ROWVA High School - Rovan Yearbook (Oneida, IL)

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The Great Moments The greatest moment of all, of every school day! If I had to pick a great moment, it would have to be the Alwood match of the district volleyball tournament played at Alwood. Earlier in the regular season, we had lost to Alwood 10-15, 13-15. That night in the tournament, the girls played at their physical and mental peaks. The level of play I witnessed was exciting and thrilling to watch. Our defensive coverage was picking up Alwood’s spikes and our offense seemed to pass and set-up to our spikers with ease. In one long rally, Lynn Howard spiked the ball three consecutive times off Angela Daniels’ sets, but Alwood kept returning the ball. On the fourth set-up, Lynn went up — Alwood was ready for the spike — but Lynn lightly dinked the ball over the hands of the Alwood blockers and the ball hit the floor. It was great! As their coach, I was happy that the girls got to experience a match where the skills they had worked on so hard all came together in a top-notch performance. Needless to say, I was very proud of them. — Coach Swanson This year’s writing class provided some interesting, if not rewarding, “great moments,” even though it was a project that was slow to blossom. I started the Senior Writing Award two years ago and this year looked for other ways to have students involved with the skill of writing. We entered several contests and in April I was pleasantly pleased to have a few students as finalists in the Region Four Writing Talent Search. — Mr. Renwick One of the greatest moments of this year for me was when the flag and rifle squad received a standing ovation for our performance at the basketball games. It really made me proud to be a part of “one of the best color guards in the state.” — Shelley Snyder While I have been fortunate enough to have been provided with more than one great moment, I feel that the greatest moment for me actually occurred last summer, when the concert band won first place at the Red River Exhibition in Winnipeg, Canada. It was undoubtedly the biggest thrill for my band in all my years of teaching. Then I found that the 80-81 yearbook was dedicated to me. It was a very gratifying, but humbling experience which caused me to work harder with the band this year. Two more great moments were when the Flag and Rifle squads were acclaimed “81 State Champions” for winning both the parade and field competitions at U. of I., and when the jazz band won the Augustana College Jazz Festival after two straight second place finishes. The girls worked very hard on their routines and the show, and found that it pays off. All in all, the “81-82” school year has proved to be the best for the ROVA bands — the kids were super! — Mr. Cottingham As I look back upon the season, it would be hard to single out any one game as being more exciting than any other. We showed a lot of defense this season. Against Toulon, Jim Pitman set a new school record for passing 294 yards in one game. This performance earned him the Galesburg Register Mail Prep Athlete of the Week. I feel this was quite an honor for Jim and probably even more so for his offensive line. Our defense recorded two shutouts. The most demonstrating efforts of this was against Wethersfield. Brian Anderson played an outstanding game for us with two blocked punts (recovering one for a touchdown). It was quite evident that R.O.V.A. lived up to its title of the “R.O.V.A. Fighting Tigers.” I believe that a major reason for our improvement was that, as a team, we worked harder to be a team, and not individuals. The best example of this was when I asked Ross Woodside to give up his quarterback position to help us in the tight end position. He did this willingly for the team and excelled at that position with an average of twenty-three yards per catch. Our Fighting Tigers had a prominent season due to everyones’ efforts and willingness to improve. I hope that we will continue to provide the school and its student body with more pleasant memories and victories. — Coach Grawe Great Moments 7

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During this school year there were many great moments — moments we will never forget. While it is difficult to touch upon all of the great moments that occurred during the 1981-1982 school year, we hope that this could be a reflection of your great moments, too. Homecoming this year was especially fun, because we spent almost every night that week doing something. We were always out late, working on the float or just running around with friends. There was a change in the Homecoming schedule, and that was fun. We hardly slept at all that week! — Beth Paul I must say the happiest day for me was the day of the Alexis — R.O.V.A. showdown. During sixth hour that day, the band marched down the hall playing the fight song. Since I am a cheerleader, I have always backed our teams. The excitement made me cry as the band came down the hall. My emotions showed how much I love being a cheerleader, and how much I love backing the teams. — Cindy Graves Winning the Farmington Jazz Festival was a great moment for me. R.O.V.A. had never won it before, and I was really excited when we made it to the finals. Winchester and we made it to finals, but they were rated higher than us. When we played at finals, we sounded the best we had all year. We all had hopes and we did win. It was great! — Amanda Asplund As a basketball coach, there are numerous memorable occasions that happen every year — some sad, some happy, some serious, and some funny. Winning a tournament is always a great moment, and the Orion Invitational Championship proved to be no exception to the rule. Probably, the greatest moment this year occurred when we clinched our first Lincoln Trail Conference Crown. After five years of “close encounters” and “upsets”, we were able to nail down that elusive title. It felt so good that I think we’ll try for a repeat next year. — Coach Meredith The day that I will personally remember as the greatest is the day of the Avon Relays. Competing against eleven other teams, we placed second, and I won both the 800 and the mile races. — Mike McMeekan Rem em bering The week of Homecoming and University of Illinois band contest begins, the day is Monday and I can feel the anxiety beginning to burst out of the student body. Today the football players begin their grueling training for the homecoming game on Friday. The band, just like the football players, spend many hours on the football field practicing for their marching contest on Saturday. The morning announcements are read while everyone shuffles in their seats, anxiously awaiting the start of the week. By Tuesday, the complexity of my anxiety creeps up on me, and begins to rub off on the students decorating for the dance, using the powers of imaginations to create the perfect atmosphere for the team after they win. Wednesday, the pressure is on as the freshman class hurry to finish their float, this is new to us, as we place pomps in the wire and wish we weren’t so naive as to what we are doing. Thursday, the day of coronation, is at hand before we know it, while stacks of homework never end, fortunately lunch is just around the bend. There are votes to tally, but the homecoming committees can hear the voices of success call them as the coronation ceremony begins. As the queen candidates whisper words of wisdom to the young crown bearers, the announcer begins the presentation of the royal court. We gather around the bonfire, seniors and freshmen alike, to watch as the fire teases the Toulon dummy with brilliant splashes of flame. No one knows what will come of the game tomorrow, but we are all ready. I go home, ignore my homework it’s a bore, by the end of the night my feet are sore. Finally quiet peace, and an emotional release. It’s Friday morning, and I’m early to school, but I drop my books and get an hour detention, for saying something I’d rather not mention. The football team is ready to go, after a vigorous work out with Lary Daniels. It’s time for the game, I’m ready, dressed in my flashy new band uniform. This is all so new to me. We march out onto the field into the midst of confusion of crossed wires. We win the game, the players are happy, and the dance is a success, but we have to leave early tomorrow for the band contest and the long journey to Champaign. Remembering the fun and the laughter of this week I go to sleep, knowing that I will keep this memory always. High school days are precious, but brief; the days are not measured in hours and minutes, but in smiles, laughter, and tears. — Tonya Laubach 6 Great Moments

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r v Having The Best Of Times As teenagers, we often heard the phrase, “This is the best time of your life, enjoy it while you can!” After deciding to take this advice, we “lived it up”. We cruised Henderson and Main Streets in Galesburg ... won our Homecoming game ... traveled to Chicago ... spiked volleyballs ... dressed up like farmers ... tackled our competition ... went to movies ... won the color guard state championship ... played bingo ... devoured watermelon after the football scrimmage ... hung out at the mall ... played volleyball and badminton during our lunch hours ... changed the clocks on our teachers ... marched down the hall playing the fight song ... hung out at McDonalds ... collected money for charities ... won music contests and festivals ... wore our clothes backward ... went to rock concerts ... slammed basketballs ... marched on the football field with masks on the Friday before Halloween ... pigged out on ice cream ... played tricks on our substitute teachers ... were psyched up by Larry Daniels ... went bowling ... performed in the play ... had bubblegum blowing contest contests ... cheered you teams to victory ... celebrated at sockhops ... had tricycle races ... performed at half-times and received standing ovations ... won the Orion Tourney ... went to parties ... outpaced our rivals ... were successful in scholastic contests ... won the Lincoln Trail Conference Championship in basketball ... danced poolside ... placed second in the Avon Relays ... sold pizzas, magazines, spices, calendars, fruits, rat bait, trees, candy, a picture, donuts, R.O.V.A. Tiger Stickers, and T-shirts ... beat Alwood in boys basketball there by twenty-nine points. Yet at the same time we received an education from teachers who sincerely care about us and do their best to prepare us for life. We set goals, and we accomplished them. We involved ourselves in various activities, musical, athletic, and scholastic. We set new records. But most of all, we upheld (if not further uplifted) the traditional, highly respectable reputation that R.O.V.A. maintains — we are a school to be reckoned with in all areas of competition. We laughed together. We cried together. We left our mark. We had the best of times. While Beth and Diane “serve their sentences” at R.O.V.A. High, every once in a while they go “stir crazy.” “Here’s looking at us!” — Carolyn and Randy, two students who always seem to know how to have a good time. 8 Best Of Times