West Leyden High School - Shield Yearbook (Northlake, IL)

Page 26 text:

Keeping the races alive The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. This phrase not only applies to sports, it applies to politics as well. This year saw many winners and losers during the election of many national, state and local officials, as well as an Increase in student involvement. Students were encouraged to volunteer their time and to exper- ience first hand the running of a national campaign by working at various headquarters around the area. Meanwhile, others were actually participating in the voting process by remaining at the closed polls, observing tallying procedures, and then reporting the results to the National Election Service, as part of a program sponsored by the League of Women Voters. Still others went to the source, traveling to Springfield to get a closer look at the workings of the state government by attending committee sessions, touring courts and the capital building, and meeting with state representative Ted Lever- enz. Illinois voters showed their approval of the way officials have been doing their jobs, by re-electing Governor Jim Thompson, Secretary of State Alan Dixon, Attorney General Dave O ' Neil, State Senator Thomas Hynes, State Representative Ted Leverenz and U.S. Congressman Henry Hyde. Voters also gave veteran officials something to think about, as Senator Charles Percy narrowly defeated new-comer Alex Seith by the smallest margin Percy has ever had. The importance of the individual vote became evident this year when Percy had to unexpectedly make a last minute public appeal for votes. Consider this, it will not be long until West Leyden students will be able to vote. As one can see, elections are no small business, and just as the school has, students too, shall soon come of age - voting age. Running for his second term in office. Governor Jim Thompson defeated his opponent Michael Bakalis by a substanciai margin in the November seventh election. Going for his first gubernatorial election, Michael Bakalis smiles in hope of becoming Illinois ' next Governor. Despite his successful campaign, Bakalis was defeated. 22

Page 25 text:

Pushing carts, bagging groceries, stocking shelves and ringing up merchandise beconne routine for many students employed by the Jewel Grand Bazaar. One of the newest chain restaurants to come to the Chicagoland area, Wendy ' s has become an increasingly popular eating place, especially with their famous Frosty ' s. Keeping up with the increasing prices, students can ' t seem to afford the rising cost of such items as gasoline, snacks and clothing, and are often forced to budget carefully. M$ney where does it all go? - a common question about that green paper that is so hard to hang onto. A major investment of many teen-agers is the au- tomobile. With the initial act of buying a car, also comes the responsibility of paying for insurance, repairs, tune- ups, tires, and gasoline. Keeping up with the latest styles is another ex- pense for people today. An outfit for every occasion seems to be the case for some students. School clothes, work clothes, around- the-house clothes . . . and the list goes on. Stereos and accessories are a large output of a student ' s budget. New records and tapes come out each week and right there waiting for them is the American teen- ager, ready to purchase his favorite artist ' s latest tunes. Entertainment is another source which aids in the draining of funds. Waiting in line at Ticketron for hours is a common experience among many students. Fast-food joints are flocked with teen- agers on Friday and Saturday nights. Theatres are another popular diversion from the week ' s school and work. What would be a weekend without a movie, concert, play, or dinner out? With these demanding costs many teen-agers are forced to find part-time employment to support their extra expenses. But, students are finding that no matter how much they tighten the belt there never seems to be enough. As the old saying goes, easy come, easy go. It ' s just too bad that it always seems to go a little ea sier than it came. 21

Page 27 text:

ERA A new era could be in the making for women. With the promise of ERA, women will have the opportunity to apply for any job for which they qualify, as workers. They will be assured of not being discriminated because of sex. Likewise, this change should prove to open up a whole new world for females of all ages. Of course there are companies who did not wait for ERA to be put into effect. Women in these factories have been doing so-called men ' s work for years. Select bus companies, cab companies, steel and chemical indus- tries, and construction outfits believe a person ' s qualifications are more important than a person ' s sex. Based on a survey of both male and female students, one third predicted ERA will somewhat affect their lives. In addition 63% of the students surveyed answered a flat no when asked if they believed that there were any jobs not suitable to women. Those expressing opposing views explained such jobs as President of the United States, wres- tlers, carpenters, and men ' s locker room supervisors would not be suitable positions for women. Campaigning for re-election during a summer festival in Evanston, Senator Charles Percy gives the smile of confidence that convinces voters that he ' s the man to be elected. Democratic senatorial candidate Alex Seith was favored by the polls, but the ' 78 election showed differently as Republican candidate Charles Percy was elected over Seith. 23