Westfield High School - Weather Vane Yearbook (Westfield, NJ)

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Impression (im-presb' an) n. I, the act or process of impressing. 2. the effect, mark, or imprint made on a surface by pressure. 3. AN EFFECT, IMAGE, OR FEELING RETAINED AS A CONSEQUENCE OF EXPERIENCE. Impressions have their roots in our earliest begin- nings. Friends, family, and the conditions of our environment influence the ideas we form about our world. Experiences of our lifetime blend together in a vivid array of emotions and responses, resulting in memories that will forever be a part of us. We retain vague notions or remembrances of our childhood. It is not always the monumental events, but frequently the small, seemingly unimportant things that affect and form us. Individuals, institutions, or incidents affect us deeply and will remain etched in our minds forever. As children, our entire world revolves around our parents. They supply all the love, security, and affection that we require. Our lives are sheltered and our ex- periences limited. Childhood is a period of immense growth, and it is during this development that we begin to question our world. As time goes on, we look outside this isolated existence toward others for the recogni- tion, acceptance, and love that is essential for survival. Amidst a world that is accelerated, challenging, com- petitive, and often unrewarding, but always stimulat- ing, we are forced to learn what we must, experience what we can, and at all times try to maintain a sense of our own identity. In dealing with ourselves and other individuals, we are constantly being impressed and im- pressing others. Our lives are a series of effects, images, and feelings retained as a consequence of experience. 5

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As we grow older our views and attitudes are continually changing. Intellectually, we pro- gressed from reading Green Eggs and Ham to the transcen- dental theories. From coloring books we have grown to solving algebraic equations. We are no longer dragged to the library and forced to look at picture books; we go freely to research college and career catalogs. Tastes have changed too. While listening to a Chicago album it is difficult to recall the years when our favorite record was Mother Goose. From Ger- ber’s and fully balanced meals, our taste buds are now condit- ioned to “junk food and crash diets. The baby bottle formulas hardly compare to what we guzzle now. Today with all our many interests it is difficult to remember the times we whined “Mommy what can I do now? Today we are cruisin' in cars, and no longer failin' off tri- cycles. We have progressed to the “Big Time,” working in stores and making minimum wages, instead of selling lemon- ade for 5C a glass. Probably the most important aspect of this “growing up process is our change of values and ideas. We must admit, whether frustrating or rewarding, our W.H.S. ex- perience has been the major factor in the process of maturing. 6 TO WORLD (M A SEftm s