Weston McEwen High School - Paws and Claws Yearbook (Athena, OR)

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trial merger was watched with in- terest across the state. Many small schools feel the press of the cost of today's education and the Athena- Weston plan could be the answer to the problems of other small schools. The trial merger was evaluated, and the school boards voted to con- tinue the merger for the year 1974- 75. Any new program of this size was bound to have both strong and weak points. The strong point was the attitude with which both student bodies approached their new school. The students wanted to make the merger work, and it did. With the attitude of the students being as great as it was, the job of the faculty was much easier than anyone had expected it would be. Several teachers put in many extra hours working on the newr curriculum with enthusiasm. A considerable amount of credit for the smoothness of the trial mer- ger must go to the parents and citi- zens of Weston and Athena. Citi- zens and parents wfho had been intense rivals when they were in high school put these old rivalries behind them and decided to work for the people and their children. Tradition dies hard in Eastern Oregon, but the people of Athena and Weston deserve praise for their interest in the students. The ability of the two communities to work together was evident every- where during the school year. The ski bus to Tolgate and the steering committee which was organized to work on the new' graduation require- ments are only two examples of the 4

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The 1973-1974 school year was one that took a tremendous amount of time and energy from the stu- dent body, the teachers, and the citizens of both Athena and Weston. After years of rivalry, Athena and Weston, located three miles apart, decided to try a trial merger of the two Jr. High and High School systems. Grades seven, eight, and nine attended school at Weston; grades ten, eleven, and twelve attended school in Athena. The Weston High School Tigers and the Athena High School Scots be- came the Weston-McEwen Tigers and Scots. As a new idea in the area of education, this 3

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cooperation that was evident. The students of Weston and Athena are very lucky to have parents and citi- zens like this in their communities. Other students in other towns are not that lucky, and the student body would like to thank the people of Weston and Athena for their effort and interest. The benefits of the new program to the students were many and varied. A new student lounge was added along with a hot lunch program at the high school. The increased number of students in the Sophomore, Junior, and Senior classes allowed more competition in classes and more in- terest individual activities and clubs. The high school population. Fresh- men through Senior, at Weston and McEw'en went from 80 and 130 re- spectively to a population of 145 in the top three grades at the high school. The newf school’s population makes it one of the larger in its league. With the increased school size the opportunity for increased school cur- riculum, increased activities, and in- creased participation on the part of the students came into being.