Valparaiso High School - Valenian Yearbook (Valparaiso, IN)

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ra | a L a t ' s been a long time coming. After six years of planning and construction, 2727 Campbell St. has come into being. As front doors opened September 5, feelings of apprehension and excitement entered wearing baggies, jeans, and T-shirts. Students piloted down endless hall- ways, steering past construction workers’ 2x4’s, saws, and whistles. By the end of each hourly journey, they had been barraged with new places, faces, and rules. MEMO TO ALL TEACHERS: 1. Each lunch hour” will be 25 minutes in length with students eating during the A, B, or C time slot. 2. To accomodate the volume of students, three lunch lines have been established. 3. The economy plate lunch offers to the stu- dent: one choice of meat, two vegetables, and one dessert or one choice of meat, one vege- table, or two desserts, plain or chocolate milk accompanying. For those who did not think “plate lunch , the smoking area proved a hall away. While last year’s smoking stu- dents were not permitted on the grounds, this year they were situated in the backyard. Yet, cigarette smoke drifted from areas other than its des- ignated place: with butts being found from bathroom floors to drinking foun- tains. While enticing the students to attend school was a problem, getting them there was another. The only entrance, Campbell St., choked with traffic five days a week; 37 weeks a year. Intermit- tent bad weather mixed with construc- tion was a perennial threat. Yet, stu- dents converged at 8 a.m. via motor cycles, bicycles, cars, and buses. Early morning arrivals became less painful after VHS added breakfast to the curriculum. Rolls, corn flakes, and strained orange juice became brain food. In consulation for remain- ing past 11:00 a.m., the cooks hosted students at an Italian Village. 4:00 p.m. bus drivers replaced irate parents in retrieving students from a pep club meeting, Hobbit practice, or Valenian. The administration continued to make life easier. The installation of a coke machine in the cafeteria handled before and after school traffic. The student commons became a busi- ness district for ticket sales, money collection, or girl watching. And, noise pollution lessened when the bell system became obsolete. Students bought their escape from the rou- tine day for 50 cents to $1.00. Those economy prices enabled them to hear the Indianapolis Symphony or to see George Graves digest a microphone. mison Tim Festa

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|| utting through the learning center I ft-J to B214, taking an “extensive” two- I story elevator ride, or toying with the | intercom replaced last year’s egging fl and Park St. drag racing. Yet, no one I bothered to think twice when such V | actions took place, since they affected only the doer. However, reaction grew as the offense wor- sened. When vandals dumped trash on the floor in several girls ' bathrooms, immediate comments were of disgust and frustration. Yet, girls proceeded to climb over the garbage en- route to washing their hands or combing their hair. Stealing library books from the learning center, mangling silverware, and slashing cush- ions marred the year. While the administration looked for ways to halt such acts, students themselves waged war on the vandals. Class officers held small group rap sessions to make students aware of what was going on in the school; good or bad. Students did more than rap; they achieved results. Officers collected more than enough money to pay for the damaged cushion. When cafeteria prices threatened to inflate, the amount of “sculptured sil- verware deflated. A drug bust opened wide the eyes of the administration to the presence of drugs at VHS. Three students were caught passing mescaline during school. Their immediate punishment was withdrawal. Farther reaching con- sequences included harassment by friends and relatives, a questionable future education and problems holding down jobs. Comments by fellow students varied. The act itself was insane. But, I do think the ad- ministration blew it by making the kids with- draw. A possible suspension would have helped them more,” Tim Rast — sophomore. “They have the right to an education, but they don’t have the right to hurt others. Maybe that’s the price they ' ll have to pay, Bev Struwin — junior. Students took more positive actions in areas where there was a definite need. Ecology club paper drives raised hundreds of dollars for organizations as well as individuals. Sophomore boys lost pounds and hours of sleep to gain $1275.37 for the fight against cancer. YARC members gave unselfishly of their time to pro- vide workshop members with special parties and dinners. Back to back, the positive outweighed the negative in sheer number and news coverage. When such acts did occur, students worked all the harder to erase the markings left on the new school. ■■■■