Tiger Topics, Dec. 1973

              Censorship Draws Mixed Emotions
"I do not feel textbooks should be censored, because the angle of censorship is depriving persons of reading books. Textbooks have been carefully evaluated before they get into the classroom."
This is the claim of Mrs. Naomi Winter, head of the English de¬ partment here.
The School Board has been be- seiged by a number of parents lately, protesting the use of cer¬ tain books in the classroom. Al¬ though so far the protests have been confined to elementary school texts, high school texts may be attacked in the future.
Mrs. Winter feels that censor¬ ship of textbooks is dangerous be¬ cause it restricts the rights of others.
Of the use of profanity in texts, she says, "I feel you should not push profanity on students; teach¬ ers should use their good judge¬ ment. If everyone were told to censor books, everyone would find something wrong."
Miss Elaine Th isen, director of publications, agrees. She adds, *'The ideas or aspect of life in these books are all part of the students' world. It would be un-
Christmas Program Planned for Today
This year's Christmas Program will be an all school convocation Dec. 21 in the auditorium.
Mr. Kenneth Wells will have the a cappella choir singing sea¬ sonal carols in the opening. Solo¬ ists will include Marlynn Wilson, Carla Sherrell and others.
Next, Mr. Glenn Fisher and his Drama Club will give a play en¬ titled "A Happy Christmas to All." The play is taken from the poem "A Visit from St. Nick."
The play will be double cast. That is, it has two groups of ac¬ tors for each of the two presenta¬ tions.
A choral reading will follow the play.
The program will end with the student body singing Christmas carols
CAHS Tiger's Choir Sings on Television
Songs of Christmas were pre¬ sented by the choir as they per¬ formed on WISH-TV Dec. 8, ac¬ companied by Mrs. Dolthea Hart and directed by Mr. Ken Wells.
"I was pleased when we got the opportunity to represent the school on TV," smiles Mr. Wells.
"I was very proud of the be¬ havior of the students and their ability to come through under pressure," he ads.
Wells was also asked to speak before the cameras and admits he was nervous.
While being interviewed. Wells boasted of the new choir robes and commented on the choir's up¬ coming tours.
Soloists for the occasion were Marlyn Wilson, Gilbert Wilhite and Yvonne Fowlkes.
fortunate to try to barricade the student from the reality of the world in which they must live and which they must ultimately govern, no matter how harsh and unpretty that world may some¬ times seem."
However, student Rosemary Mabin feels books should be cen¬ sored, because if not, profanity would seem to become a part of formal English. She points out that parents often prohibit their children from using profanity. To
find it in school books would be contrary to what the parents would be teaching.
Cathy Burks, a senior at Harry E. Wood High School, feels that texts should not be censored be¬ cause students can pick up pro¬ fanity and violence on television. She feels that no one should cen¬ sor anything she reads.
A Washington High School stu¬ dent calls censorship "a childish thing that parents use to get at school officials."
One Broad Ripple student be¬ lieves that the people who are up¬ set about the stories, which are mostly by black authors, are using the present uproar about censor¬ ship to keep black literature out of the schools.
Every public high school in the city was asked by the city school officials to form censorship com¬ mittees to discuss aspects of cen¬ sorship of science and social stu¬ dies textbooks as well as those in English.
TIGER TOPICS
Vol. 6, No. 3-
- Crispus Attucks High School, Indianapolis, Ind. December, 1973
50:
Some  people  may  even  ha^e  nerve  enougl; to   hijack   gasoline   trucks   if  the   n^ad   is   bad
enough.   (But   dxm't  get   any   ideas just a cartoon.)
this   is
Energy Crisis Means Cold Pupils
by JULIE RATCLIFF
Fuel shortages have not only hit people's homes and businesses, but the Indianapolis Public Schools as welL
Faced with a diminshing sup¬ ply of fuel, school officials have considered extending the Christ¬ mas vacation by several weeks. Such a measure, or one that would close the schools in February, would mean that students would have to make up time during the summer months, during spring vacation or on Saturdays. 175 school days are required in this state.
Athletics have been hit as some city schools have rescheduled basketball games to times when school   buildings  have   heat:   on
school days and earlier in the ev¬ ening when some heat is left in the building from the school day.
Only about 77 per cent of ex¬ pected allocation of heating oil was anticipated this month for the schools.
Superintedent Karl Kalp notes that a reserve supply is less for city schools than for the town¬ ship schools.
Here thermostats have been lowered and principal Earl Donal¬ son has urged staff and students to dress warmly and to keep win¬ dows and outside doors closed.
Students have sometimes been wearing coats, hats, and gloves or mittens.
Mr. Steve Yerich of the English
department, however, feels the lowered temperatures haven't meant much. "We just live with it," he says. "In fact, sometimes it's too hot in my class room."
Cindy Woodson, sophomore, complains, "Some classes are re- diculous. It's freezing."
Junior Lesley Penelton believes that the frequent alternations be¬ tween hot and cold are unhealthy.
"It's pretty hard to type when you're wearing a coat," insists junior Mary Fugate, and Donna Collier, sophomore, adds that it is just as hard to sew.
One teacher was amused to see senior Michael Trotter writing the answers to a quiz while wearing mittens.
Foreign Visitors Find Schools Similar
Rev. Lakofe Mpombo, principal of a school complex and associate general secretary of the Christian Church in Zaire, Africa, visited here recently.
Rev. Mpombo speaks French fluently and was accompanied by Hal Heimer, associate of the Chris¬ tian Church's Overseas Ministries, who was his interpreter.
Rev. Mpombo was in this coun¬ try as a fraternal visitor to the National Assembly of Christian Churches, held in Cincinnati one month ago.
Following the meeting, he has spent time in several states visit¬ ing churches and schools.
In this city Rev. Mpombo and his interpreter spent time at Christamore House, Flanner House and the Christian Theo¬ logical Center.
Comparing the schools here to those in Zaire, Rev. Mpombo in¬ dicated that children start school at about the same age as those here and that there is a similar structure of a kindergarten, pri¬ mary level, and high schooL
However^ one difference is that in Zaire the various levels are grouped into a complex of schools. Another diffe»3nce, he points out, "is that everyone values educa¬ tion, so everyone wants to go to school, but there is not enough room for alL We have a long list of people waiting to get into school and very small number of people dropping out."
Nevertheless,      he      indicated that  it  is  difficult   to   compare the school systems of the two coun- Continued on Page 3
Tiger Better Than  Ever, Say  Editors
Producing a yearbook is full of trials and tribulations insist ed¬ itors Lesley Penelton and Mary Fugate.
"There are many difficult tasks that have to be completed in a limited amount of time," they say, listing covers, themes, and layouts as just a few of their concerns.
The staff determines the quality of the publication every student looks forward to getting in the spring.
"Many people don't realize the tedious procedures and obliga¬ tions needed to put out any sort of publication," say the editors. "Keeping things on schedule is the worst, though. Staff members and photographers just don't re¬ cognize the importance of meet¬ ing our deadlines."
Theme for this year's book is "Yesterday, today, tomorrow." A cover designed by Steve Wilson carries out this theme.
This year is the first time that students may have their own names on the covers of their books and they may get protrective plastic covers.
A number of students also are participating in a campaign to get boosters. Students who contract for $50 in booster sales will get their  yearbooks  free.
The editors promise, "This is going to be our best publication of the Tiger ever. So if you see a camera in the hands of one of our photographers or Miss Thei¬ sen, smile!"
IMIGKEY WINS TRIP TO  ''SOUL TRAIN"
Ernest Whitlock, senior, recent¬ ly won a trip to California for a television appearance on "Soul Train."
Whitlock, with his partner, De¬ bra Thompson, who graduated last year, won a dancing contest held at the intermission of the Soul Train Revere Show here in November.
Whitlock explains, "Don Cornel¬ ius, producer of *Soul Train,' asked that anybody who wanted to enter the contest could do so by placing his name in a box at the show.
Cornelius then picked eight couples to get up on stage to dance. The audience was to be tne judge and by their applauding the most for Debra and me, we were chosen vdnners," Whitlock says.
"We were very happy, but De¬ bra did not know we won at first until I told her," he adds.
He claims that dancing comes naturally for him. He has been dancing for ^ve to six years in contests and has won five trophies and cash prizes, but he has never won a trip before.
Debra has been his dancing partner for a year or more, he notes, and as a couple they have won several trophies and cash awards.
They will leave for California on Jan. 19 and stay for one week. All expenses wiU be paid.
Ernest plans to go to college and be a professional dancer.