West Orange High School - Sword and Scabbard Yearbook (Winter Garden, FL)

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- W It EPCOT UNDERWAY EPCOT Center, an extensive addition to Walt Disney World, is officially scheduled to open October I, I982. EPCOT, which stands for Experimental Prototype Commu- nity of Tomorrow, will have two major theme areas. The first area, Future World, will dramatize social concerns such as energy, health, and transportation. The second area, World Showcase, will be a community of nations. Each nation will have a pavilion to display its culture, traditions, and accom- plishments. EPCOT, which will employ approximately 7,000 people, will be a significant addition to Central Florida. EPCOT Center will offer many new learning experiences, helping to bring the peoples of the world closer together. 2' ' its 'f' MWMMMI QMHTEET West Orange was one of I4 schools that participated in the drama contest held at Seminole Community College on Janu- ary I2th and l3th. All those weeks of hard practice after school finally paid offl ln spite of the challenging competi- tion, the West Orange troupe of actors did remarkably well. Five areas of competition were included in the drama contest. Several students presented a one-act play about a hit and run murder entitled The Storm. The play starred Donnie Hammond, Bret Jarvis, Sheila Lahde, Elizabeth Walk- er, Renee Jones and Scott Quinn. The crew for The Storm was made up of Tim Beckius, Barbara Muhlbach, and Kim Stout. In other areas of competition, each entry from West Or- ange scored a superior rating. All entries that rated superior or excellent continued on to state competition in April. In Duet Acting, Ronnie Phillips and Donna Poston performed a scene from Blue Denim that was spiced with sex and vio- lence. Connie Crosslin and Shawn Fernandez entered in Duet Improvisation. They had a choice of two scenes and decided to act out two strangers exchanging stories about their wounds. Ben Taylor and Loy Thornton, who were entered in Duet Musical, sang Always Always You from a play per- formed at West Orange last year, Carnival. Although they received the highest score of the ll entries in this category, they did not go to state competition because they ran over the time limit. John Robinson was entered in Monologue. He recited a speech from the play I Never Sang for My Father and a speech from Henry IV by Shakespeare. John received the highest score out of the 40 entries in this category. Of course, due credit must be given to Ms. Melton, the drama teacher who made all this possible. With her dedica- tion, expert advice, and enthusiasm, and the incredible amount of talent of the drama students, the fantastic results of the drama contest did not come as a surprise to anyone! Qwlllll. A Ill On January I6, l979, seventeen students were initiated into Quill and Scroll. This club, brand new to West Orange, is a national honor society for students who rank high academi- cally and have excelled in some area of publications. Ms. Pratt, sponsor of the newspaper, Warriors' World and Ms. Stull, sponsor of the yearbook, Sword and Scabbard, worked together to start Quill and Scroll at West Orange. Anyone interested in joining was asked to fill ut an applica- tion. Ms. Stull and Ms. Pratt then planned a brunch in the Home Economics Department and invited all those who had been selected. Mr. Berry was invited as a guest of honor. After everyone had eaten enough fruit salad, scrambled eggs, bacon, and coffee cake to last the rest of the day, the initiation ceremony was held. Mr. Berry inducted the mem- bers as Ms. Stull and Ms. Pratt presented them with gold pins and membership cards. The charter members of Quill and Scroll are Melodye Hendrix, Elaine Holtschneider, Greg Smith, Gigi Howard, Brian Bowen, Bob Yount, Jeff Voss, Lori Hill, Angie Russell, Carol Munday, Susan Shelton, Leslie Dabbs, Leslie Bennett, Renea Attaway, Wendy Williams, Cindy Wheatley and Lori Glover. I E

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SENIOR WINS TITLE Miss Sherrie Brown, a I7- year old West Orange senior, won the title of Miss Orlando World. U.S.A. The preliminary competition was held at Or- lando Fashion Square on June 25, l978, and the finals were held at the Gold Key lnn that same day. The contestants were judged on looks, poise, personality and mental alert- ness. Sherrie's victory was re- warded with a crown, a trophy and a S25O.w scholarship. STUDENTS OF THE MO TH .sm - A-. -,L . West Orange is often recognized for its outstanding re- cord in sports, our atheletes have excelled in everything from football to tennis. West Orange also excels in another important area that does not always receive as much atten- tion - academics. Each month one student from West Orange is selected as Student of the Month for the Exchange Club of Orlando. The student is chosen on the basis of outstanding citizenship and grade point average and then is invited to a luncheon at Kahler Plaza along with the students chosen from nine other area high schools. There each student is introduced and presented with a certificate. By the end of the school year, a total of sixty students have been singled out as the best in Orange County. Two of these students will receive SLWO scholarships. This year at West Orange, Eric Rustin, Kim Ross, Carol Munday, Elaine Holtschneider and .losee Rivard were hon- ored as Students of the Month. You may be nextl TEENS MODEL FOR BOARD Participating in fashion shows, wearing up-to-date styles and attending training classes for walking, poise and make-up are daily activities in the life of a model, the dream of many girls. Yet most never get the chance to be a model. Unless, of course, they are members of a fashion store's teen board. Two West Orange students, Katherine Miller and Diana Buffington. are members of Jordan Marsh's Teen Board. The Teen Board, which con- , sists of fifteen girls from local high schools, has a fashion display at the store every Sat- l urday from I2-2 p.m. Modeling y the latest styles from the Jun- i ior Department, the girls ro- l tate walking throughout the P various departments and res- taurants, showing the new styles and helping people with fashion ideas. But, the department modeling is only a small part of the Teen Board's activities. Much more goes on behind the scenes. Every other week the board meets to discuss fashion ideas, new styles in school, and activities such as luncheons and fund raising projects. The board must have an organiza- j tional project each year. Last l year the board worked with the Humane Society. This year B they will be helping the Ameri- can Cancer Society. Katherine and Diana both agree that being members of the Teen Board is a lot of hard work, yet very rewarding. Katherine, a member of the Teen Board for two years, is co-chairman. She picks out the clothes for the shows and de- cides on specific clothes for each category. Diana, a mem- ber since May, enjoys the ex- perience of modeling in the store and the ISZ, discount on everything in the store on the day she models. By Wendy Williams j Allison Guernsey l

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KT IT CQEQLWESQ SPIRITUAL PIMPS LEADING BRAINWASHED TEENAGERS Babies screamed as confused mothers voluntarily gave them to nurses who unmercifully injected a deadly mixture of potassium cyanide and potassium chloride into their tongues. A chaotic scene erupted as members of the Peoples Temple scrambled frantically to swallow the poison concoct- ed with grape Kool-Aid and cyanide. All the while, sitting in a throne-like wicker chair, Jim Jones calmly observed his loyal followers' violent demise, commenting, We've to do what we've got to do. Such was the scene in Jonestown, Guyana, in the pre-dusk hours of Saturday, November l8. l978. lt resulted in one of the largest mass suicides in history. The death toll climbed to an astounding 900. The overwhelming part of the massacre is that it was initiated by one man. One crazed, evil-minded, religious fanatic caused some 900 mem- bers of the Peoples Temple to participate in a self-imposed ritual of mass suicide and murder. The hellish truth is that this demonstration of demonic psychological mind-bending is a horrifying and frightening reality. Unfortunately, Jim Jones is not the only irrational fanatic influencing the lives of young people. Since the early l970' s young people's interest in religious cults has been on the upswing. What originally began in the United States as few- membered groups practicing Hindu mysticism has gradually increased to millions of teenagers involved in extreme reli- gious groups that mentally and physically abuse them. There are well over l,000 of these cults, ranging from Hindu medita- tors to groups of youths waiting in the desert for their savior to arrive by spaceship. In l976, statistics showed that from one to three million Americans were members of a cult. By I979, the number has greatly increased. But the question that remains is how do these young peo- ple get involved in the first place? The answer lies in the promises of love and brotherhood preached by the cultists. Vulnerable teenagers are encouraged to try out the cults on weekend retreats. Yet, once involved, the kids find them- selves trapped in a process called psychological kidnap- ping. The cult members wear down their resistance by brainwashing, sexual persuasion, physical abuse, and even starvation. Gradually, the indoctrination takes effect as the young people begin believing the preachings of the cult lead- ers. Ties to families and friends are completely broken as the new cultists become devout and loyal followers. In the cult known as the Unification Church, leader Rev. Sun Myung Moon is called Our Spiritual Father. But the shocking truth is that while cult leaders preach offerings of love and impose strict bans on their followers, they are in reality spiritual pimps. Sending the cultists out on the street to beg for money which is used to buy the leader limousines and mansions, they discipline the members with brutal abuses. Defectors Cpeople who escapedj from the cult known as the Children of God testified that its female mem- bers were sexually abused by cult leaders. Members of the Peoples Temple were routinely beaten or whipped because they were caught smoking or not paying attention during one of Jones's lectures. One woman, accused of having a ro- mance with a male member of the cult, was forced to have sexual intercourse in front of the entire colony. One horrify- ing part of the Peoples Temple indoctrination was their treat- ment of the children. Electrodes were hooked to the little ones' arms and legs, and they were repeatedly shocked until they were successfully brainwashed into smiling each time the word Jim Jones was spoken. Cults have been around for a long time, and they are not likely to disappear in the near future. But as long as young people avoid the realization that cults are nothing more than false hope institutions that practice torture and abuse as a means of religion, they will continue to be a threat. Step aside, Jim Jones, someone else will be making the headlines soon - unfortunately. By Wendy Williams ITIEII1 BIIIUYS .. Have you noticed some familiar faces lately in the Gross Green Bird section of the Sentinel Star? Three West Orange students this year were selected as Kiwanis Club Students of the Week, and their photos appeared in the newspaper. First was Loy Thornton, who has a 4.0 grade point average, making her valedictorian of the senior class. She is a member of the Thespian Club, Honor Society, the band, and the Brain Bowl team. Loy plans to attend Davidson College in North Carolina where she will study pre-med. Second was Leslie Bennett, who has a 3.99 GPA. Leslie is a varsity football cheerleader. She is also a member of the senior committee, the Yearbook Staff, Honor Society, and Quill and Scroll. She will attend FSU next year. Third was Susan Singletary, with a 3.95 GPA. Susan is a member of Honor Society and plays the electronic piano at the First Baptist Church of Windermere. Susan has been accepted at Texas A S M University where she plans to major in chemical engineering.