Early Graduates Bidding South Farewell Soon Although June is the traditiooal time for graduation, some students choose to graduate in January of their senior year. Forty students must have 16 credits completed, including a semester in government. Students must also receive permission from their counselors and Mr. James Bonney, director of gindance. Larry Justice, one of the early graduates, explained why he is leaving. "I have enou^ credits to graduate, so I'm leaving now. This way, I can work longer before I go to college. "Besides, I've emotionally outgrown high school; I'm tired a( the babysitting-service and bored with the busy work," he continued. Larry listed some advantages of early graduation. "You have
more time between high school and college to do what you want to do. To me, the biggest advantage is gaining work experience. It's easier to find a good job in January than in the summer. If a student wants to start college right away, it probably is easier to get in." Larry commented on the disadvantages."The only one is that you don't get to see your friends as much. Some kids might be bothered by their missing the senior prom, graduation, and other activities at the end of second semester, but I really don't care about them." Another early graduate, Sylvia Parkitny, said, "I'm graduating early so that I can work for the next half year before college. I'll also have more time to plan for coUege." "I'll miss the games and dances," she added, "But I'm coming back for graduation."
Team Member Recounts 'It's Academic' Experience By Catherine Cox "Rejects" said the door at the end of the hall, and we all beard muffled screams from be]iind i t I looked over at Audrey who had come with me to the tiyouts for the It's Academic team and mumbled "Where's the exit, where's the exit!" "Forget it Coxey," this jdace is escape-proof and motioned towards the heavy iron doors lining the Merchandise Mart. In front of us strode Mr. SUkowski, like Lawrence of Arabia, leading all to the elevators with frightening happiness across his face. Ilie ride up took an eternity, and Audrey and. I took that time to review vital facts. "Who was the father of our country?" asked Audrey, trying to be helpful. "Uh, uh . . . Benjamin Franklin?" Advanced horror began to set in. What if I couldn't remember anything, history . . . forget it. Math . . . If only I could add. Would they ask me my social security number? It started getting so bad that whoi the doors opened on the top floor, where the studio was, I was frantically memorizing my own name. The sight of another team being carried out on a stretcher didn't help at aU.
Mr. S., however beamed even brighter. "You people will do fine, except for some exceptions," he said, looking my way. "Cheer up, Coxey," said Audrey, "it coidd be worse." But I didn't hear her, I was busy biting down the stubs of my fingers. The big moment finally came, and we were ushered into a recording room by a kindly old gentleman. I knew I'd seen him before, but it wasn't until we were all done that I finally placed him. As we sat down in a semicircle I whispered to Audrey, "Isn't he on Creature Features?" Her eyes glazed over. "I thought he looked familiar." He handed each of us a card with a number across it. It had a string to go around the neck, but some people had found different ways to wear it or else had their necks in strange places. It was with great relief that we boarded the bus for the trip back home. "I'U never do that again", I moaned, popping Excedrins into my mouth, "Not unless I go completely crazy." Audrey just sat there, in an advanced stage of rigor mortis, recovering from the annual It's Academic tryouts for Maine South.
Boys' Varied Gambling Activities Among Popular Pastimes at South What is the favorite pasttime of Maine South boys? According to some research done by Soatbwords, gambling seems to be the answer. Betting on baseball and football games is very popular. Usually the bets range between one and five dollars. Sometimes, however, an enterprising gambler has been known to win fifty dollars on the World Series or a hundred and twenty-five dollars on the Super Bowl by placbkg a series of two dollar bets with different people. PlayiBC poker is an interest-
ing way to while away the hours. To prevent being caught, no money is exchanged during the games. Instead, a score sheet is kept and every player pays up at the end of the week. "Football" is another game. Tliis is played by pushing a penny across a table. The player pushing it the closest to the edge of the table in three turns without pushing it off wins. A second version is played with a quarter. This game can go on for hours because each player gets only two pushes to han the quarter over the edge of the table.
Other students planning to graduate in January include Margaret Boettcher, Sharon Bruno, David Chastain, Jean Dent, Dennis Dillon, Doreen Downer, Margaret D u w e 1, Cathy Forbear, Kimberly Gaebel, Mary Hamill, Dawn Hav-
Vol. 7, No. 7
lick, David Henrickson, Althea Jensen, Paula Kaskovich, Deborah Kist, Jeff Lee, Kathleen Lischett, Pamela Mahoney, Cathy Orr, JoJean Osajda and JudiUi Parker. Continuing the list are Carol Poorker, Craig Rogers, Kath-
ryn Sheehan, Ken Simek, Bev Sims, Tom Sklarz, Nora Stooksbury, Valerie Tibbitts, John Wallace, Nancy Webb, Barbara Paschen, Anne Stutts, Laurie Perlini, Sharon Schille, Linda Stephani and William McLaughlin.
Maine Township High School South, Park Ridge, III. 60068
Jan. 8,1971
South Debates Optional Finals Each school year a student is twice given an opportunity to demonstrate his understanding of the material he has been taught by taking final exams. In less than a month, Jan. 20, 21, and 22 the first exams will be given. Being the controversial subject it is to students, the finals arouse emotions. Why can't finals be optional? That is, if a student fears the exam will only lower his grade, why can't he abstain from taking the test? This question is one that is often asked by students who feel they should be given an option. A school issue as controversial as this, of course, has its pros and cons. Mr. Richard Mastrolonardo, art teacher, feels that if students used optional finals only as a means of getting out of an exam, the plan is a bad one.
However, if a student is truthful to himself, knows he has learned, then he can be given the option. The entire burden of deciding rests on a student's self honesty. Another member of the faculty. Miss Margaret Lowery, Spanish teacher, endorses finals. She considers finals wonderful, in that the student is forced to put together everything he knows; he is forced to recapitulate. Thus, finals should not be a regurgitation of knowledge but should rather be a challenge to a person's ability to manuever knowledge. Students should put to use what they have learned during the year. Along with the teachers, some students feel mandatory finals should be kept in the curriculum. Sue Lambeau '71 supports finals but thinks they shoiUd not count as much as they do. To
her, optional finals would be the same as no finals, as students given the option would not care to take the exam. Other students support finals because they feel a student who has worked all year, should be distinguished from the student who has done a minimum of work. But on the other hand if a person has worked all year, why should he be forced to take an exam that often does not demonstrate his knowledge? Whatever arguments may be presented in favor of finals, the majority of students favor optional finals. One junior argues that options would be an improvement on the present system by giving the student opportunity to judge whether or not he cares to be tested on material. The most popular argument, however, is that finals ruin grades and are "too much to study for."
'J.B./ Play About Conflict of Faith, Chosen As Next South Production Tryouts for J.B., this year's arena play, began Monday, Jan. 4. Archibald MacLeish won the Pulitzer Prize for his verse-play J.B. Taken from the story of Job in the Bible, it is a modern portrayal of faith. J.B., a wealthy, happy, family man, loses his money, children, health and wife to various evils of society and is faced with the problem of condemning God or assuming that he is guilty himself and has only received his just reward. This conflict forms the basis of the play. Should J.B. retain his faith in God and justice or damn God and renounce his faith? There is much more to the play, including a setting within an old circus tent. It is really a play within a play. Two actors, turned circus vendors, discuss the ancient conflict of faith while the play unfolds around them. To make the conflict complete, one vendor Dlays God, and the other, Satan. The production staff for J.B. will be selected by Mr. Chastain and Miss Susan Brinkman,
Cal Churchman and Theresa PHster try-out for roles in South's arena production J. B. Try-outs for the play began Jan. 4. technical director of the play. The list, which wUl include student director, prompter and other important positions, will be posted Tuesday, Jan. 12, on the drama office window. Bill Sensenbrenner '72, remarked, "If J.B. lives up to Maine South's theatrical reputation, Mr. MacLeish will be proud, too."
In an arena play the audience sits on stands arranged around three sides of the stage. The audience becomes more involved with the play since they are close to the actors. Mr. Hal Chastain, director of J.B., pointed out that many English classes now, studying the play will see some selected scenes within the play.
Superintendent Short's Aim; Improved Communications "The purpose of this kind of meeting is to get students inTidved, to opea every possible dnewH of commonicatioD," said Dr. Richard R. Short, supointendent of District 207. Dr. Short was speaking of a aaies of luncheons he has been holding with students from the Maine schools. He began by selecting students at random and "just asking them if they'd like to have hmch with him."
Dr. Short's first luncheon was with the three Student Council presidents and the three senior class presidents from the Maine schools. He has followed these gatherings with similar luncheons with the junior class and sophomore class presidents of the three schools. A fourth luncheon with the freshmen is scheduled for the final week in January. Besides the officers of the
classes, one student from the classes from each school was asked to the luncheon. Said Dr. Short, "There was no special reason for selecting those particular students that were asked. I just wanted to be able to talk with an individual student, kind of the average one at the schools." Dr. Short said that, aside from communication, the purposes of the meetings were to exchange
ideas between students of the different Maine schools, and to let students know what was going on within the district. Warren Yamakoshi, the junior class president at Maine South, was one of the students asked to the meetings. Warren said that the meeting did help as far as communication with the district administration was concerned. He said that "it helped me get to know Dr.
Short's views on problems and see how he is caught in the middle of things, trying to please both the taxpayers and the kids." However, Warren thought that "the meetings didn't really accomplish anything t o w a r d achieving the goals of the students." He did say that the luncheons were a good idea, and recommended that they be continued about once a month.