Upper Arlington High School - Norwester Yearbook (Upper Arlington, OH)

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A unique play in many respects. A R Gurney Jr.'s The Dining Room presented a challenge to director Dave Hammond. cast, and crew. The structure of this contemporary play differed from typical stage productions In stead of a continuing storyline, it had many non-related scenes Yet each scene shared a common goal to portray everyday life in a dining room The events varied from mature adults disputing over furniture to young children celebrating a birthday. In one scene, a housewife named Peggy (Lauren Gurosko) threw a birthday party for her daughter (Amy Thatcher) Ted (Chris Ritter) dropped by. and the audience soon learned they were lovers. Trying to be discreet, the pair discussed their 3 llllllll III! relationship and the complica tions their respective spouses posed. In another scene Andrea Simakis evoked laughter as the forgetful grandmother who would not rest until she went home Even though she sat in her own dining room surrounded by her children (Amy Thatcher. Lauren Gurosko, Chris Ritter. Sam Newman, and Steve Mayer), the grandmother did not recognize any familiar objects As she fumbled for the door, it became evident that her character symbolized the sadness endured when old age overcomes a person. The play included many other scenes which had comic effects with serious undertones The theme of ordinary occurrences enveloped each scene The audiences had nothing but praise for the production. As always, the kids did a great job, said Mrs Jcanine Vaughn. I really liked the play's theme because a relative recently died, and I inherited the dining room table Veteran actress Andrea Simakis (this was her fifth pro duction) commented that the play went very smoothly, without the usual little mishaps. The extreme changes of character served as Molly Kornackcr's major obstacle “Waiting backstage for my cue made it even more nerve-wracking. Lauren Gurosko noted that the play was one of symbolism and change I think society has become less apprehensive about the subject matter portrayed on the stage. she said.

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The din.ng room table need sor| repair, and carpenter Chris Ritter kne down to show homeowner Molly K nacker where the damage bee. While housewife Lauren Gurosko and her guest Chris Ritter discreetly carry on their love affair in the background. Steve Mayer and Andrea Simakis act like typical five year-olds at a birthday party c-)4 I fV A. V' During Thanksgiving dinner, brothers Sam Newman, Steve Mayer, and Chris Ritter sing .s hearty rendition ol the song Aura Lee” in an attempt to retrieve their aging mother' tailing memory In »•' y In this scene, Amy Thatcher plays hostess to her husband and his best triend. with whom she t secretly having an allait

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UPDATE Wave of new regulations aimed at excellence This stinks' That comment as well as questions like How will this affect me7 and Why is this being done? resounded in response to a flood of new rules and regulations at the high school. A wave of change brought on a whirlpool of transition for both students and faculty The Ohio State Board of Education enforced the 182-day school year In accordance with the mandate, seniors did not graduate before the end of the regular term Also, students re mained at school on exam days rather than leaving between exams Schools not complying were threatened with the loss of state funding The Upper Arlington Board of Education instituted a minimum GPA of 2.0 for athletes and members of co-curncular and extracurricular activities Any student not meeting the require ment each grading period faced non-participation until a 2.0 was attained The regulation, however. allowed for the right of appeal So far. there has been community support. said Mrs Mary Ann Krauss. member of the school board. Sophomore Sherry Li stated. It's a good idea because academics come first Dr Ralph Johnson accepted the position of principal following last year's retirement of Mr David Shelby Dr Johnson felt that the high academic standards at the high school still called for improvement The introduction of honors and advanced placement courses as well as a zero period led to a stronger curriculum I'm very excited about the honors and AP courses I hope that a full complement can be added next year, commented Dr Johnson Concentration during lunch hour classes improved when teachers started patrolling the halls Complaints about hall noise prompted the patrol Teachers gave time in addition to regular duties to keep the noise down Also, some entrance doors were locked to prevent unnecessary hall traffic Excessive tardiness caused the implementation of stringent rules and punishment Three tardies resulted tn two lunch deten tions. whereas four resulted in two lunch detentions A fifth tardy led to in-school-suspension or the newly initiated Saturday School From 8 a m. to 12 p m Saturday students studied and cleaned up the school's image as well They picked up trash around the building and near Lane Avenue Saturday School constituted a more constructive time for the students than did ISS. said Mr William Pfeil, attendance director ISS was slowly being phased out As Saturday School students eliminated trash on the outside of the building, the restricted use of vending machines lessened the amount of debris littering the interior New rules solved the parking lot dilemma also Numbered parking spaces ensured a spot for each member of the faculty Student cars discovered in the faculty lot were towed at the owner's expense. And so the question What's new?” issued many responses after all the alterations in school policy took effect. The wave of change restructured the shape of things then and the shape of things to come Though sometimes misunderstood, the changes increased the potential within the students and faculty All the changes have been aimed at enhancing UAHS. emphasized Dr Johnson It’s a commitment to excellence