Weldon E Howitt High School - Hi Life Yearbook (Farmingdale, NY)

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Friendships Enhance School Years Middle: Monique Arian is greeted by companion, Fran Ollivari, after getting off the morning bus. Left A lake, the surrounding woods, and a sunny day provides a peaceful setting for friends, Barbara Roth and Randy Weiss, to chat about the day's events. Above: While waiting for the bell, Janine Czarnec and Jeff Guetta find Marie Argento's story amusing. A room crowded with people can be the loneliest place on earth if you don’t know anyone there. In the same way, spending day af- ter day in a school as large as Farmingdale without having any friends would be devastating to most people. Yet of all the aspects of high school life and friend- ships are probably taken for granted more than anything else. We are so used to having friends around that we don’t realize how hard it would be to get along with- out them. The morning ritual of meeting one’s comrades is probably the most impor- tant part of the school day for many students. The meeting place can be at a locker, a particular bench in the Commons, or a special corner in a hall or stairwell, but wherever it is, students head for it automatically when they enter the build- ing. I always meet my friends at my locker in the morning. From there, the three of us walk around the school and see what’s hap- pening that day,” Rosemary Jones, senior, said. To ar- rive at a meeting place and find a friend is absent can often spoil the whole day. It’s disappointing when they’re absent,” Doreen Armstrong, senior, admit- ted. “There’s suddenly no one to talk to and walk around with.” For all but a few students, it is equally important to have companions in every class. On the first day of school, schedules are ea- gerly passed around to see who has what class togeth- er. An unpleasant teacher can be tolerated with friends around, but even the best classes can be- come a chore if there is no one to talk to. And students who don’t feel like working during a free period are of- ten at a loss as to what to do if none of their friends are also free. “I just sit in the library and read a magazine if no one is around that day,” Scott Kramer, senior, com- mented. Even getting to and from school, whether by bus or on foot, can be a pleasure or a drudgery, all depending on whether there is a friend alongside. In future years, memories of high school will be nu- merous and varied. But nearly all of them will in- volve the friends who were so loyal throughout the school years, and for that reason they will be all the more cherished. 6 Friendships

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STUDENT LIFE IN DE PTH IN DEPTH IN DEPTH A student’s life is more than being confined to classrooms. Not even ten acres of school grounds can contain all the facets that make up the lives of nearly three thousand stu- dents. This section takes an In Depth look at students out- side the classrooms — their boyfriends and girlfriends, hangouts, future interests, and their latest craze with designer jeans. Students’ social activities play an important role in their lives. A look at part time jobs, popular local bars, the Styx Concert at the Nassau Coliseum, and leisure time attractions on Long Island and in New York City provides a well- rounded view of students’ lives beyond classes and homework. To explore the sundry en- virons of teenagers is to know the diversities of a Farmingdale student. Student Life 5

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Left Together, Beth Johnson and Jane Mikolowski find last minute studying more enjoyable with their shoes off while stretched out on a Commons bench. Below: It's not unusual for friends, like Kara Daugherty and Patty Bates, to share a locker in a convenient hallway. Above: A warm radiator by a sunny window in a small corner of the school is the best atmosphere for an open- minded Joann Abruscato to listen to Ann Eugenio's dilemma. Above: An eight-track tape deck in a quiet hallway makes the free period entertaining for Keith Spalding. Terri Woods. Jeff Smith, and Artie Pure. Friendships 7