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.

High School for a Track Star

“Now the race is on and here comes pride in the backstretch.” Sawyer Brown's track “The Race Is On” was, track star, Mrs. Amy Tvedt's favorite song of '93. During that year she was a graduating senior at Oakes High School, North Dakota. Currently, Tvedt is Deuel High School's Algebra I and Geometry teacher.

Pranks such as throwing fireworks in the burning of the letter were the least of your prank worries at Oakes. “My class put an outhouse on top of the entryway of the school for homecoming,” said Tvedt.

Tvedt, the tomboy, was a dedicated athlete. She even went as far as getting detention for her desire for sports. “I skipped out of class early for a drill team meeting, which I wasn't involved in so that I could go to basketball practice early,” said Tvedt. That dedication paid off in the long run though. “I was the two mile track state champion my junior and senior year. I was also the mile champion my senior year,” Tvedt said. She was a state track attendant from grade seven to grade twelve. However, she didn't run cross country until she received a scholarship for NDSU because the sport wasn't offered at her high school. With so much athletic talent it's no surprise that Tvedt was voted most athletic in her class. “When I was in the seventh grade I ran in the National Hershey's Track Meet, and the summer after my senior year I got to go to the Caribbean for a team USA trip to play basketball and run track,” Tvedt said. She was also able to go the State Girls Basketball Tournament her senior year. “In one game I scored two three-pointers in the last thirty seconds,” said Tvedt.

Her success didn't come without regretful moments. “I tripped during a warm up in basketball on my first varsity game. I pretty much just got up with a red face and hoped no one saw it. It always feels worse than it really is,” Tvedt said.

Other then Tvedts activeness in sports, she also did boys basketball stats, she was a member of NHS and student council, she participated in 4-H, she taught Sunday school, and she was on the yearbook committee.

“My parents were my role models. They taught me to always finish what you start and to do your best,” said Tvedt.

“I can remember playing school at home with my sister and her friends, but I didn't decide I wanted to be a teacher until my sophomore year of college,” Tvedt said. In high school Tvedt really only had one plan for her future. “I wanted to join the Air Force, but my dad kind of put an end to that,” said Tvedt.

The early '90s was the era of rolled jean cuffs, silk shirts, and spiral perms. Cruising was a typical trend as well. “I had a junker, '75 Capri Classic. Then I got an El Camino, but as a senior I drove a Le Baron.

There seems to be more differences than similarities when comparing high school in the '90s to high school now. “Students didn't have jobs or extra things to do after school. I only remember having a job in the summer,” said Tvedt. However, majority of the differences relate to technology, of course. Tvedt said, “I took keyboarding as a sophomore on an electric typewriter, and our teachers didn't have computers.” Oakes High School only had one computer lab in the early '90s. “We didn't get to use the lab very much. We didn't even use it to type papers. I used a typewriter to type a senior English paper,” said Tvedt. Students used calculators but typically not graphing calculators. Tvedt said, “I didn't get my first graphing calculator until I was a sophomore in college.” Other common technology uses were overhead projectors, film reel projectors, VHS tapes, and eight-tracks.

Parent Teacher Conferences

At Parent-Teacher conferences there were about 25% of the students' parents that showed up to talk with the teacher. The Conferences were from 3:30- 9:00 on February 19th in the gym and lunch room.