Salpointe Catholic High School - Horizons Yearbook (Tucson, AZ)

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14 FEATURES CUSTEWS LAST STAND t unit have been a onda You wake up late. The only thing left for breakfast is Wheaties. Your car won't start, so you're late for your chemistry test. lt's only 8:45 a.m., but it's already obviously a Monday. After conducting a somewhat scienti- fic survey, we have come to the conclu- sion that, although the reasons vary, everybody hates Mondays. Luckily, we were able to locate several generous stu- dents who were more than willing to share their own traumatic Monday hor- ror stories. fRead at your own risky. You know it's a Monday when: lj You wake up in class with absolute- ly no idea how you got there. - Felicia Zamorano, '87. Il Getting mail is the highlight of your day. - David Smith, '87. E You can't find anything to wear. - Mary Sauer. '89. Cl The only thing that can wake you up in the morning is a freshman's neon shirt. - Vicki Yanez, '87. lil You come to school in your paja- mas without even realizing it. - Mi- chelle Crowell, '89. lil HYou put on one sock, then you put the other one on over the first, and then you spend half an hour looking for your other sock! - Lizz Jasiak. '87, Il l'The only thing happening at night is bingo. - Ray Skaggs. '87. But even if nobody likes Mondays, everybody loves a happy ending. So we'll end this story with a little positive advice: no matter how tough it gets, always remember that after every Mon- day a little Tuesday must fall, or, as Smith puts it, Tuesday is the rainbow after the fIood. 0 aw ' www, qgpwwmwft

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l l l l - l l l l l f l l el i A T l THE GREAT DEPRESSION l A A H. 7 7 H he thr at of teena e suicide Hello? ' . who attempt suicide do not succeed, talking to counselors, teachers, priests, Kathy?'lt's Susan. ' 8 A -3 butarather end up doing great bodily or coaches. But who would alpointe Hi, Sue. ls something the matter,-5 You harm to themselves. There are those students turn to if thinking ab ut com- sound upset. i A l A who have been confined to a wheelchair mitting suicide? According t a Sal- Yes, l . . . l swallowed some pills. for the rest of their lives because offan pointe poll: , Oh God, when? ' , attempted suicide. Those who do suc- t l can't remember . . . Kathy, will you ceed in killing themselves usually don't lil 56 percent would turn to a friend for please help me! l'm afraid. l understand the finality of death. help, , 7 Of course I'll help you. I love you. l'm Who, then, ' is the A true victims of- a lj 12 percent would discuss thrir prob. going to call 911, and then l'll belright suicide? Salpointe students split half- lems with a family member, a d there. a , way on the answer to the difficult ques- El surprisingly, 32 percent of poll re- Although the lcharacters in this dia- tion. Conner Childers, '87, feltithat the spondents would keep their eeling to logue are fictional, similar situations oc- cur rnore often thanamost people would care to believe. lSuicide'has.,become a major issue in lthe 'worldf todayl. and ranks second arnong the causes of ado- lescent death. l a Salpointe poll stu- dents unanimougly decided that silicide is never a reasonable answer to thelpres- sures that teens face. As one freshman offered, Problems and stress can al- ways be, worked out. Yet an attenript at suicide is made 70 times each day iln the United States. a . Why has suicide become such a 'com- monl response to problems in today's society? The reasons are many. During the teenage years, emotions are rvery interise and tiny traumas can reall t add up to a lot of stress for the individ5i.ial, explained Vickyl Stromell, director of Tucson's Suicide Hotline. Such prob- lems may include a rough family life, the pressure of schoolwork, the recent loss of aloved one, orluncertainty about the future. 1 For someone contemplating suihide, the rationalizatioh seems simple. lEnd- ing the life equals ending the probliems. A suicidal person believes that his or her death will make others feel how much suffering lie or she went thr ugh while alive. What they fail to realize, however, is that,l as one junior pointed out, f'Ending your life does not end the person who takes his own life loses the most,.because 'fthere isso much that is unseen,'untouched,jand unexperienced by adolescents. .A sophomore agreed, and stated that suicide depriveslthe person of thezmany wonderful things life has to offer. The other half ofthe respondents felt -that those left behind had the ,biggest burden to carry, and pointed out that conflicting emotions continue to torment 'fsurvivors for months. Family andfriendslexperience not only deepesadness when 'someone they love kills themselves, but also an enormous sense of guilt. Expressing her feelingson the loss of a friend, Kris- ten Andersonf '88, said, ' lt hurts . enoughftomakelme ,wantwto forget,butl 4 loved her7s'o much'that'l-can't. S. ' A great number offstudents feltfthat, as a community, Salpointe should form is some type of suicide prevention pro- gram. John Kinerk, '87, suggestedthat a hotline or counseling center is need- ed which teens could trust. They need a good. first- stepiin helping themselves realize that they are .worth somethingfr' Other Salpointe students. agreed that there 'should be at place where students could go sandy share emotions and thoughts with their peers-in a casual, confidential atmosphere. One such pro- gramihad begun in Tucsonfin co-opera- tion with'the!Suicide Hotline. Special.. f themselves. A Because so many students would not express their feelings, it is vital that friends and family pick up on the warn- ing signs of a potentialf suici e. Said Kim Mills. '88, A person,has tohbe very sensitiveto a'friend's feelings. 1 t's nec- essary to watch for the slightest sign of depression, even when it rnay not seem like an actual 'warning sign'. Jl'he tip- l offs, to a possible' suicide att cludef 1 1 'El a change in eating lor' sleepir its L l lil using phrases such as yo even miss me when l'm gone. Ill giving away personal belongings, or mpt in- ng hab- won't e Greater. awareness of these 'warning signs was brought to Salpointe by the untimely death ofa Salpointe student in l February of 1986. Heather Trial o. '88, made theapoint that it's sad to think that-the actual death of a friend often the only thing that 'makes is most people realize the seriousness of la teenhge sui- cidef' r ln today's fast-paced society, with its constant advancement, it is easy to lose sight ofthe worth of the ind within it. But if more teens learn ividuals to com- municate with others, and more people SUICIDE 13 lives of those around you. They must listeners wereavailable if a teen wanted learn to recognize when a palason is pick up the pieces and go on. Some- to talk out problems with someone the 'reaching out, then maybe the tt reat of thing else they fail to realize is that most teen's,own age. Other options included teenage suicide could be ended! l I fa l , , l. , a adlfff'-44-L Della- eC5arvJ2 9-tok l t l TEENAGE l l

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MNH Taken by surprise, Diane Greenberg, '87, Bill Rundle, '89, Jenny Waer, '89, and Chris Ellis, '90, express dismay as Sr. Kathy Rother, S.C,, keeps up the tradition of the Monday pop quiz, Ellis discovers too late his clashing footwear, while Eric Zimmerman, '89, and Suzi lmes, '87, continue studying. hump-M... 2 M 1 Q I E L 3 is M. The Mondays Daze definitely gets hold of Brenden Griffin, '87, as he makes no attempt to stifle an overpowering yawn, Scott Mo- rales, '88, struggles valiantly as the contents of his locker fall victim to the force of grav- ity. MONDAYS 15