes. The project made the com- munities safer. The guards, howev- er, cost the city 542,000 a month for the four guardsjust in El Pueblo. De- spite the costs, residents still felt it was phenomenal that drug dealing had decreased so drastically, due to the surveillance. Michael Carlson on the cruising ban: I feel the police stops hold up traffic more than the harmless cruisers. Many students had spent their weekend cruising Antioch's G Street until it was prohibited in the summer of '86. Antioch police set up check points at which to ticket the cruisers. So with cruising gone from the scene, what were the teens to do on the weekends? Pittsburg has always lacked places to hang out. This was why the plans for Los Medanos Lanes were a relief to many. The 32 lane, automatic score, bowling alley was designed and its location set at East Leland near the hospital. It was due to open in the summer of '87. A name change was proposed in '86 for our fair city. Many resi- dents felt that this would stop Pitts- burg's overall bad reputation. The new title, Diamond Landing, lost out as not enough signatures were collected for it to be placed on the ballot. Downtown Railroad Avenue had always been a bumpy experi- ence for drivers, but plans to give the road a face lift were made in 1986. A 9 million dollar project was created to divert traffic past the four railroad tracks. The money went towards building an overpass and an underpass. ln September, a great white shark was caught in Bodega Bay by two Antioch fishermen. Local resi- dents flocked to the fisehrmen's market to view the 2,000 pound, 9 foot shark. The meat was later sold. Many exciting news events fil- led our community in 1986, and as you look back on this, remember all of the special things that make our city so unique. CJVTWDU5 Not only was the 1986-1987 school year filled with an air of pride and vivacious students, but also a wide variety of new faculty, and three new sports added to the D.V.A.L., each which brought in bright outlooks to our future success at Pittsburg High.

Page 218 text:

ntertoinment 1986 not only held many se- rious news stories such as terror- ism in Libya and the Challenger accident, but it was also a year with a lighter side of entertain- ment and trends. From music, to movies, to T.V. shows, to fash- ion, the U.S. showed a variety of tastes in 1986. Music in 1986 was vital and creative. Lines between pop, soul, rock, and even a little coun- try were crossed by many music groups to make last year one of the most unique in history. RUN D.M.C. illustrated this by mak- ing a top 10 soul hit out of Aero Smith's rock hit Walk This Wayf, We saw new faces hitting the charts like Bon Jovi, who fi- nally broke earth with their top ten hit You Give Love A Bad Name. Great Britian's dynam- ic group, Human League, showed us a new side with Human,,' while here in the States, Janet Jackson gave us her 541 album, Control, which contained four top ten hits for 1986. Golden Oldies showed us that they had long lasting ap- peal, with appearances on the charts by Ben E. King, with his classic Stand By Me, and the chartbuster by the Beatles, Twist and Shout? Music final- ly developed a conscience in 1986 with R.A.D. fRock Against Drugsj and the Amnes- ty Tour, headed by Sting, U2, Bryan Adams, and Peter Gab- riel. Movies were also a power- ful medium, as 1986 was one of the most profitable years in box office history. We flooded to theatres to see Tom Cruise fly to glory in Top Gun, the hysteri- cal one-liners in Eddie Murphy's HThe Golden Child. We cruised our way through the year with yellow Pirate On Boardv signs hang- ing from our car's infamous tint- ed windows. Fashions in 1986 were 214 . . . Mini Mag made up of a dash from the past and a taste of the future. Hoop earrings and fringe boots made a big hit on the girls' scene, while the guys looked great in their turtle necks and crew cuts. 0ur television was filled with the humor of The Cosby Show and Family Ties, fthe top two ratedj. We were intro- duced to Coca Cola's newest spokesman, Max Headroom, and said goodbye to such T.V. and movie greats as Cary Grant, Ted Knight, Donna Reed, Desi Arnez, Rock Hudson, James Cagney, and Scatman Cruthers. Entertainment in 1986 gave us a few laughs and a few tears. Trends in clothing and music gave us something to look for- ward to in 1987. 1986 was a year we won,t forget for a very long time. Q. le