Richland High School - Rebel Yearbook (Fort Worth, TX)

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Design by Stefanie Fagan , an , , ,. . ' fx 1, , , 1 ,,f,,y., if ' 3 , ,M Preparations for the bonfire began at 12:00 on a rainy Thursday afternoon in September. Tommy Moore, Charlie Daniell, and Scott Haley fseniorsj helped build the for- mation for the fire that afternoon. Photo by Chip Mundy. Even though it was cold and wet our spirits were strong and high dur- ing preparations, said Greg Zollinger fseniorl. Lumber was donated by Zimmerman Kubota and Equipment Inc. Photo by Chip Mundy. A gloomy day of rain and mist may have filled the air but a Dixie tradi- tion was not to be cancelled. The bonfire was a huge success, despite the rain spirits were not dampened, said Jennifer Alexsandrowixz lseniorj. The bonfire may have begun as only a damp pile of wood but was burning high by the end of the night. Photo by Harold Reeves. It was really fun with a lot school spiritg and I hope they continue on, said Rebecca Burton Cseniorb. Many of Richland students and faculty came out to cheer the JV on to their game against Bell. Photo by Harold Reeves. The traditional caravan led the way to the game against Bell. Headlights came on and cars filed in- to place as the bonfire continued to burn in the background. Photo by Harold Reeves.

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A big surprise came this year when the NAACP asked Richland to remove its Rebel theme. Richland has never had any reported problems with racial discrimination nor, hopefully, will it ever. We have always treated everybody like one and have all stuck together, and that is exactly what we did. As soon as the announcement came from the NAACP, the Rebels went wild. From then on, Richland had never seen so many Rebel flags and attire. When you walked into the gymnasium, faculty and Johnny Rebs would pass out small flags and encourage everyone to attend the night's game. On Friday nights the opposing fans would be in amazement as the whole side of the stadium would be covered with the school's flag and everyone so spirited. A special day was set up during 'Haltom Week' for 'Save the Flag Day.' Students from all levels dressed in their best Rebel attire. Some painted their faces while others were human flags. Even the faculty and administrators got into the action. Not only did the school get so involvedg but also the television news, newspapers, and media. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram brought up a stir when they announced the flag should be taken away. Anti-Flag proponents wrote on their viewsg some good, some bad. Richland's name was all over the news within two weeks that the NAACP called, but we still stood together ready to fight for what's right. The hard part was waiting for TEA to decide if we could keep VIN ur Flag our desired theme. After the news of South Prairie giving up their theme, things began to get scary. The last game of the football season was dedicated to our Rebel theme During the last football game of the season at the start of the fourth quarter everyone stood and pointed to the Rebel flag waving in the air at the end of the field Finally on January 15 a meeting was called about our flag Mr Clark had received a letter from TEA on their decision After reading the formal letter Mr Wade Parkey stood and sal that means we get to keep our flag There has never been a problem here they were just telling us we had one Dana Mitchell n avid supporter throughout the flag con- troversy was Wade Parkey. He gave much of his time and sup ort to the entire student body and faculty, keeping everyone informed as to how the fight for our flag and mascot was coming. Photo by Jeff Russell. Save the Flag

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Up and over Large pieces of lumber donated to the bonfire are put in place by Michael Parkey and Todd Reynolds fsen- iorsj. Photo by Chip Mundy. ichland has always been rich in tradition handed down over the last twenty-six yearsg from the singing of Dix- ie , to the reinstated bonfire. Although the customs were still carried on, the new school year brought with itg it's own change. The Haltom-Richland game was moved to the the third game, which moved the bonfire to the Bell game. This change brought about many disturbed feelings but all adjusted to the alteration and came through it together. BON Preparations for the Bonfire began on a rainy Thursday afternoon in September. The dreary day definitely had its affect on all who were involved, yet no one person was going to let the rain get in the way. After all the hard work was completed and the wood was put into a pile, a Bell uniform was placed atop the structure, and the students awaited its burning. After several attempts to light the wet wood North Richland Hills Fire Department was suc- cessful and the blaze was on its way. Stefanie Fagan FIR E it . sssws W ii 4 , Z1 52? '- u BA 5 ' 'f 'fx--,., . 'Ki' 1 Burn em' Burn Bell was chanted throughout the crowd gathered around the fire as the Bell uni- form began to burn. The JV team fought hard in the miserable weather but was de- . feated by Bell 12-26. Photo by Harold Reeves. Rainy daze As the bonfire celebra- tion began, rain still continued to fall from the sky. Mr. Tom Mur- ray and Mr, Gary Clark ffacultyl watched as the diesel fuel was poured on, wondering whether or not the spark would ignite deep within the wet woodstack. Photo by Harold Reeves. Bonfire