St Teresas Academy - Avila Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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Top Center: Seniors, Kristin Bellerose, Kella Didonna, and Traci Da- vis demonstrate class unity. Bottom center: Freshman Peggy Lillis finds it easy to discuss school and life with Mr. Robert Cox. Left: Senior. Jennifer White shows that she's learned the essence of studying dur- ing unscheduled mods. Above: Freshman Alicia Young has found that high school isn't nearly as bad as she thought it would be. 9

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Right: Senior. Lisa Boyd seems to con- centrate heavily on something. Most people quickly find that con- centration is vital in maintaining homework and extracurricular ac- tivities. mmam Every year thousands of young eighth graders are awakened to the fact that high school is just around the corner. They are cascaded with the millions of horror stories about entering secondary school. Most de- velop intense paranoias as a result. They have a strangely terrible fear of big, square buildings, or teachers that wear the bifocals with the thick, black rims-, offices begin to look like large, empty prison cells with white walls and bars on the windows. You can go in, but you can’t come out!” Then, there is that annoying fear of bathrooms where there may be a group of girls waiting to corner you. You probably wore their trademark brand of lipstick or looked — yes, looked — at one of their boy- friends! Finally, everywhere you look there are Algebra books, millions of Al- gebra books in that real funny green color that psychologists say dulls your senses so you won’t be encouraged to be hyper during class. You may think these stories are unrealistic, but some stories are even worse. Some refer to high school as the most painful and difficult time of your life. It’s no wonder that it’s painful and difficult — people are stuffed with so many stories that they’re always wait- ing for the extraordinary to happen. It rarely takes place. Often times the greatest scare that a high school fresh- man has is adjusting to the fact that homework isn’t a one-night event. St. Teresa’s students have many expecta- tions coming into their first year. Freshman, Chantil Dean says, ”1 expect to make good grades and be or try to be involved in activities.” Senior, Lisa Gib- lin adds, ”1 expected to keep all my same friends, but sure enough, during lunch there were forty of us at one ta- ble. I thought I’d try out for a sports team since I was good in grade school. I barely made it. My fears got worse and I worried more. I never knew you had so much to do in so little time.” There probably isn't one eighth grad- er that wouldn't love some advice on their first day. Seniors, usually, will give it. Senior, Andrea Monroe offers this suggestion, ”1 would advise a per- son to stay open-minded because so many freshmen leave their first year because it’s such a big transition from being at the top and running the school to the bottom, and being run by the school.” High school is a BIG DEAL! It shouldn’t be taken lightly either. And the stories — well, they're only to frighten you and shake you up a little so that you’ll be wide awake on your first day. So, when you hear them, don’t de- spair. Keep your head up and walk tall. If that doesn’t work, cover the green Algebra book, don’t wear lipstick, and go to an all-girls school. 8

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Three to six p.m. These hours span a time when neither mind nor body are yet well enough to tackle school related perplexities. The practice most frequently em- ployed by students to kill these grueling hours of admitted waste was captured in one word by Sophomore Erin Gunter: EAT!” A random survey showed that eating is the most popular pastime for after school hours. Junior Tashia Kline had a more refined way of putting it: I eat a bowl of Cap'n Crunch and watch Oprah Winfrey. The option that came in a close second in the informal survey was sleeping. Ju- nior Lisa Simpello gave a blatant look of disgust when she discovered that people could do anything but sleep during these blissful hours. Several people agreed with Susan McCalla who said: Who’s got time to waste — I go home and do homework!” Susan’s response is typical of juniors. The stress of juggling Latin III, Honors Algebra II, Humanities and Honors Chemistry is frequently overlooked. Kate Koenig’s response opens other doors: After school I sometimes go to work, though I often go to Westport.” AHHH Westport. The Greenwich Village of Kansas City. This is the territory of the truly Kul”, where every once in a great while they can be seen in a rare exposure to daylight. Individual expres- sion is flaunted and absorbed by all the senses here. With stores like Asiatica Ltd. and Off Broadway, a theater like the Tivoli, and good eats to be found at Mar- io’s, Torre’s or Murray’s, cultural hori- zons expand by leaps and bounds. We must not forget the ever popular invention of Mr. Alexander Graham Bell — yes, the telephone. Eileen Fern sums up the whole idea, I talk on the phone — the whole time — I’m serious!” These sentiments are shared by Junior Kate Sargent and Senior Jennifer Langle as well. How many times have you received a phone call from your best friend just when you actually were making an effort to do something productive? And so it goes — your best effort at passing your algebra exam flys right out the window. The possibilities for killing time are as diverse as our student body. A combina- tion of mental and physical activity is suggested by Annette Maggard. After school I participate in T.V. game shows. You know — yell the answers to the id- iots on Jeopardy. Oh — this is done while consuming the entire contents of our well stocked refrigerator.” From three to six p.m. students seem to be trapped in a twilight zone of inde- cision. They are torn between the desire to do everything and the desire to do nothing at all. The tension of these hours and the toll they take on students are best illustrated by the words of Senior Laura Lyon. Believe it or not, I make lists — lists of what to do and then lists to list what order to do those in. Nothing gets done, it’s all for posterity. After that I babble — to anyone — about anything — even to my mother — am I babbling?”