The tlpicililan6er Serving As A Medium Of Communication Within The Student Community Vol. 30, No. 13 Seaholm High School, Birmingham, Michigan December 20, 1968 - • Girls from Child Study classes host a Christmas party for youngsters from the Head Start program. Party Brings Merry Spirit To Children Child study classes this year have tried to make Christ,las mer- rier for some four year olds of pro- ject headstart. They held a Christ- mas party for many of these young- sters on Dec. 12 during their class periods of third, fifth, and sixth hours. Planning began in advance for the party and it was decided that, if possible, presents should be obtained for the children. Fortu- nately one of the girls' fathers worked in Kresge's so the pres- Presents are handed out to the visiting children from under the ents weren't hard to obtain. The little Christmas tree. girls then brought in wrapping paper to wrap the gifts. A Christmas tree was also. brought in and the girls furnished Is Santa ClausAliveor Dead the ornaments to decorate it with. Is Santa Claus really dead? ticed that for the last few weeks Then on the 12th the three groups Santa was born on your first of December everyone changes? of children came at different times Christmas, but did he die when Suddenly apathy is pushed be- and enjoyed the tree and gifts mommy told you it was really hind a cloud. All the world is the girls had prepared for them. daddy in that Santa suit? . your friends. During third hour they also en- Remember how infuriated you "Hello, hello," and other joyed the lunch that was prepared were. How could your parents salutations of the season. You especially for them so that they lie to you like that? And, what's look past skin, beliefs, and just as bad, how could you fall could come. other superficial things. You are for all that phoney Santa jazz? saying "hello" to that person's .But your small tantrum was soul. You all have something SHS'ers Compile basically a cover up. How could .-very much in common—the giving there be any Christmas, any of one's self—Christmas. Christmas Basket meaning to Christmas, without The icing covered trees, the a Santa? biting cold wind, decorations, First among the varied pro- Then you realized that you Christmas cookies, glittering jects undertaken by Seaholm stu- were a really hip eight year old tinsel, giving (no matter what dents this Christmas was the who could profess to the world, the gift), caring enough to greet preparation of Christmas bas- ."Santa is dead. See? It's only a stranger...This is Santa Claus. whcih were distributed by the youi dumb father under that This is the jolly, gentle man students to the needy families beard." with wind-burned red cheeks of the Pontiac area: Packaged' If you were really convinced and all the presents. How could in gaily wrapped boxes, the of that your parents really he be dead? He lives and he will gifts included such items as flopped at explaining Santa live as long as Christmas does.. canned and 'fresh vegetables, to vna. Haven't you ever no- eggs, potatoes, canned soups, celery, cranberry or applesauce, lettuce, jello, salad dressing or mayonaise, breads, coffee, HAPPINESS IS LIKE JAM; tea, cocoa, packaged fruit cake, packaged soft drinks, butter, plum puddings, cookies, staplss such as salt, sugar, flour; pep- VOL) CAN'T per, peanut butter, cheese, soap, and a big Christmas turkey. In many cases students also donated clothes, shoes, coats, and toys. SPREAD IT AROurYD WITHOUT GET- The baskets were delivered to the 74 families on Thursday, Dec. 19, following the Christmas THYG SOIYIE ON youRSELF assembly. Season Rush Subtracts From Christmas 1,.eaning It's Christmas Day next Wednesday and everyone, like everyone else, is busy rushing and hurrying around town to the different shops, hunting for gifts (supposedly from Santa, Admiristration's Not Informing Kids; once they get under the tree). Would Aunt Martha like this, or Q. Why aren't the junior and would she prefer this—should I get Granny some more hand- Communication Must Be Improved sophomore pictures being taken kerchiefs this year—did Carol want the Barbie doll, or the The administration of this school is making significant this year? Midge doll—all are part of the yearly treasure hunt called attempts to improve its relations with the student body. Yet *5* A. An administrative decision Christmas, combined with the lights, the decorations, and there exists an unbelievable lack of communication between against allowing a company to the Santas on each corner with their fake ho, ho, ho's. Be- the administrators and the average student. take individual pictures for sale cause of the time element involved this time of the year, Just recently, three instances occurred in which the kids to juniors and sophomores is the result of the new ID card system. many of us are just too busy to think of any other aspect of were left totally in the dark. The first was the bomb scare In the past, the only reasbn the Christmas except the gifts and the glamour. which developed several weeks ago, causing a major portion school allowed the picture tak- On Christmas morning, we take it for granted that we will of the building to be cordoned off. Maybe it was a hectic ing which disrupted classes was to obtain a photo of each stu- awaken nice and early, and hurry to the tree to unravel the moment for the administration, but something should have dent for the school's master packages from their papers that mother carefully wrapped the been done in the way of informing the students. Instead, records. Purchase of the polaroid night before, and to us—that's Christmas. But I wonder if the many kids felt it necessary to disturb the authorities by going camera system this year abol- ished the need. boys in Vietnam think the same way about the holiday. I outside to ask questions of the police and fire department wonder if they have decorated trees, or if they only have officials. A simple announcement over the PA would have visions of the season "back home" in between the exploding clarified the situation, and would have avoided a great deal fanta's Helper bombs and guns. How do the kids in the slums spend their of unnecessary confusion. With jingle bells, snow and- Christmas? Do they have gifts, and if they do, are they wrap- The other two problems were not as immediate, and didn't Christmas shopping right around ped .in .a rainbow of colors? Tell me, what did you contribute involve a hectic situation. But again, the administration failed the corner, many Seaholmites to the Christmas Basket Drive? You were only given the to alert the students to the problems, even though it directly will be thinking of gifts—both to buy and to receive. chance to aid one family, but isn't that a big help in itself? affected them. An exploration trip around We have all got to remember that Christmas isn't a time One of these cases concerned the suspension of the flex Birmingham reveals several of receiving—it's a time of giving. It's the time to give from play, Lysistrada. Hundreds of students had paid a dime in stores that bear looking into. 4 your heart, to reach out with your hand and think of someone order to see the production, and then all of a sudden the The first is the Bees' Hive located at 325 Eton next to the else for a change besides yourself! money was returned and the kids were told that they couldn't Grand Trunk station. If you —Denise Schwab see the play. The rumor eventually got around that the pro- like or know someone who likes duction had been censored and subsequently cancelled per- handmade articles, stop in. manently. It was reported that one parent had complained You'll find everything from dolls to old butter churns ranging in about the play and had forced the clergy to take a stand on price from 25¢ to over $300. Hot Headlines From 30's the issue. It was even rumored that some sort of condemna- For those who are more in- While rummaging through the collection of one of the first tion was going to be handed down by the leaders of some terested in gettirg a gift that Highlanders I had to chuckle while reading some of the dated news church if the production was presented to the Seaholm stu- is more original, there are a stories. It was at a time when Seaholm wasn't Seaholm, and the number of shops with articles dent body. local high school in Birmingham was Baldwin High School. Here both quaint and odd. The Con- are only a few of the bits and pieces printed in the Highlander on As it turned out, these reports were false to a large ex- tinental Market can serve as December 21, 1939-29 years ago tomorrow! tent. But why weren't the students informed? Did the admini- your center for such things as HEADLINE: Jitterbugs Rug-Cut to Red Hot Rhythm pottery, clothing, jewelry, beads stration consider this situation to be the Cuban Missile Students! Let's dance, let's dance! All those rug cutters were and posters—all done in a "not- right in the groove when Jack Pardee alai his "Four Down Beats" Crisis of 1968 and therefore something that had to be dis- so-dull and common fashion." started beating it out at the Holly Hop which was held in the high cussed in total secrecy? I just don't see why our money was The prices are reasonable; and school gym, Wednesday, December 20.