Shady Side Academy - Academian Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

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X xl' i Q! 4.1, .f Z Ziff ALL IN SMILESV Chris Luth, Josephine Ca- minos, and Catherine Clifford talk in the Pit as Nancie Brand laughs with a friend on the side. Socialization was the main activity in the underform hang-out. QOMPETING AGAINST HERSELF. Rebecca Ching plays a game of Solitaire at the Win- dow. P 1 , , , , , .......,,........,.,. M ' Y .-e , x-...V ,M ..,7 . j','.fQ,' 'f ,g j, .3 new Z fed PUTTING HIS FEET UP and making llimS6If comfortable, Da vid Barron studies intently in the Posner Room. Many students found that the library was a refuge for those seeking peace and quiet during their free time. H ang-outs I

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The pressures of classes keep building during the day until . . . Hnally, a precious free period! You 've got to get away from work, go socialize with your friends, hang out for a while . .-If mill' ffl I if TUNING OUT THE WORLD, Joel Brennan stretches out by his locker in the Tuck Shop Area. When all else failed, a student could always relax by his locker instead of in designated lounge areas. Q Uyljgg- R , f 1 K I 'gg ' . y- Iiywg 3' g165l1f'ilf'fllXlff'rlri9,rt r 3 , A .I I p A X g gqpvflli. rf' , gg.. ,I . ' r, rr CA You Go? , j , ' hen I raentered the Acad. atrocities. when asked what is special 'Qi emy's infamous Pit I In was sickened by the I gi sights, noises and smells ', of this preferred under- class hang-out. The car- pet on the seats had grown more tat- tered, and the THINGS on the wall, which had been green and sticky during my own underclass days, had hardened. My first instinct was to turn and run. However, I was on assignment. Each of SSA's hang-outs, including the Pit, has its own character or flavor which I in- tended to discover. In order to capture the essence of each hang-out, I went directly to the stu- dents who inhabit each area. My chief questions were What makes this hang- out special? and What goes on daily in this hang-out? The responses ranged from serious to comic. To my surprise, the inhabitants of the Pit took pride in the same aspects of their lounge that I considered minor Q Hang-outs 0 about the Pit, they eagerly produced a variety of responses. lt's the dirtiest place around, stated Pitmonger Brook Swinston. The carpeting, definitely the painting on the walls, quipped another fourth former. The violent nature of the deviant children who lounge in the Pit, claimed another. Chris Martha agreed: lt's the people that make the Pit. Despite an abundance of character, the Pit suffers from a lack of activity. The Pit used to be home to games of 4- square, but that tradition has died out. Now, explained one sophomore, aside from an occasional brawl be- tween the freshmen and sophomores, the Pit is extremely low-key, Some Pit residents were less enthusi- astic about their hang-out. I think it's the worst texpletive deletedl room, said sophomore Steve Begg. This place is disgusting, said another sophomore. Having completed my investigation of the Pit, I knew that I personally would not be back . . . ever. Many students, upon becoming up- perclassmen, graduate from the Pit to Rowe Common. Entering Rowe was a relief after the chaos of the Pit. The up- perclassmen who reside in Rowe are tamer, more mature than the Pit people so they tended to respond with more re- fined, sophisticated comments. What's special?. . . the chicks, offered fifth for- mer Wade Bowden. Jose Juves in- formed me, lt's a very sensual atmo- sphere. Many upperformers expressed approval of the intimate nature of Rowe. Everybody knows your name, said Wendy Fruehauf. lt's like a family, ex- plained another junior. Although the pencils in the ceiling tiles attest that Rowe is not entirely civil- ized, most upperformers seemed happy to be above the fray of the Pit. You can get diseases in the Pit, confided one senior. When asked what is special about Rowe, one upperformer chimed Icontinued on page 142

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liukwilhi 4' I cAN You Go? the absence of underclassmenf' Rowe and the Pit are by far not the only hang-outs at the Academy. Another well established area is the Window, As Craig Bailey explains, the Window is special because it gets you away from the pressures of Rowe and the Pit. Joel Brennan said, There are less people here, so it's easier to make better friends. The Window area inhabitants have their own way of amusing themselves during the day. One way is by writing on the Window chalkboard in response to a specific question. Recent topics have ranged from Death is. . . and Love is ... to Why I like the Dean so much . . . Brennan explains that fun times at the Window are often interrupted by vis- its from faculty members who are dis- turbed by the noise that drifts down the SC hall. Still the spirit of the Window area and its residents remains intact. Several new hang-outs sprouted up this year. One of the most exciting of these is the Nut Hut, a small former storage room across from the lab. When asked about its origins, Chip Mosle ex- plained that he and Jeremy Feinstein were ejected from the Writing Center at mid-year and decided that the Nut Hut would make a fine hang-out. When asked what is special about this hut, Chip gestured towards the tape recorder permanently affixed to the footlockers by a bicycle chain. We are the only room with its own built in stereo sys- tem. When asked what goes on in the Nut Hut, Mosle smiled. No comment. When the doors close, nobody knows. What type of person hangs out in the Nut Hut? I asked. A superior one, exclaimed Chip. Geek, nerd mused Jay French. Chip, said junior Mindy Abrams. CHECKMATE is on the minds of Steve Begg and Chris Martha as they engage in an in- tense game of chess while reclining in the Pit. Students proved time after time that school did not have to be all work and no play. Hang-outs Continued As I stepped out of the Nut Hut I im- mediately encountered another popular hang-out, the lockers. There were people in various positions lined next to their lockers. Some appeared in a semi-coma- tose state prone on the floor while others were gathered together in tightly packed circles. While the hall floor which under- goes the daily punishment of muddy shoes, spitballs, and candy wrappers, may not seem to be the cleanest place to be, the locker people feel that it adds to the charm of this venue. One locker per- son explained that it was a statement symbolizing their freedom to hang-out wherever they wanted whether it be in the middle of the hall or in the darkly lit corners of the locker area. When asked what was special about this area one junior said, I don't have to fight for a place to sit. lt's a jungle up there tRoweJ. Another student explained that the lockers weren't for everybody. lt gets wild between periods when all you see are the oncoming rush of feet. l've been attacked by crazed L.L. Beans on more than one occasion! This of the lockers advised me to think very careful- ly before deciding to join their ranks. Right across the street is another local hang-out, the library. Llpon entering I was immediately enveloped in the unique atmosphere of this venue. One freshman listed its advantages as 'tlt's warm, it's quiet, and it has comfortable chairs you can sleep in. It seemed obvi- ous to me that library residents were a less rowdy and social group than the oc- cupants of the other hang-outs. Just as it drew a different type of per- son, so did it have a different source of amusement. Many found the primary at- traction to be bugging Mr. Jeffries. For those who wanted a tamer way to pass the time, there were always maga- zines and newspapers to comb through. At many of the tables I observed groups of people doing their homework or talk- ing quietly among themselves. I left the library feeling very subdued and scholar- ly having found a place that ran at a totally different pace from the rest of the Academy. The least popular butloften necessary area for students to spend their free time is the Computer Center. It sees a rising popularity as the deadline for the Ll.S. paper draws near. Many of the occu- pants exchange stories and quipps on the Iateness of their English paper, and try to top each other on who is the worst procrastinator. There is always a steady flow of people made up of those who are genuinely interested in computers, and those who are forced to be there for a class. The Computer Center, out of all the places I have been to, is the most regulated and spartan. Under the eagle eyes of teachers Avery, Meyers, and Su- tula, noise is always kept at a low hum. Food and drink are prohibited since they place the expensive computers in jeop- ardy. The last time food was smuggled in, a seemingly innocuous potato chip breeched the defenses of an IBM com- puter. Repairmen had to be called in to do delicate surgery on this ailing instru- ment. The Computer Center is not a place for the undisciplined or the hungry. As one student describes it, the inhabitants are a breed apart. With the proposed space changes for next year, many other groups of stu- dents will be forced to form new hang- outs. Perhaps even unlikely places such as the math classrooms or the squash courts will serve as gathering spots. In any case, it is certain that SSA students will always, under any circumstances, hang-out.