Some Things Just Don’t Change: Looking back into 1985
Thirty-seven years ago, students were walking down these halls thinking the exact same thing as you:”Is it Friday yet?” But that isn’t the only similarity between us. Recently I stumbled across an old issue of the Zephyr from September 1985, and as my eyes scanned my jaw dropped. I was shocked to read about some hot topics that are still relevant today at school. With this being said, I think we could all benefit from time traveling back to 1985 when things really weren’t so different than we think they were.
Longer School Day– Mentioned in the ‘85 issue was a proposal for a “25 minute extension of the school day in order for students to have extra time in school to complete assignments.” Comparatively, a more recent proposal has been made within WS/FCS to extend the school day by 15 minutes to “allow for increased flexibility in school day scheduling, particularly bus transportation,” superintendent, Tricia McManus explained. Let’s make our bets now on how long the school day will be in another 40 years.
Dress Code– Dress code has changed a lot through the years though one thing that hasn’t changed is the Zephyr staff writing about it. Currently, West dress code states that “tops with spaghetti straps, halter tops, thin tank tops (jerseys), off the shoulder and open back tops are prohibited.” While the ‘85 issue does not directly mention tops, it does mention that shorts are meant to be “mid-thigh length or longer.” This also appears in the dress code section of the student handbook today.
Lunch Lines– Any student who indulges in school lunch would know it takes a solid 10-15 minutes (or more) to get your food and sit down. Trust me, the ‘85-86 students knew your pain. It’s mentioned that “crowded sidewalks and long lunch lines” were issues back then too.
Buses– In the ‘85 issue there is a cartoon section labeled “Skool Daze” that presents the issue of constantly changing bus numbers leading to confusion and how some students just end up out of luck with a way home. Today bus numbers get changed daily and students get to and from school at absurd hours. I guess there has always been a late bus.
Cheer– West Cheerleaders have proved for over 37 years that West is, in fact, the best. Two years ago the cheerleaders took home the title of state champions. In ‘85 the squad won the first place trophy at the annual Winston-Salem MarketPlace Mall competition; that was a big deal considering competition was no where near the scale it is today.
Now of course I’m not saying our worlds have been the exact same, but we have experienced some of the same annoyances and victories. Maybe the world isn’t changing as intimidatingly fast as we think.