About Hexagon (Elberton, Georgia) 19??-???? | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1975)
PAGE TWO THE HEXAGON JANUARY* 1975 Take Stock Of Elbert County High BY DONNA WILLTS Many people don’t take ad vantage of, or maybe don’t even realize, the wide range of opportunities that this school has. T'o start with, we have several special programs that few other schools were select ed for. The Comparative Po litical Experiences, a curricu lum study under the supervi sion of Mrs. Sarah Vincent, is available to seniors in Ameri can Government. We’re par ticipating in it with the Indi ana University on a federal grant. Mrs. Marlyn Smith has been chosen to head two pilot programs: intensive office pro cedures, which gives in-depth training for office jobs to girls during fifth and sixth periods; and Place packages, which teaches the various office skills in separate units. The students can pick the order of their units. Our scholastic programs are very advanced. Each major de partment offers college-level courses: 2nd year chemistry and biology, Elementary Analy sis, advanced senior English and Social Studies. We have the joint enrollment plan of the University of Georgia on our campus. In this arrangement, seniors can leave school after 4th or 5 th period except on Mondays and Thursdays, when a professo rcomes to our school and lectures on the college course of their choice. A dif ferent subject is presented each quarter. The early admissions plan enables a pupil to com plete his senior year in one of the following colleges: Gear-, gia Tech, Tift, Athens Tech, North Georgia Tech, and the Elbert'County School of Nurs ing . The vocational program is strong, It includes DB, DCT, and VOT — where a student can leave for his job after fourth or fifth period. Our ROTO department is an honor unit with distinction, which means that it’s in the top 6% of the nation. The band is exceptionally good too, with fine marching and concert, divisions. The sports department is out standing, with highly competi tive team spirit. It offers foot ball, basketball, baseball, golf, and tennis. Track is being built up, but we need a home facility. The chess, rifle, and drill teams are also supported' by the athletic program. Elbert County High has around 30 different clubs of various academic and social in terests—‘ranging from National Honor to American Modern Dance. As for the faculty, over 50'% have masters or higher degrees which is unusual for a rela tively rural school. Finally, we’ll soon have a brand new school. Everyone just needs to be aware of what he can use at ECHS, and not take it all for granted. All we need is school spirit and interest from every student. The Problems Facing the Young People Today And Their Reactions BY K. BEE ATKINSON Everyone’s sitting around waiting for doomsday and it has in fact already arrived. Young people today are the shocked survivors. Money doesn’t make it; career doesn’t make it; education doesn’t make it; religion doesn’t make it. Young people find most traditional goals (the ones We have been accustomed 1 to) and discipline irrelevant. For today’s young people to really make it in this world or this society that we now live in, it is essential that they grasp the nature of the crisis that confront them; discover the origins of the conflicts that surround them. Every time students read of another oil slick destroying ocean life; hear a retired Gen eral urge the use of tactical atomic weaponry; see a burn ing black ghetto condoned by the police; joined classmates to challenge the school policy; ob serve women protesting second class status; condoned and en courage low morality; they are being rationalized, radicalized by current events, not by mili tants. It is critically important that they understand the events that change both the things and the structure of their society. Perhaps at no time in Amer ican history have events so out distanced our ability to put them into perspective and eval uate their implications. Stu dents must ofen act and react with insufficient information and without examining . all available alternatives. The events in this society do not present a question of pre paring young people: how to deal with nuclear weapons, war, environmental pollution, racial confrontation, student dissent, disintegration and deg radation of morals, drug abuse, which all leads to the base of reasoning why, instability, and what is the individual goal for each young person. These prob lems are new and must be handled today. Procrastination will only prolong the inevitable' of confusion and chaos, The public schools today must face these problems head-on in the dealings With our young people. All education, it seems to me, is the development and re finement of choice. The devel opment of an awareness of al ternatives and the need for studying and mentally rehears ing the consequences of these alternatives before choosing them. To choose wisely is to live well, and the story of ev ery man’s life lies in the big and little choices that he has madb. We all make poor choices— it is a consequence of living in a world where there are many options. If We make poor choices, we ask: What went wrong? Did we operate with the best information we could get, or did we choose hastily and carelessly? The mature person has learned that he is responsible for his own choices, hence the importance in an educative environment of help ing people become aware that Thoughts For A New Year Write it on your hearts that every day is the best day in the year. He is rich who owns the da\, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety. Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt, crept in. Forget them as soon as you can, to morrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This new day is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays. Band Chosen for Prom BY JULIE MANN The Chocolate Buttermilk had been chosen by the Junior class to play at the prom to be held in the old gym on May 10. The band consists of four choc olates (blacks) and three but termilks (whites). The band can. play such pop ular music as performed by Chicago, A1 Green, Dobbie Brothers,, and Kool and the Gang. The Junior Class will be sell ing candy (chocolate bars with almonds) to help finance the prom. The class hopes to net $ 1,0)00 from the candy sell and the band is estimated to cost approximately $ 6 0(0. they are choosing-—by default sometimes -— but choosing nev ertheless. Indeed, a central purpose of a liberal education is to induce students to stop and think about their values. Let us see what happens in a classroom when there is time to think, when there is a continuing con cern about choices and values. When we stop and think about our values, we are in the realm of emotion as well as that of intellect. I contend . . . “to teach values means to develop within students the willingness to commit themselves to new values, and to reaffirm or to reject the values to which they find themselves previously committed.” I commend the Elbert Coun ty Students for their interest, cooperation, and willingness to work for a better tomorrow. ^1 FORD CLAUDE RAY FORD SALES WHERE THE DEALS ' ARE MADE EVERY DAY. Elbert Street Elberton, Georgia The Point of View Is Up to You I had no shoes and complain ed— Until I saw a man who had no feet. These lines speak volumes, for we tend' to look upon our own failings and sorrows as in surmountable. As a result, grief stamps its heavy mark upon our hearts and faces, and the world and the people in it become more ugly with time. Still, those who recognize that ours may not be the- best of all possible worlds also real ize that we can strive to make do, to bear our hurts as best we can, to plan and look for ward to a better future, and to resolve that tomorrow will be better if we prepare to meet it. As for today, the realist compares and contrasts his life with those of others. Consid er those without homes and families, those without training and education, those without plans and hopes. Yes, consider that you have no shoes and remember the man who has no feet. Sour School Sounds “Hey, Teach! Freddie just clobbered me. May I return the clobber?” “My Aunt Betty,, she does most all my homework, so flunk her instead.” “Joe and I are in the same class, so we flipped for who should do the homework.” “I don’t care what they say. Cafeteria food can’t be all that dangerous to your health.” “What makes you so sure I did it?” “Sure I know that cheerlead er chick. Trouble is she don’t know me.” “The pass-fail system is real ideal. Let me know for sure just where I need to put in some extra study time.” “He’s so hip he thinks- hard rock is for throwing.” “Please . . . You can’t change my seat. This is the only class where I sit near her.” “Don’t really need a coun selor. I knew I’m going to flunk geometry.” “Turn over a new leaf for the new year? Okay, but I ain’t had much turning practice.” COMPLIMENTS OF AYERS HDWE. COMPANY Telephone 283-7700 Lower Heard Street Elberton, Georgia “Every little thing counts^ Use your head.” “Teacher said it was free ex pression time, so how Should I know there were them words I couldn’t express freely?” —School Daze. Good Substitute “If you couldn’t have wealth, whiat would you choose?” “Credit.” For Superb Quality in the Granite Industry, SEE AND VISIT Comolli Granite Company WHOLESALE QUARRIERS AND MANUFACTURERS Comolli’s Peerless Extra Blue Carolina Mahogany Comolli’s Pink Salisbury Carolina Emerald Carolina Diamond Grey P. O. Box 898 Elberton, Georgia 30635 Phone (404) 283-2313 GRANITE CITY BANK “PIONEERING IN SERVICE SINCE 1928” MEMBER F D I C DAIRY QUEEN IS THE RIGHT PLACE FOR THE RIGHT FOODS AT THE RIGHT TIME OR ANYTIME YOU’RE HUNGRY FOR DELICIOUS FOODS OR DAIRY TREATS
