Severely handicapped class arrives - The Lowell

Seniors await graduation
By Stephen Abraroowlb
•udToa>*.Vlue
It's true: Seniorhis at Lowell will
end on June 1.
Why? On trot diy, nearly 7w
members of the dais of 1985 will
meet In N large audiirriura. wear
cap* and (owns, and rece-'.c their
diplomas.
To many seniors, however,
graduation means a lot more than
just a ceremony. Some tec a symbolic
meaning in the event. Andrea
Jee relates graduation to "...doting
all the old doers and exploring into
new ones."
Peter Marcoputoi alto calls
graduation an entrance into the adult
world, where, as he says, "You
havr to expect the unexpected."
Seniors reveal r wide range of
emotions at Juce 17 approaches.
For Henry Wotf, ihe ceremony
"...is a time of depression...you
compile your thought* ovc. the
yean and think about alt the things
you coutd have done differently."
On the other hand. Peter
Kurlander looks forward to th- occasion,
which will mark the beginning
of hi> independence. After
graduating, KurUndcr wants'*...the
opportunity to put norc time into
career choices." 4^
Cindy FOP envisions graduation >
as a "bittcrfweet" event, but adds.
"We all deserve it; we put a lot into
tt ano now we're setting something
back."
Many students, including David
Botkin. have mixed emotion* about
graduating. Botkin. who will attend
UC Berkeley, is "...happy to get
away after four yean of hard
work," but is also ud because
many of his friends will leave to at*
tend eastern colleges.
MOM seniors questioned have
noted thai they have a lot to took
forward to in college. Calvin Lee,
frrr cuippk. Li >ci> confolcnt «buul
his. career in higher education.
When asked if he is wared ot what
liei before him at UC Berkeley, Lee
replies "Naaah!" Uc feds he has
"the power to control (hit) own
destiny." but his top priorities in
college a.e still "...(getting:) good
grades, good money, and •» good
girl friend."
Foo'i main concern at UC Santa
Crux b "...developing tmy) individuality,'-'
although she alw
recognize* the inootunce of
"...suiting over" with her social
life. She realizes thai it will tr hard
10 keep up relationships *hh Lowell
Mudents and faculty when sh* cruen
the "real world." outsid.' the
"...lutle world at Unveil."
Unlike Foo, Botkin puts great importance
on establishing new friend)
in college. He plans to have an
"awesome locial life" and meet
"...VERY good-locking girls."
While others arc already concen-
trating on their new lives in
September. Jee is still thinking
about June. She hopes the will
"...feel norms!" when she
graduates.
Lee summarises the feelings of
most Lowell wtuotj when he isyi.
"I want to have alt the fun now
while I still can."
After all. on June 17, the Class of
IVH5 will no longer be union; they
will again be freshmen.
Parents comment on end of high school
By Carrie Nbhlraoto
Po parents think fnuiulion Ujiui
"r*omp and CircunuuiKtt?"
Whether gradating magna cum
lauje from some prestigious law
schnol in 1983 or just squeaking by
•n high school aomt thiny vein age.
htudems still share with their
cUssmales * instinctive experience
OraJuaua, Aen, evokes various
fcclinjs. if no; pandbtiul, in both
parents and their children.
When reqoestnd to describe these
feelings, parents came up with
••depressed." and "lonely." and on
i more positive note, "relived."
"ecJUtic," aful "proud." One
mother cicUimed. "I felt so happy
to rove managed to complete high
Kloof, and yet. h was upsetting to
ire that this (graduation) was really
the end...after graduation. I no
longer Ml the same way.
This relative ambivalente OTBS to
be characteristic of graduates.
However, "coaftnion" is often a better
description. One parent apress.
ed,**! didn't kKr* whether iityemo-
Uoot (at that tine) were genuine or
those I ilw»ghl were cjpected of
me.. .sometimes! thought If* I was
the only gra£nde who didn't know
her Iwure plum."
Generally, though, this confusion
clean up when their own children
graduate. Then, thr .jtdcrabinl fed-
~mg of die parents towards flirtation
b mostly one of optimism, raging
from ultimate exaltation to contra
satisfaction. "I wasted my ion u enjoy
Ms graduation mole than I did at
my own." comment-d one father,
"and a.'so reflect on what he had accomplished."
Not surprisingly, spire patent*
become reflective and scuimemal as
high school graduation approaches,
somelLnes as early as their child's
freshman year. They may constantly
sith and »ay. "I car't believe my
baby's graduating soon." rr
something which seems equivalency
degrading in Ihe opinion cf Ihe
graduate-to-be. Ostensibly, these are
the parents who plan tr gather as
many graduation bids as possible so
they can invite all the relatives to the
commencement exercise.. While the
graduate may not nectssarilv appreciite
this gesture, at Iran there is
coraolalion that his pareJls do care.
Commencement
These parents want to vicariously
enjoy their children's "commencemeat."
Invariably, they may seem to
be more energetic and enthusiastic
than th: senior himself, who is not
only exhausted from comrJeurg
rcuntle- \ college applicauons but aljo
has contracted a lerrib'e case of
••seniority." Thus, while Ihe senior
vegetates, hii partna are the ones
win make Ihe preparaicm for Ihe btj
event.
In the other hand, some parents do
rot experience tMuma with the ouet
of > graduation, 'iiplalned ou
parent. "I see graduation as a supping
stonr to bigger and belle:
dungs.. .mere's rsJy (little) rascn
•o see it as a criminating point when
theic's • futare ahead."
Another parent reasoned, ..no
matter if it's graduation from middle
Khool. high scfconf, or college, it only
seems more important than it actually
b. (Such events) arc emphasucd
more than daily accomplishments
which happen to be just as imponani.
Why do you think so many students
are disappointed by graduation
anyway?"
One fnuhcr viewed graduation as
a type 01 "imcrmiuior." She
argued. "It's not as if you stop learniong
after you graduate ..butwhen
you're a senior you deserve lo relax
and celebrate a little.
Most of the parents concurred on
one thing — that graduation is one of
the unique events of one's life.
HAPPY EARLY
BIRTHDAY
ARABELLA
&
SAMANTHA
rmm:
Ashley NjM Alimna
Curia \] Tong
Celeste
Nl 7m
Laura Sophia
Ite Anna Uxu
Stephanie Tina
Michelle Sarah
Cccrf Trudi
Jenifer
.FEATURE
JU trwtU. Jw be
looked on A\ nh^ppy lime. Afli-'f all.
}car. »c »c,graduates
go. ami we mm ihnn. hut
then MKiKbod) cUc nil* ttut vpax
ajptn."
WanJa'tne Pcrclli, truth teacher
and a Lm*ell goAutc benelf, thin>A
iimibrty- "It's !i r our life. The funny
thiny u that uudem* come and go.
and we always vrc IX" same types of
indents — ^< frcsl.nun looking
tyy.etc —but the toilers get older
cscry year. It K&ns ar. if teachers get
older while students are always the
Teacher* are very eater to see
rraduates come back and vhit. Ptrtfli
noud, "What really rruticrs io
leachen. b when we rcaliw that we
have touched torrruoc — maybe
helped him to tovp certain itood
metnoriea of hUh ichool or helped
h im to n*£-t n good cMce of study
fkld.... Btt then you will never
know whetrvr or nu you have touch*
"5d someone's heart uoless he comes
back and tells you."
How do teachers regard the Clais
of *83 io term of actrveoeM? Granucci
commented, "Over &.'), [ would
"omider the class in b^ most active
— slow to get st*;ied but extremely
"Every year,
we see graduates
go, and we miss
them, but then
somebody else fills
that space
again."
active as final deadlines approach.
The number of people involved in
Spirt V.'edt. PUtt Night Faculty-
Student Game, and Prom all attcu to
this."
Otcar Hollander, science leacltcr.
Jjrecd: "Thev jtn irrv artnv c.»mpc.e-J
IO ihe CIav» of 85 I abandoned
at WaUiingttM, High Sthcol."
HOWOTT. some teachen fed othcr-
-*i%e. Frederick Slark. phyiii*\
teacher, claimed. "No, I don'i consider
the cU\% to be active. Actuall>.
they ate ver> npithelic."
With the ^er- increjiinp number of
scr.i3rv *-h*: Ui |*c> io the annual
May-Juiw epulcmic stniariiii as the
day of the graduation approaches.
teacher* are the people who arc mott
affected by the symptoms of the
students. Granucci declared. "It is an
insidious paralysis of the brain. Il i\
akin tu an automobile In neutral or an
airplane on wto-pilot. It has reached
plague proportion*."
Donald Baker. Math tccchcr. emphatically
stated, "The more talked
about, the more it become* an acceptiblc
mode of behavior. It could be
a tot worse!!"
SUMMER JOBS
through
Enterprise for High School Students
If you are registered with us • come In lo updale
* your card K> soon as you kdow you sumxer plans
OR
• !ryou are NOT registred - and wish lo be, you
must
1. Take a workshop
2. Be Interviewed
BEFORE JUNE 17th
C&I1 us for an appointment now!
921-6554