Valparaiso High School - Valenian Yearbook (Valparaiso, IN)

Page 23 text:

“Christmas on Stale Street,” provided dancing on “that groat street” for couples Todd VanKeppel, Susan Risk, Andrea Platt and Brian Terpstra. After signing the guest list on the main floor, Dave “Bubba” Birky and his date. Erica Reggie are greeted by “doorpersons” of the Essex Hotel, Julio Neeley and Wendi Horowitz. Santa, (Mr. Sid Reggie) in his brand now holiday suit, compliments of Mrs. Claus, lends a knee to Maggie Delumpa who names a gift from her Christmas list. 1981 King of Hearts Court Members: Kevin Leffew, Trent Albert. King Mike Kluth, Prince Scott Snodgrass and Daryle Keller. They were honored towards the end of the evening.

Page 22 text:

T f alparaiso High School students knew the best route to travel to V escape the tedious months of winter. Both the Christmas and King of Hearts dances provided the ideal vaca- tion spot for cooped up couples. Vacations are a break from work and a time for recreation. While many travel to unfamiliar places, VHS students needed to go only as far as the gym’s south bal- cony to sense the same feeling of visiting a unique place outside of Valparaiso. Most students were familiar with down- town Chicago and knew that the coun- try’s third largest city is a masterpiece of illuminated buildings, trees and artfully decorated store windows throughout the Christmas season. The Loop and State Street, however, are a 110-miles round trip from Valpo, and at nearly $1.40 a gallon for gas, a trip to the “big city” was a costly investment. Offering an alternative to Christmas in the Windy City, Student Council present- ed “Christmas on State Street” Saturday, December 6, from 8-11 p.m. In addition to the music of D.J. John Dilley, featured guests included Santa Claus (Mr. Sid Reggie) and his elfin helper (Mr. Skip Bird), a hit duo for 1 1 years. According to Vice President Lance Nightingale, “We tried to make it as much like Chicago as possible.” With the Chi- cago skyline in the background, lights and garland draping the ceiling, 150 cou- ples danced down a State Street of store- fronts with Marshall Fields and Charles A. Stevens. By February, students were due for another break and the V-teens annual King of Hearts Dance pro- vided the opportunity. Since few students have traveled to the Orient, V- teen club members planned a substitute tour package with their “Oriental Gar- dens” theme. On a foggy, Friday, Feb- ruary 20, among pictur- esque flower gardens with pagodas and dragons, 180 couples ventured into a far eastern setting, while music by Starbound filled the at- mosphere. Proceeds from the dance and contest for King of Hearts were donated to the Porter County Heart Asso- ciation. This year $500 was added to the fund; over the past 12 years VHS has con- tributed $4200. — Kim Ferrall Talking amid a far eastern setting provided by V-teens members Tim Osterhaut, Tara McA- leer, Judy Watson and Ron Blossom discuss their evening at “Oriental Gardens” before leaving. Holiday bells with names of the 150 couples attending the 1980 Christmas Dance gave sophomore Corrine Keene and senior Mark Marencik a momento from the evening. 18 — Christmas King Of Hearts

Page 24 text:

Failing to model himself after a hero, Norman, discouraged, turns to guitarist singer Jim Veatch for advice and Jim, in turn, relates the story of “Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown.” Once AH-Ha’s mischievous Mario attempts to mug Corrine Keene at a park bench, Nor- man her hero saves her and she recipro- cates by singing “Please Don’t Let This Feeling End.” r hen one mentions an amateur talent show, often the first thing that comes to mind is Chuck Barris’ “Gong Show”. In his show he in- vites some of the worst and most bizarre acts. Usually, however, the performer is so terrible that he gets gonged and is forced to leave the stage. In contrast to this, the annual VMS tal- ent show. May Madness, demanded only quality performances from its cast mem- bers. Eric Brant, a cast member, said, “The show was done very professionally: it was not an average talent show.” Following the theme “Heroes”, May Madness, formerly called April Antics, was presented to audiences on May 1 and 2 in the auditorium. Open to any student, tryouts were on April 8 and 9. “It was very difficult to choose acts,” stated Director Alice No- ble, “because there was not a wide vari- ety of people in different acts, and the acts were very repetitive.” After viewing the acts and an- nouncing the results of tryouts, Ms. Noble added to and changed each act to make them meet her standards. With the help of Kelly and Eric Brant, Ms. Noble se- quenced the acts to tie in with the theme. In order to make the variety of acts coordinate, the show fol- lowed the chapters in Norman’s superhero book. Norman (Eric Brant) served as M.C., but each between-act scene was part of Norman’s story and was linked to the following act. Some of the acts, such as “Hot Lunch Jam”, “I won’t Grow Up,” and “My Husband The Vegetable,” along with others stressed the various chapters of the superhero book. During the first week of re- hearsals, each act was assigned to one of the co-directors, Mr. Rick Hein, Mrs. Lori Alt, or Mr. Dan Pritchett. Each co-director worked with his assigned act to make corrections and polish up the act for the final production. During the second week of re- hearsals, the directors and cast devoted their time to combining the acts into one unified show, including everything from dance acts to comedy routines. Funded entirely by the Drama Club, the price of sets, costumes, and publicity for May Madness was approximately $700, but ticket sales totaled $1400, giving Drama Club a $700 profit. — Susan Vondran Cast members gather on stage while listen- ing to the thought provoking lyrics to the song “Heroes,” by the commodores, as sung by members Lionel Richie Darrel Jones. 20 — May Madness