Valparaiso High School - Valenian Yearbook (Valparaiso, IN)

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18 1. Cleaning up over $250,000 worth of damage meant hours of extra work for the janitorial staff. 2. An unknown graffitist sums up his opinion of the aftermath. 3. Following the blaze of January 6th, Carla Siddall wipes soot from her books. 4. Protected by a leather-bound grade book, Mrs. Katherine Clark’s literature text is ironically open to Jack London ' s To Build a Fire. 5. Amid the smoldering debris, a local fireman searches for evidence of arson. 6. Firefighters braved fierce heat and smoke in a desperate attempt to keep flames from spreading. - Feature

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Disco down and check out the show John Travolta, with his lithe and limber physique, popularized “Saturday Night Fever,” the story of a disco dancer. VHS’ South Balcony may not resemble a New York City discotheque, and the dancers probably aren ' t good enough to audition for the “Radio City Rockettes,” but then, a Friday night sockhop was never meant to be a professional production. Post-game sockhops have become a painless, popular way to relieve the “nothing-to-do blues. Students fill the dance floor week after week to celebrate victories or make defeats a little easier to bear. Other factors that contribute to the popularity of the club-sponsored events are that they are inexpensive and don ' t require a full tank of gas. Student Council put out a patent” on the disco. These dances come complete with disc jockies and light shows. Other clubs pulled in funds with the use of the ever-popular live band. Although it can be fun to get dressed up in long gowns and fancy suits for formal dances, the “come as you are” policy of the after-game discos and sockhops has firmly established them as a great form of casual entertainment. 4. To beat the heat of disco dancing, Pam Tucker and Ty Welch cool off at the drinking fountain. 5. VHS’ Tony Manero, Jeff Maciejewski and Kim Koch display their disco dancing expertise. Dlscos Sockhops — 17

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Soot, smoke, sabotage shocks VHS When we entered the building that Monday, we shook our heads and stared in disbelief. Thick, oily soot was everywhere. The hallways of VHS were darkly oppressive, and the stench of smoke was almost overpowering. We ' d all heard about the fire, which was set by an unknown arsonist on Friday, January 6. We knew it had gutted four English classrooms, but few of us were prepared for the extensive damage, estimated at over $250,000, that was evident throughout the school. Clad in old clothing at the request of Principal Garth Johnson, we hesitantly opened our lockers. Those of us who were lucky found soot- covered texts and folders. Those who were not so fortunate discovered books burned beyond recognition, scorched sweaters, and melted calculators. “Why would anyone do such a thing?” we wondered. “We had such a nice school!” After a few days, we became accustomed to seeing workmen in every hallway. We grew used to walking around scaffolds and stacks of new ceiling tiles. We even learned to ignore the smell of smoke. There are times when we can almost forget the destruction which took place that January evening, but in the North hallway a plywood barricade proclaiming, “KEEP OUT! forces us to remember. Feature — 19