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Spring Break
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Coach Johnson
featured
page 6
GRIMSLEY HIGH LIFE
^Voice o f the WTiirlies'
March 29, 1985
Teen Alcoholism: Are you a candidate?
by Hope Tarantelli
“As society plunges deeper into
the ’80’s,” states a pamphlet
from Alamance County’s Adoles
cent Care Unit, “there’s still a
generation waiting to be labeled.
In the past, there has been the
Beat Generation, the Flower
Children, the Flappers, the pro
ducts of the Post-War Baby
Boom, the Peaceniks, and soon.”
And now, a likely label for the
’80’s might be drawn from the
growing number of teenage
heavy drinkers and alcoholics.
Teen alcoholism and heavy
drinking are two different pro
blems of today’s society; yet, in
retrospect, one problem stems
directly from the other. HIGH
LIFE, in an effort to inform - not
lecture - the reader, has visited a
number of alcohol information
centers in Greensboro and a
branch of the national Adolescent
Care Unit in Burlingotn, N.C.
One of the first questions
brought to mind in respect to teen
drinking is, “What is the dif
ference between an Alcoholic and
a heavy drinker?” The Guilford
County Alcohol Information
Center provided the answer. A
heavy drinkpr is not an alcoholic -
it is only a possible sign of
alcoholism. The teen drinker
needs increasing amounts of
alcohol to feel the same “kick”
experience after one first begins
drinking. And a heavy drinker’s
weekend turns into a barage of
drinking parties with friends
unlike the alcoholic’s solitary
drinking sprees.
Although heavy drinking is
serious, teenage alcoholism is
becoming more prevalent in
society. Not only is teen
alcoholism dangerous - it can be
fatal if undetected by family or
friends. Alcoholism is an illness
although it is usually associated
with “older” people and adults.
But like most other illnesses -
heart disease, TB, cancer - it can
stike people of any age, even
teenagers.
One may question exactly how
alcoholism begins. There is one
concrete feeling about this
disease, “Alcoholism develops at
different rates in different peo
ple.” Yet, there is no agreed upon
model of how alcoholism begins.
you
A number of circumstances can
contribute to the beginnings of a
possible alcoholic: “An in
dividual who (1) responds to
alcohol be experiencing intense
relief and relaxation, and who (2)
has certain personality
characterisitcs such as difficulty
in dealing with and overcoming
depression, anxiety and frustra
tion, and who (3) is a member of
a culture in which there is a
pressure to drink.”
Like any illness, there are
many observable warning signs
of alcoholism such as isolation
from family and friends, increas
ing rebelliousness and resent-
fullness, and the recurrance of
the smell of alcohol on breath. An
alcoholic also passes through
three distinct stages with
noticable symptoms of the il
lness. In the first stage, it is dif
ficult to distinguish the heavy
social drinker from the alcoholic.
The symptoms range from in
creased alcohol tolerance and in
creased drinking to personality
changes and forgetfulness.
In stage two, the middle stage,
guilt and isolation erupt. “Eye
New Snow policy in effect
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Nov 28,29
Nov 27,28
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Nov 24,25
V/Inter
Break
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Dec 21/Jan 1
Dec22/Jan2
SprIno
Break
Mar28/Apr1
Apr 17-21
Apr 1-5
March24-28
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180 Day
May 30
June 2
June 2
May 30
by Carrie Milgrim
Snow. During the winter,
students pray for snow, but when
the summer comes, the days are
not remembered and regrets
come.
Over the past few weeks, there
have been rumors as to how these
six days, more than any other
year in Dr. Newbold’s 7-year
career in the Public School
System, will be made up. Accor
ding to Board of Education
policy-AE, adopted December 20,
1983, the first five days missed,
due to snow, will be made up at
the end of the year. No days will
be substracted from Winter
Break, Spring Break, or teacher
workdays. The following five
days will be forgiven. If by
remote chance, more than these
ten days are missed for snow,
each day after number ten will be
made up. The days missed for
snow this school year were
January 21, 22, 28, 29, 30 and
February 5.
The process of defiding
whether or not school will be in
session begins at 4 a.m. Four of
Newbold’s staff members ride
streets, that in history, have been
critical in inclement weather.
They meet at 5 a.m. at the main
office at N. Eugene Street. These
members call the highway
patrol, the sherrifs office, and
finally Dr. Newbold at 5:30.
The three school system
superintendents. High Point City,
Guilford County, and Greensboro
City, try to agree as much as
possible. But, if in disagreement,
the final decision is up to teach,
individual superintendent.
There is only a remote
possibility that seniors will make
up the days lost to snow. Because
the coliseum has to be booked in
advance, and the unavailability
of the complex, it is difficult to
change the dates secured for
graduation. The decision to
change the graduation date
depends upon Dr. Newbold and
each principal. Dr. Newbold
leans toward not changing the
date of graduation stating “no
senior ever died from missing 6
days of school.”
The 5 days will be made up the
week of June 3-7.
openers,” in the morning, work
problems and drinking out of
necessity result in this cycle.
Finally, the third stage,
disintegration of family/friend
life and obvious uncontrolled
drinking occur. “Drinking
becomes the driving force of
life,” as stated in a pamphlet
from the Alcohol Information
Center.
As one can see, alcoholism is a
progressive illness in both teens
and adults. As long as an
alcoholic keeps drinking, the il
lness will grow progressively
^continued on page
Fuller awarded
Morehead =
by Brian Gay
Possibly the most prestigious
award or honor to be received at
Grimsley this year is the
Morehead Scholarship awarded
to Billy Fuller. The last time the
award was awarded to a
Grimsley student was in 1978 and
went to Cliff Abels. It is
unbelievable that of all North
Carolina seniors, approximately
90,000, only 35 persons have been
awarded one of the scholarships.
The Morehead Scholarships
grants a four year education at
the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill and summer
traveling programs to build
leadership skills. The whole
package is worth over $30,000.
Although the benefits of the
scholarship are outstanding, one
does not receive the award for
getting out of bed; but for many
years of admirable work.
The process toward receiving
the award began at Grimsley
with the first interview. It con
tinued to county, district, and the
final interview at Carolina. At
each stage, students are
eliminated. The final interview
was at Chapel Hill on February
23-26 which coifsisted of the inter
views, banquets, and learning
about the program. The good
news came March 1 when Fuller
received the word he was part of
the elite group of recipients of the
Morehead Scholarship. “Excited
to say the least,” stated Fuller
after receiving the honor. “As far
as suspense, I was relieved ^nd
some decisions as far as school
were made for me. It is quite an
honor and gives me opportunities
to do things I wouldn’t have had a
chance to do otherwise.”