Valparaiso High School - Valenian Yearbook (Valparaiso, IN)

Page 18 text:

hemistry labs, Spanish dialogues, and English reports claimed posses- sion of students’ minds from 8 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Monday through Fri- day. Although teachers struggled to present such topics in an interesting fashion, they did not always stimulate production. Instead, the students turned their backs on the academic world to face the social political scene. While the 18-year-olds were not permitted to legally drink in Indiana, they could vote in the ’72 presidential election. For the first time, 18-year-olds cast ballots November 7 for either the incumbent Richard Nixon or his South Da- kota opponent, George McGovern. Events prior to, and directly after, Richard Nixon’s election shook the nation and the VHS students as well. Only weeks before election day, the Nixon administration spread rumors of a n end to the Viet Nam war. The actual cease fire came in December. Weary approvals of an act long overdue replaced ticker tape pa- rades of demonstrations. Although Nam was 8000 miles away, the senior boy with indefinite future plans feit some relief with its termination. The POW became more than a sta- tistic counted on the 6:00 news. For many, Capt. Anthony, 10 17 67, or Capt. James Shively, 5 5 67, were only two of 570 POW’s, students wished to see return. Enthused students checked lists of U.S. bound servicemen daily to see if ‘‘their’’ POW had returned home yet. When he finally did, students joined the nation in welcoming back the war’s only hero. Inflation entered the student’s vo- cabulary via his wallet. Skyrocketing meat prices caused steak to vanish from the family menu and chicken to appear. Even ham- burger went through the meat grinder. Mc- Donald’s and Burger King were faced with raising prices or reducing quantities. An energy crisis hit in the spring of ’73. As last-of-the-big-time-spenders, students were fi- nally justified in ordering 50 cents of regular at Lightcap’s. Social influences came in unisex fashion. To parents’ delight, jeans were left standing against the wall at home, while baggies, and body shirts took to the halls. Whether in a social, emotional, or physical sense, the VHS student has changed; dramat- ically. The evolution, beginning in the fall of 1872, is an non-stop process. 1973, its cen- tennial year, provided students with a chance to view where they had gone in the past 100 I years and where they would go in the next 100 years of evolution; it’s been a long time coming. Pages 10-14 written by Janet Bochnicka —