2
THE GRANTONIAN
January 19, 1968
veulent relations cuith comniiiiìdi^ e^cceàtionecl
“Would you please keep off my lawn, you’re
tramping it down to nothing.”
“Oh, shut up ya old bag! I’ll move when I ._ ....
well feel like it. Ya got that?”
The door slams fearfully and the housewife, thor
oughly shaken, cowers inside her safe walls while the
pranksters laugh victoriously.
Student relations in the community, the sad but
true story of how the students are becoming more
and more distant from the people in the community,
and the petitions and meetings with authorities be
ing held by the concerned people in the neighbor
hood.
These meetings and petitions directly concern a very
small minority of students, but reflect greatly on the en
tire student body. This is the importance of this issue—
the fact that the whole student body is being affected by
the childish, uncalled-for actions of a few.
The importance of helping to rid the school of
vulgar language used to the people in the commu
nity, the trash in and outside the school building,
and the general misconduct being displayed each
and every school day, is the main intent of publicity
and action being undertaken in the community area.
There are, of course, excuses for the problem. Grant
is a very poorly situated school with residential areas
located on every side. But the location has been the same
for the past 43 years without the trouble that is arising
now.
Another contributor to the problem is the cigarette
law which states that no student shall smoke on the
school grounds or in the immediate area of the school.
This law forced those students who can’t make it through
the day without a cigarette to move out into the com
munity.
From this point their violence began. The pleas to
stay off peoples’ neatly-kept lawns, and the vulgar re
plies; the unlawful use and squealing of cars during
lunch periods, and as the rainy season approached, the
“innocent” use of peoples’ garages to stay dry.
As one member of the community stated, “We don’t
mind the kids being around. But if we could just enjoy
this as a residential area we’d be satisfied.”
Most of the people agreed that the profane language
bothers them the most.
Action has been taken, and more will come unless we
eliminate this problem immediately. Parking has been
restricted on Thompson Street and police patrols have’
been more than doubled in the area. Many violators have
been suspended.
Other restrictions which very well could be enforced
are: no honor study hall for juniors and seniors; closed
campus so that no one leaves the campus from 8:30 until
3:00 and one-way traffic on 36th avenue.
Computers program student activities;
tell of attendance, citizenship, grades
Are you sweating it out, waiting for
your grades, and thinking of alibis for
your parents? Your grades are already
known to the machine, a computer! It’s
busy recording your grades; attendance,
citizenship and other pertinent informa
tion; making copies for you and your
counselor.
Information on almost every high
school student in the Portland Pub
lic Schools can be found in a matter
of minutes with the use of a com
puter at the Administration build
ing. Every student has a number
which can be programmed together
with his name, subjects in letter
code subject grades, grade school at
tended, reg room number, last year’s
GPA, home address, phone number,
and birthdate. In the future it is
hoped that it will be possible to re
cord all attendance patterns.'
All information concerning students
can be found on “disks.” There is a sep
arate disk for each high school. These
disks must constantly be up-dated as
schedules change, or as a student drops
out or enrolls. During the summer the
computer processor takes out all of the
seniors from the disks, moves the other
students up a grade, and enters the in
coming freshmen.
A schedule looks like this to a com
puter: 5820, student number; 048, first
Letters to the Editor
To the Editor:
It is obvious that some of Grant’s stu
dents do not care what the image of our
school is to the residents in the com
munity. On the last day of school before
vacation, many were throwing snowballs
at passing cars, not only, during lunch,
but also after school. This was particu
larly irritating at 33rd avenue. Besides
this damage to our reputation, school
property, in the form of windows, Was
also damaged.
Just throwing snowballs at fellow stu
dents is not especially harmful, if the
student in question does not mind; the
only setback being a slight disruption of
classes that is only mildly annoying to
teachers. If play were restricted to this
area, I am sure there would be no prob
lems.
The only ones really being hurt by the
actions of such a few people, are the stu
dents. If we want to have sports and oth
er activities in school next year, we are
going to have to realize where the money
comes from for such items. I hope the
guilty parties will, in the future, restricct
their snowball throwing to students, if
they have to throw them at all.
Respectfully submitted,
Patty Jensen
period code; 442; second period code;
010, third period code; 215, fourth period
codp; Hold V, fifth period code; 705,
sixth ■period code; 608, seventh period
code.
One of the many conveniences of
the computer is that it can make
any kind of list. For example, a list
can be made of all the freshmen in
alphabetical order, or a list can be
made of all the junior boys. This
can save time when tests of one par
ticular group of students are given.
The computer also makes up all of
the schedules. If there is a conflict
of classes, the counselors must make
up the rest of the schedule.
When the computer is making up
schedules, it fills each class with thirty
people and goes on to the next class.
After it has entered thirty students, no
more can be entered without a change in
the programming. When a schedule is
changed, the vice-principal sends a white
form to the Administration building so
that the change can be recorded on the
computer.
“Besides student programs and
report cards, the computer makes
mailing lists for the PTA and the
Dads’ club, and enables the school
district to obtain a variety of infor
mation on any student, or combina
tion of students, in a relatively short
time, according to Gust Kanas, cur
riculum vice-principal.
The school district also has other uses
for the computer, using it for research
purposes, testing programs and payroll.
“As in any system, the computer is
only as good as people make it,” Mr.
Kanas went on to say. “The computer is
infallible if fed properly.”
“Originally, Grant was one of the first
four schools involved in computer data
processing,” stated Mr. Kanas. Lincoln
was the first to begin in about 1963. Its
first effort was restricted to report cards
and programming.
Now there are eight high schools in
the data processing program, the “home
base” computer located at 631 N.E.
Clackamas, in the Administration build
ing. The computer isjrun by Bob Rintoul
and Charles Hadduck.
Portland has had its own computer for
less than two years, but still it is not
elaborate enough to handle the schedul
ing of Jackson and Marshall, which have
module scheduling. Because of lack of
funds, there are no plans for a more
complex data processing system in the
future.
“They’re working on a system to have
separate numbers for each individual, so
that as long as a student is in the Port
land Public School system, he will keep
the same number from kindergarten
through high school,” stated Charles Orr,
counselor chairman.
by Cecile O’Rourke
During the midst of the introduc
tions, one candidate stands up and
trips across the stage. The audiehce
laughs. He wins.
The contenders for the office of
student body president give their
speeches. One boy tells of his plans,
qualifications and future hopes for
student government.
Another boy stands up, tells a few
jokes, whips out a fancy slogan and
sits down. The jokester wins hands
down.
On what do students base then-
selections? Just because a candidate
is a “good guy,” does this qualify him
to represent us in student govern
ment? When accused of always
choosing the funny guy, one student
said, “Who cares? Student govern
ment is a farce anyway!”
If it’s only a “farce,” why even
bother having government? And if
some students believe this, what are
they doing to help make the councils
what they should be?
The same student was asked why
he didn’t run for office in order to
help change it. “I Wouldn’t win any
way. No one knows me. I’m not popu
lar enough.”
So, are students considering popu
larity as a prerequisite to running for
office? Isn’t it enough just to have
good ideas and a willingness to
serve?
Maybe not, but if not, perhaps
some values and ideas need to be
changed.
Voting is a student’s only real
chance to alter the course of present
government and should be taken
seriously, choosing one’s representa
tives and leaders wisely and with
much thought.
James Monroe is renewed
name of Girls Polytechnic
by Julie Ferry
The apparent set rule of naming high
schools after presidents or well-known
men has again been displayed. Girls’
Polytechnic has recently been renamed
to James Monroe high school.
“The officials of the school felt that
the school really didn’t have a name.
The idea of changing the name had been
thought about for many years, since the
program at the school has been chang
ing,” stated Mrs. Nancy Russell, vice
principal at James Monroe.
Voting to change the name of the
school was a committee of teachers,
members of the PTA and various mem
bers of the alumnae. The name change
was then submitted to the school board
for approval. .The final approval by the
board was made December 11.
Standards committee
completes assignment
of evaluating dress
by Marilyn Leonard
“The Student Standards committee
was charged with the task of evaluating
the current school policy regarding the
various aspects of student conduct, dress,
and grooming,” reported John Stuckey,
student adviser.
Student members of the committee are
George Yerkovich, Tom Zell, Julie Dil
ley, Kim Martin, Artie Wilson and John
Thompson. Adult members include Mrs.
Phyllis Pittman, PTA president, Mrs.
Marty Zabelan and Mrs. Carol Anderson
of the PTA; Mrs. Doris Hanlon and John
Stuckey, faculty.
“The PTA members were selected by
Mrs. Pittman. Students were selected by
myself. Regarding student selection, I
selected students who would represent
all viewpoints; that is conservative and
liberal,” continued Mr. Stuckey. The
committee used the U. S. Grant Hand
book (1967-68), “Rules and Regula
tions,” pages 14, 15, and 16. In a few
cases we adopted whole paragraphs from
this publication. In most instances we
completely rewrote the existing rules.
Within the committee’s report are rec
ommendations dealing with community
relations, cafeteria conduct, care of
school property, assembly conduct,
smoking, drinking and use of drugs.
The decisions on dress and grooming
were particularly interestina. The final
vote on this issue was 9-2. On all other
issues, the vote was either unanimous or
only one dissenting vote prevailed. The
following is the committee’s decision on
dress and grooming:
As a matter of general policy, all pu
pils are to be neat and clean in appear
ance when in school or participating in
school related activities. Dress and
grooming must be consistent with inter
ests of health and good taste. Extreme,
bizarre and conspicuous styles in groom
ing and dress are not permitted in the
school. Though allowance is made for
evolutionary changes in dress styles and
grooming, radical changes resulting
in extremes which violate currently ac
cepted rules of good taste and propriety
are not acceptable.
The responsibility for seeing that stu
dents meet these standards rests pri
marily with parents or guardians. How
ever, the school will also help students
to develop standards of good taste which
are compatible with a climate of disci
pline and learning in the classroom.
“I was delighted to work with the
members of the committee although we
differed in opinion with each other con
sistently. Everyone was mature, polite
and respectful with each other,” ex
plained Mr. Stuckey.
“It is the principal’s option to accept,
modify or reject the committee recom
mendations for it is the principal only
who has this responsibility,” he con
cluded’.
The final school policy will be released
at a later date, after the administration
has the opportunity to analyze the com
mittee’s recommendations.
The committee met with Dr. Roy O.
Malo to explain its viewpoint.
ZJlie (jrantonian
Published bi-weekly Fall semester and
weekly Spring semester by the advanced
journalism class of Ulysses S. Grant
high school, room 203, 2,245 N.E. 36th
Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97212. Phone
288-5975. Printed by Modern Typesetting
company with a circulation of 3000. Sec
ond class postage paid at Portland, Ore.
Subscription cost $2.00 per year.
Vol. 71, No. 10 — January 19, 1968
Editor............... ............. Cecile O’Rourke
Staff Members........ June Ammon, Steph
Daly, Cynthia Froom, Jan Kelley, Mari
lyn Leonard, Julie Ferry
Advertising Manager ... .Bonnie Brown
Circulation Manager .... Kathy Walton
Assistants ..........Marlene Feves, Gerald
Holmes, Lisa Rose, Diane Sweet
Photographers .. Sterling Bennett, Tami
Brandt, Raylene Erickson, Nancy Mc
Cready, Helen Wall
Advisex1............. . ............... Willard Mohn