Thomas Carr Howe Community High School - Hilltopper Yearbook (Indianapolis, IN)

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Another view Richard McKinstry In my. four years as a student and athlete of Howe High School, I have found but one real problem. It is a problem of lack of communication between black and white students. I feel it ' s more or less a lack of an attempt between black and white students to communicate. It is a very persistent prob- lem and I think it could and should be re- solved. The only way I see possible to resolve such a problem is for the students to try to understand the problems and social back- grounds of one another. This can ' t be done by constantly issuing derogatory remarks about each other. While entering a store near the school after getting out of a 1974 Chevy Caprice, I heard a girl say, Where ' d you niggers get the money to afford a car like that? That ' s only one side of the coin, how- ever; there are two sides to every coin. I ' ve heard black students say everything from honkies think they should run everything to honkies stink when they get wet. These and other minute feelings lead to this racial gap- Personally I ' m very disappointed in my social relationship with the white students here at school. 1 have very few friends I can really sit down and talk to. Usually it ' s noth- ing more than a hi or a bye between us. I would like for things to be different but it seems to be a lack of interest both ways. f The problem is not only one-to-one either. You come to a basketball game and ail or most of the white fans sit together and vice versa. The cafeteria is a classic example of group separation. The majority of the blacks sit on one side and the majority of the whites on the other. You never see mixed groups hanging together. It ' s either all blacks or all whites. Instead of looking at each other as equals, both races are guilty of considering them- selves superior to the other. Physically and mentally we all are equals or we are all capa- ble of being equal. Blacks have the tendency to shy away from the more meaningful classes for less important ones, while the whites often do the opposite. There are so many minute differences that it ' s difficult to put even a few down on paper. Take the dress code for instance. The blacks are dressing in what slang calls the Funky way. The whites are somewhat more conservative. You might see a black guy in jeans with a pair of Florsheim shoes, a shirt with a tie, and a suit jacket with the collar turned up over his ears. Don ' t forget his brim (hat). A white guy, on the other hand, might have on an expensive three- piece suit with a pair of earth shoes. It is really weird to see such a great difference in the way students dress. Even with all these differences Howe still does not have a bad reputation as far as riots and racial disputes are concerned. We do, however, often have small skirmish - . Hon often can you expect to walk through tin- halls with as many students as Howe Iia without bumping into someone at leait on • ' . ' Not very many. It ' s oka) if the person you bump is a member of your own race, but you can ' t do that if the person is of the op- posite race. I ' ve seen three fights arise dimply because a black and white student bumped into each other and instead of saving excuse me, one or the other has said. Don ' t touch me anymore you . One would think that busing would have helped this situation a little bit. After all. students are mixed with those of a different race and are taught under the same situation. That ' s the most common reason I hear for the separation. Kids hang out with their friends in and out of school. Most kids live in neighborhoods which are flatly not mixed. It ' s either all black or all white. I would agree with this in elementary schools with elementary students. High school. I feel, is totally different. These are the y ears w hen a student has to learn to deal with people of all races or origins. Howe is a great school with good students. It has dealt with main problems and has come out on top. I ' m confident that someday this will no longer be a problem here. It ' s going to take time, but all good things take time. I do want to say one thing though. Time is everyone ' s enemy. V K nd of the Rido-11

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LEFT: The southern hell Kvie (Sherri Wood) -weet talks Jay (Mark Zander), the town- new lound vaudeville talent star. BOTTOM LEFT: One of the plav- more -eriou- scenes occur when Steve Spicklemire, as a widowed father of teenage children, tries to convince widow Jean Hilton that he would make the best lather lor her children. BELOW: The cast worked especially hard to put together the scene where Butch and Mildred ex- plain to their father how they accidentally blew up the furnace. Senior play worth it despite problems Plans lor the senior play began early last chance to lie on stage. Others saw it as a spring, when a group of juniors working chance to do something their -enior ear that with Director llarielte Baker chose Come would be remembered. Over to Our House. It was hoped that the Main hours were -pent practicing alter large cast would increase ticket sales and the school in the weeks preceding the play. It plot would have a wide audience appeal. ' It was almost cancelled dwe to attendance pro- tas something tor everyone, explained cast blems at rehearsals. In the end. a single per- nember Kim Freeh. formance wa.- given tor an audience oi less About 25 seniors worked either on stage than 2. 0. as it worth it: Definitely . said or behind the scenes to make the plaj a sue- Sherri ood. 1 he audience w a great and cess. The) participated for a variet) of rea- the fun we had giving it made it .ill worth sons. For many, like Jill Denhani. it was a while. Come Over to Our House — 13