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Back in the 1970s, Julius West Junior High School (what JW was called at the time), had a school newspaper like the one you are reading right now, but it was printed on paper. It was also called by a different name, The Jaguar’s Tale.
One of the articles in The Jaguar’s Tale was about the 12th Annual Dance-Gymnastics Show that people could come and watch, being held at 8:00 PM. It included routines such as:
Parachute
Disco Duck
Balancing Act
Floor Routine
Ribbons
Uneven Bars
Mass Pyramids
Dance
Balance Beam
Rings
Mass Tumbling
The surprising thing is that the admission fee was 50 cents per person! If you compare that to the $10 admission fee for the Fall Dance in 2024, 20 people could go to the Gymnastics Show for the same price as one person could go to the Fall Dance.
1978 Spirit Week
In the same newspaper edition, the 50’s Spirit Week Extravaganza was announced. It was held to celebrate the last year of JW being a Junior High. The SGA was planning many activities and fundraisers for this year especially. The spirit days went in this order:
March 28………… BACKWARDS DAY
March 29………….JAGUAR T-SHIRT DAY
March 30…………CRAZY HATS DAY
March 31 (DAY)............50’s DRESS UP DAY
March 31 (NIGHT)............50’s DANCE & Movie
The first day (March 28) backwards day was where you would wear your clothes backwards, like your pants, shirt, etc. The next day (March 29) you would wear school spirit wear. It states in the article, “You should put a Julius West Jaguar iron-on to put on a pre-washed T-shirt.” It said if you could get one in time do so, but if not, wear a regular shirt. The next day (March 30) was crazy hats day where you can let your imagination run free and wild, by wearing bells, your hat, or actual fruit! One person from each grade would receive a record album for the craziest hat! The last day (March 31 DAY) was 50’s dress up day where you would wear many things from the 50’s. They told the boys and the girls how they had to dress for the day. They told the girls that they had to put their hair up, wear a lot of lipstick and rouge (blush), bobby socks, and tight jeans. The guys had to slick their hair back, put on the same jeans, and a T-shirt. They wanted people to try and wear it with either a pair of sunglasses, leather jacket, or a sweater. People today might feel forced to wear these clothes for a specific gender instead of what they would like to wear. The same night it was 50’s Dance & Movie night.
Can you believe they gave away one record album for the craziest hat? I wish I went to school in the 1970’s! Actually I’m lying, because then I wouldn’t have my phone with me!