Hawthorne Feedback

Name: Steve Fraser ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Nov 22, 2006, 3:24 pm - HHS Time

Class: 1966
City & State: Laguna Woods, Ca
E-mail
Message: WATER POLO! Thanks to Walter for standing up for us. I spent 3 years on the varsity team. In my senior year our lockers were next to the varsity football team. They ragged on us all the time for being "WIMPY". So one day we challenged them to a match. We started the game in the diving pool (12' deep). After about 15 minutes, and two near drownings, The Old coach, Hal, pulled his team out of the water and told our coach Lou Jones...I won't have a starting line up Friday if this continues...Needless to say, some respect was gained that day. Watch the Olympics if you think water polo players are wimps. You don't have to swing a bat or wear a helmet and get your brains beat out to be an athlete.

Name: Gary Bickers ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Nov 22, 2006, 2:52 pm - HHS Time

Class: 1963
City & State: pve cal
E-mail
Message: I also read the "Coach" and like always he makes a lot of sense. I only wish he and his staff had been our staff at HHS. One of my great memories was spending a weekend with 5 other HHS footballers at UC, Santa Barbara when the college was trying to recruit him to take their team. Wouldn't that have been a great 4 years. Coach comes from more background than any of us. So that said, we all agree to leave the kids, teachers, and coaches alone and let them work things out?

Name: Richard ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Nov 22, 2006, 2:07 pm - HHS Time

Class: 1969
City & State: of LongBeach
No E-mail
Message: Was stuck in traffic yesterday morning, and heard some guy called Rush on talk radio, state that all the problems in the schools are caused by teachers, and teachers unions. He even made statements (and I am paraphrasing here)about teachers wanting but not needing pay above poverty level. And that the national figure of 2,500 students dropping out of high school each day, teachers need to be fired because of their "Poor Customer Service". As long as self-made personalities are being paid to speak out crap like this, our education system will continue to suffer. As tomorrow is a day to give thanks, I give thanks to all the teachers who kept me on course through 16+ years of education, so I would be a meaningfull member of society. God Bless our Teachers !

Name: Sharon MacDonald ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Nov 22, 2006, 12:40 pm - HHS Time

Maiden: Badger
Class: 1963
City & State: Bruceville, Texas
E-mail
Message: Happy Thanksgiving to all in Cougartown!!

Name: Jay Beebe ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Nov 22, 2006, 11:53 am - HHS Time
Class: 1978
City & State: Bell Buckle Tennesse
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Message: Tom Hayes and I use to live together and his dad would bring us all the beer that he took from people he stopped. Those were the days! Boy, times have changed!!!!

Name: Jay Beebe ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Nov 22, 2006, 5:50 am - HHS Time
Class: 1978
City & State: Bell Buckle Tennessee
E-mail
Message: Does anybody remember Tom Hayes, Class of '78? His dad was a policeman on the Hawthorne Dept. I still remember that '67 gold Camaro he had. If anyone knows where to find him, please let me know. Thanks

Name: Debbie ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Nov 22, 2006, 3:46 am - HHS Time

Maiden: Miles
Class: 1977
City & State: Del Aire
E-mail
Message: Both Coach Chauncey and his son taught HHS students. Wasn't there another father/son occurence with the Dolce's? Any others? I know there were several husband/wife teams who worked together.

Name: Marilyn Ross ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Nov 21, 2006, 7:53 pm - HHS Time

Maiden: Wisham
Class: 1956
City & State: Garden Grove, CA
No E-mail
Message: I was one of those early students that sat in the stands every weekend to watch our football team. It was one of the greatest experiences in my teen years, I wouldn't miss it. We had so much school spirit compared to schools today. I work in a high school and the spirit is dismal. A few of the kids are as gung ho as we were but most are not. Pep rallys were a ball and really fired us up. We would learn new yells and songs. Todays cheerleaders are more dancers and use popular music instead of the old school songs. Times change. Basketball games were really popular too. I was really lucky to have Coach Chauncey for a teacher too.

Name: Bill Shultz ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Nov 21, 2006, 3:08 pm - HHS Time

Class: 1963
City & State: Hawthorne,Ca.
E-mail
Message: Mr. Chauncey! As always you are so very right. So well said! Thanks, Old "Humpry"!

Name: Jay Beebe ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Nov 21, 2006, 1:11 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1978
City & State: Bell Buckle Tennesse
E-mail
Message: To all my old friends from Hawthorne. I'm still alive and kicking! I left Hawthorne in 1979 and haven't talked or seen anybody since. It sure was good to pull this site up on the web and see Ya'll ( That's Tennessee Talk!). Drop me an e-mail when you can!

Name: Dan Johnson ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Nov 21, 2006, 12:29 pm - HHS Time

Class: 1977
City & State: Los Angeles
E-mail
Message: Hawthorne athletics weren't all the great in my senior year. For example, my basketball team went 5-17 -- with two of those wins over Lennox and another over Catalina Island! But I don't think this poor performance detracted from our school spirit or our high school experience. Our basketball team, for example, consisted of guys who tried hard and had a lot of fun despite the losing (and an insufferable coach, not to mention an untimely injury to Tracy Turner). Funny coincidence -- during the Hawthorne High Basketball tournament, we lost the first round and had to play in the girl's gym in the loser's bracket. Our opponent? Yes, Mayfair High School! We took a 20 point lead in the first half and still ended up losing! C'est la vie!

Name: Keith D. Jones ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Nov 21, 2006, 11:58 am - HHS Time

Class: 1976
City & State: Kona, HI
E-mail
Message: I agree with Coach. I don't agree with John not posting my message. But hey thats okay too.

Name: Ol' Coach Hal Chauncey ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Nov 21, 2006, 11:20 am - HHS Time

E-mail
Message: GOOD MORNING JOHN, There are a lot of things that come into play over this HHS situation! Academics, naturally has to be at the top of the list! But there other things also that go into a successful high school experience for the students! There are responsibilities in everything we do in life! In this case the kids are responsible for their part in getting the most out of their school experience! They also have the responsibility to their team mates and the Coaches to stay eligible! The faculty also has some responsibility along this line! Why are the kids failing? 22 out of 56 is not acceptable! Are they just lazy and not getting their work done?Are they in classes that they shouldn't be in? They sure can't be dumb! Coaches take kids from all spectors of the "IQ" charts--low to high. These same kids learn more than 30 offensive plays, against several different defenses. Are coaches better teachers than some in the classrooms? The answer is motivation! Kids will learn as much as you can make them want to learn! Has the high school academic teacher ever contacted the coach about one of his kids that is not doing his work, before he fails? The coaches can assist in this problem! The kids come back to school after the summer vacation and Football is the first thing they see. Football starts the school season. Students are excited and are looking forward to the football season! It sets the tone for the school year! It sets the tone for school spirit and morale for the school year! Show me a school that has continually losing athletic seasons--specifically football and I'll show you a school with poor school spirit and morale! The coaches are very aware of their responsibility to provide leadership and an offense/defense that will make a successful season! Coaches try to find a place where every kid can fit into the system! "Cap" (Capelouto) and I had the ideal set up when we opened the school in 1951! We had a School Administration, both district and local, that knew the importance of a strong athletic program - as well as the scholastic program! We were blessed with students & parents and a community that were vitally interested in their new school! Wally Nyman, our Principal, was aware that we were out to put HHS on the map--and do it first through athletics, and we had his support! The money the coaches are getting was pointed out in the article and referred to by the principal! The figure was $4500 per season! People don't realize that high school football coaches don't coach for the money! It certainly helps but that is not their primary concern! They want to work with the kids! When Cap and I started we got $200 for the football season--that figured out to be 16 cents per hour--when we went into the playoffs it dropped to 9 cents per hour! $4500 was more than Cathy got her first year of teaching--and that was the highest teachers pay in the state. It was $800 more than Cap and my starting salary at HHS! We are disappointed that the current student body is not able to have the wonderful High School experience that our classes were able to have! Lets hope that the kids, the Coaching staff, and the Administration and community support, can overcome these obstacles and get back on the winning tract! "Ol' Coach"

Name: Walter Holt ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Nov 21, 2006, 11:07 am - HHS Time

Class: 1966
City & State: Surf City, CA
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Message: Water Polo not a sport? I sure wouldn't get in a pool with Ron Baumgarner(sp?) and question that. I briefly played on the water polo team and like surfing it is a lot more physically challenging than most people think. HHS is looking a lot better than it did a few years ago. Regarding the security around HHS, maybe if more schools around the country had the security like HHS to protect their kids in school we wouldn't have the Columbines and elsewhere happening as frequently as they do, even if it is a tough to see it there. Stop and think fellow Cougs none of us like the way things are going. All in all though it is our generation that allowed the changes in society from the values we grew up with, The way as a society we are allowed to deal with our children and how we allow a minority of people to dictate their ways over the majority. We have in a lot of ways tied our hands and those we leave our children in care of. That is not to say there haven't been or aren't a lot of very caring parents whom are instilling great values on their children.

Name: Pat Underwood ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Nov 21, 2006, 3:41 am - HHS Time

Class: 1963
City & State: Hawthorne, Calif
E-mail
Message: The Lawndale High Alumni got together to get a band back at Lawndale and now they have one. So trust me, Alumni does work. So be true to your school.

Name: Ricki Farrell ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Nov 20, 2006, 7:36 pm - HHS Time

Maiden: Valencia
Class: 1961
City & State: Tucson, AZ
E-mail
Message: I?ve been reading the feedback page and become quite saddened by the negativity expressed by a few of our fellow alums.I began teaching fulltime in 1968 at Lynwood High School. I substituted in the Torrance Unified School District prior to Lynwood and retired in 2005 from Mayfair High School. I?ve seen many changes during my career. It isn?t only in the schools. It?s society. Mr. Edwards, a former Senior Problems teacher at HHS, once said that Hollywood dictates our behavior. In 1961 I thought that the comment was ridiculous. How wrong was I? Hawthorne is a microcosm of society.Hawthorne High, like most other schools, needs commitment at every level. Not just in sports, academics and extracurricular activities but more importantly, in discipline. Everyone in charge, including parents, needs to support the rules and regulations that are already in place. When discipline becomes truly zero tolerance, transformation happens. I?ve seen it. I remember when Mayfair had the worst football team in the league. I challenge you to look at the stats now. We all pulled together to turn the school around.Let?s take positive attributes and bring them to light. As Gary said, hail the 20 kids and the coach that stayed on the football team. What?s that old saying? ?Be true to your school.? I love Hawthorne High. It gave me the opportunity and the skills to succeed in a career that I adored. Where do we send the $20.00? Thanks John for your loyalty.

Name: Dan Webb ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Nov 20, 2006, 6:20 pm - HHS Time

Class: 1976
City & State: Saint Paul
No E-mail
Message: One can only imagine the stories of change (or decline) that can be told by the senior native islanders...Did I say that??? Sorry Cougs. But deep down, Hawthorne is still home.

Name: Alan Nelson ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Nov 20, 2006, 4:37 pm - HHS Time

Class: 1973
City & State: Parker, AZ
E-mail
Message: All this talk about the current HHS Football team makes me wonder how the Water Polo Team is doing. (He said sarcastically)

Name: Britt Stonebraker ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Nov 20, 2006, 2:09 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1978
City & State: San Marcos CA
E-mail
Message: All the recent talk has caused me to think Ouch! Really isnt the whole idea of belonging to HHS alumni to support and encourage the current students? And try to preserve some traditions? And not just reflecting on the past, How about a mentoring page? JB1 and his infinite wisdom could moderate and be sure good wholesome advice is imparted, then current students could ask questions on how us Old timers dealt with the various complexities of High School life, I for one wish I had such a wealth of wisdom available during those confusing years. And if there were a financial need for say (new footballs?) or anything we could pool our resouces and maybe make a differance? Just a thought.