Thornridge High School - Piper Yearbook (Dolton, IL)

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While at a pep assembly, students A enjoy the time to get rowdie with- out getting in trouble. 168 People we f 'N

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La te start - strong finish The first Varsity Club meeting might not have been held until late in Plo- vember, but some mem- bers had been meeting everyday in the newly-orga- nized Varsity Club home- room. ln its first year, there were 16 members that joined the special home- room. Members of the club were asked to sign up to work on one of a wide range of com- mittees. One such commit- tee, the Salato, Commons Committee, was set up to devise a plan to bring the trophies from the West lob- by into the Salato Com- mons. We wanted every- one to see all the trophies, so we moved them to the most active area of the school, commented Julie O'l'leill, vice president. Another committee was the Rope Holding Commit- tee. Members attended ev- ery home basketball game: ropes were held during pre- game, half time, and post- game. During the Regional Basketball Tournament, not only did Varsity Club hold ropes, but it also spon- sored a concession stand to eam money. Club activities included a volleyball toumament, an Easter trip, and the annual picnic. When we asked the members what type of tour- nament that they wanted to have, they decided to play volleyball. We wanted to pick a sport in which both the guys and the girls could compete: by the number of people that participated in the toumament, we think that we found the right sport, stated Linda Ga- sperec, treasurer. As a result of its late start, the Varsity Club did not at- tend its annual Christmas trip to benefit underprivi- leged children. To allow time to set up plans for the trip, it waspostponed until Easter. A late start may have marked the beginning of club activities: however, a strong finish marked the ending of them. Top: Vice president Julie O'l'leill discusses plans for the Salato Commons as secretary T arshwa Cooper records the club's interest in it. Middle: Larry Callahan and Debbie Gordon relax during homeroom period which for Varsity Club was held in Salato Commons. Left: Mr. Ron Bonfiglio, sponsor, Tim Zackavec, president, Julie O'l'leill, and Linda Gasparec have an ofiicers' meeting to talk about the upcoming varsity plans. Varsity Club 167

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si at - ple gg if his ' Q5 -X Mixture of people creates balance School opened to 2l25 students, and whether a freshman or a senior, all were part of the people of Thomridge. But who were these people? Where did they attend school before here? Where did they live? Having a mixture of races was a part of nonnal every- day life. Of the student body, 50 percent were Cau- casion, 45 percent were Black, and 5 percent were Hispanic. A multiracial school provided students with the opportunity to ad- just to differences that they would face later, said Dr. Steve Humphrey, assistant principal. 'llt communicat- ed the idea that we were all in this together regardless of race or cultural back- ground. Thornridge had many feeder schools, but the schools that had the lar- gest number of graduates attending were Dirksen, St. Jude, Mcliinley, Lincoln, St. Mary's, St. John's, and Brooks. l never realized exactly how many different schools people came from until l looked around and saw so many unfamiliar faces, said Jake Living- stone, freshman. Serving seven communi- ties, the school break-down of students attending was from Dolton 4l percent, Har- vey 50 percent, South Hol- land ll percent, Phoenix 9 percent, Bumham 4 per- cent, Calumet City 2 per- cent, and Markham 2 per- cent. 'Sometimes having friends from school could be a leaming experience due to the fact that people came from so many differ- ent areas, said Michelle Broski, senior. Students made up a ma- jor part of the school: how- ever, teachers, administra- tors, maintenance crews, cafeteria staff, secretaries, and the school board mem- bers completed the balance of school life when taking a closer look. People 169