Former Clear Lake Graduate

Time has been the thief in this situation. In 1968 Mrs. Barb Schiefelbein was a graduating senior of the school she now teaches Physics at.

The years that have passed have witnessed many changes at the high school in Clear Lake. Schiefelbein said, “We had to wear dresses or skirts that were knee length so when we knelt down they would touch the ground.” That's right ladies, no comfy jeans! It's very obvious that everyone's schedules have changed dramatically over the years. “We weren't so busy with activities,” said Schiefelbein. Imagine the strong stench of alcohol on your papers that were freshly copied from the old spirit copier. “The most technological thing for us was a film strip projector. We didn't even have calculators,” Schiefelbein said. In the late '60s you could count on an action packed drive-in movie on those humid summer nights. Most high schoolers today wouldn't even think for a split second about not having a car to drive. Absorb that thought for just a moment. Now imagine not having a car until you're out of college! “I had a license, but I didn't have a car, so I didn't drive a lot,” said Schiefelbein.

Schiefelbein endured quite the change on her first day of high school. “When I went to country school there was only about eleven or twelve students in each grade, but when I was in high school my class had 64 students,” said Schiefelbein. She soon learned to value the opportunities Clear Lake High School offered for her. “I enjoyed being able to be with so many people my age, to have some lab equipment to be able to do things in science classes, and to have books. We didn't have much in country school so it seemed like a lot,” Schiefelbein said. With more resources for learning came better class instructors. “My science teacher made the biggest impact on me because he knew so many different things and he made things so interesting. They were things that I never had the opportunity to learn in my country school,” said Schiefelbein. The only disadvantage of Clear Lake High School compared to the country school was that the buildings weren't all connected. Schiefelbein said, “Walking outside to get to classes was the worst part of high school because sometimes it was cold and icy.”

Schiefelbein's love for music all started in high school. She said,“In the summer time we had summer band every week, so we would have concerts on the front lawn of the school, and people would park along the street to listen.” Schiefelbein played the baritone and often participated in solos. “I was always terribly nervous before concerts,” Schiefelbein said. She had a diverse taste in music. “I liked folk music, Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles, and Tijuana Brass,” said Schiefelbein.

Along with music, Schiefelbein was also involved in FHA and NHS. “I was a National Merit Scholar, the Elks Most Valuable Student, which was a scholarship, and I received the DAR award,” Schiefelbein said. Math and Chemistry were her favorite subjects. “I thought it was fun to figure out things and understand how they worked,” said Schiefelbein. However, Chemistry was the most difficult class for Schiefelbein. “I think I did the worst in Shop and Art though. I'm not very artistic at all,” said Schiefelbein.

“I knew I wanted to go to college for something to do with Science or Math,” Schiefelbein said. In college she started working for a degree in Pharmacy, but then decided that wasn't what she really wanted to do. “I always liked school, living in small towns, math, and science so I decided teaching would be a way I could do all of those things,” Schiefelbein said.