The Big Spring School District's motto is “building on the past, looking to the future.” This can be seen through the evolution of the school handbook.
The 1971-1972 edition handbook comes in an old vegas gold and red color scheme. Its dimensions are 4” x 5 3/4” and is 1/4” thick. Within the confinements of the cover pages is a list of the administration, school board members, and Big Spring High School faculty. The school day started at 8:05 AM and ended at 3:15 PM and used a 5 point scale where there were only letter grades and no numbers. During the time period, America was at war with Vietnam and the Communists. Included in the handbook are disaster preparedness and air raid safety rules in case of an attack. There are also rules about giving gifts to teachers included which may have something to do with child safety laws. There is also a rule about snow balls on school property which is still in place today. Lunch cost $0.40 and only either a full lunch or a milk could be purchased, no a la carte. Also included is a section on cheerleading which has rules regarding when and when not to cheer for teams. When asked about the difference between then and now, freshman cheerleader Emily Witter said, “We would get in a lot of trouble with the principal back then because we don't follow those rules at all. It seems kinda silly that you would have to tell a cheerleader when and when to cheer also because it's just something that we know.”
The next major came in the handbook was the 1975-1976 edition.
This handbook has a base red color with black font on the cover. Its dimensions are 3 3/4” x 5 7/8”and is still 1/4” thick. Most of the handbook remains the same, even including the bomb preparedness rules and air raid safety. The school day changed however in those four years with a new school day starting at 8:00 AM and ending at 2:45 PM.
The next handbook comes from the 2005-2006 school year.
The size change is very apparent and is more decorated. Included on the front page is the school name, year and mascot as well as the Pennsylvania crest with parts of Newville in each section which was new to the cover. The book is 5 3/8” x 8 1/2” with a thickness of 3/16”. The school day started at 7:33 AM and ended at 2:51 PM which is currently the same today. The school went from a letter system with a 5 point scale to the percentage scale that is so familiar today. Over the thirty year period, some technological enhancements were made. For one, cameras were installed in the school that could monitor students. Also, an Internet usage form was to be completed which would allow student to access the internet for information. Another rule included in this edition of the handbook is the smoking ban policy which started to get popular with the teen demographic during this time. Another topic that is covered in this handbook is rules on being absent for hunting or fishing. The student activity fee was $10. The lunch cost rose to $1.90. Rules regarding cell phone use also was written in this edition because of the growing popularity which instant connection. Cell phones were not permitted during the school day.
Seven years later, the student handbook design remained the same. The color changed however going to a gold base with maroon lettering and design. The student activity fee in those seven years rose to $25. Lunch rose again to $2.60 due to a new lunch program.
They say the past is history, but the motto at Big Spring is “building on the past, looking to the future.” There has been quite a change in Big Spring just by looking at school handbooks.