South Dearborn High School - Knight Life Yearbook (Aurora, IN)

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WHEELING THEIR WAY TO SUCCESS Pam McLaughlin, Ken Grieve, and Kar- lita Meyer were among the 1983 graduates. However these three students were very special to the faculty and the entire student body; they were in wheelchairs. Pam McLaughlin was a business major. She was enrolled in a large variety of busi- ness courses which included typing, short- hand, business management, and a few' oth- ers. She was also involved in the writing and publication of the school paper, the Knight Times. Pam said the hardest thing she had to adapt to w as the dependence on others, hav- ing to be pushed to her classes, and to be assisted in any way that she needed. M iss McLaughlin stated that the only differences that she noticed in the student body and faculty were the slight differences in behavior. She noticed that some people wouldn't even talk to her, like they were afraid of her for some reason. And then there were those who treated her like every- one else. As she said, “they treat me like I belong. Just like any other teenager, Pam has her driver's license and she goes out on the weekends with her friends. Pam is one of those people who is really out going and courageous. During her junior year of high school she attended the 1981 -82 junior-sen- ior prom with Kenny Grieve. During the course of the interview Pam mentioned the fact that she was going to wheel herself up the ramp to receive her diploma. She seemed to be determined to do this, and she did! After graduation Pam is planning to attend Wright State Universi- ty. She is going to live on campus, away from home and her family, and she is going to major in Business Education. Pam looks at life as being “SUPER!” Kenny Grieve Jr. is also one of those out- standing people. He knows exactly what he wants and he knows how to get it. Through the course of his high school education he, too, majored in business edu- cation. He was also deeply involved in agri- culture. 1 le w as in FFA club (Future Farm- ers of America), and was the Vice President for two years. Kenny also liked working on mathematical problems, and had a major in Math. The biggest fear Kenny had when he started high school, was the fear of making friends. He quoted, “I was afraid I wouldn't get along with everyone.” But he hasn't had any trouble at all making friends. Kenny has more friends than anyone could ever dream of having. Kenny attended the 1981-82 junior-sen- ior prom with Pam McLaughlin, and they received a standing ovation for their cour- age and will power. Mr. Grieve is unable to drive but he does go out and go to parties with his friends. After graduating he plans to attend Wright State University, where he will study Business Education. Kenny says “the faculty and student body here at S.D.H.S. are just great!” Karlita Meyer was a mid-term graduate. During high school she majored in Home Economics, in w hich she took cooking, sew- ing, and she studied family behavior, and more. Karlita, however, is more fortunate than other handicapped teenagers. She does have the use of her legs. She can only walk for a short while, though, and then she has to go back to the wheelchair. During the four years of high school she had three op- erations. She had hip replacements, an oth- orscope on the knee, and knee replace- ments. When she was unable to come to school the telephone company installed lit- tle boxes that would be used as an intercom so Karlita could attend her classes without physically being there. Miss Meyers goes out on weekends with her friends and she is also involved in the United Methodist Youth Fellowship group at her church. After graduating she is going to attend the Versailles Vocational School to study floral design. Karlita says she is “treated like one of the gang!” Never in the history of South Dearborn High School has there been a graduate in a wheelchair. That was one thing that made the year of 1983 so special. Not only did we have a large graduating class but we had three spe- cial students graduating too. 12

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Everyone’s Fair Farmer’s Fair is one of the main events of the year in the eyes of Dearborn County. The most popular part of the Farmer’s Fair is the parade. This parade gives the local high schools a chance to show off their bands and organizations, the bands with their music and marching and the organi- zations with their fine looking floats that they have built on their own time. The king and queen contest is also a major attraction. This year our contestants, Allen Good and Chris Miller did not win but they made South Dearborn very proud with their pre- sentations. 11

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ABOVE LEFT: Kenny pays close attention to his teacher while learning Business Management. ABOVE RIGHT: Pam works careful- ly to get the column totals in her journal to equal in Ac- counting class. FAR LEFT: Karlita tries to make every stitch count while she's in textiles and clothing. 13