Cardinal 1971

The 1971 edition of the Worthington High School Cardinal yearbook features photos of students, faculty, sports, clubs and activities, social events, and candid photos. Individual portrait photos of senior class members are included. The 1971 Cardinal is the first yearbook to also feature individual photos of juniors, sophomores, and freshmen as well. Sharon Gibney was the Cardinal editor.
New and notable leadership included David Cavanaugh, who joined the staff as high school principal for the 1970-71 school year. Robert Wilcox served as a new assistant principal and John Miller continued in his role as principal of the Kilbourne school, where the ninth-graders attended class. Harold McCord was superintendent of schools. In November 1970, "Chalk Dust on My Shoulder," a memoir about lessons learned working with Worthington students, won the Ohioana Book Award for best non-fiction by an Ohio author. It was written by English teacher Charles Rousculp. The National Association of Biology Teachers named Robert McBurney Ohio’s “Outstanding Biology Teacher of the Year.”

Overcrowding was a serious issue at the high school, reflecting the school district’s rapid growth. According to the U.S. Census, the City of Worthington’s population grew from 9,239 to 15,326 in the decade between 1960 and 1970. (The school district boundaries included all of the City of Worthington plus some adjoining areas in Franklin County.) The results of a community survey presented in January 1971 indicated that residents thought high school enrollment should be capped at 1,500 students, but contradicted themselves by preferring only one high school that would serve the entire district. By the 1970-71 school year, Worthington High School’s attendance had already exceeded that limit, with 1,518 sophomores, juniors, and seniors attending classes at Worthington High School while another 542 freshmen were housed at the Kilbourne school two blocks away.

Football was serious business, with more than 8,000 people attending the Worthington-Upper Arlington game. The swim team’s four-man free relay broke the state record, swam the second fastest relay in the nation, and surpassed the All-American time standard. Three other swimmers also won state championships in their events. In June 1971, Worthington High School track star Tim Kight won the National Hurdles Championship in the 330-yard intermediate hurdles. The same month, ten Worthington High School runners broke the national high school record for a 24-hour relay, running 258 miles, 482 yards. Meanwhile, the girls participated in intermural and interscholastic sports as part of the Girls’ Athletic Association.

In other events, talented students performed "Oklahoma!," the Broadway musical, that winter. "Member of the Wedding" was the fall play, and "The Lion that Lost His Roar" entertained local children in the spring. For the first time, boys were allowed to take home economics, but were limited to specific classes that were not open to girls. Mr. Rusk’s statistics class conducted a student survey in the fall and found that 15.9 percent of students had tried marijuana at least once. The Race Relations student study group helped plan Black Experience Week, which included a controversial assembly speaker.

Nationally, the Vietnam War was the most polarizing political issue of the time. In June 1971, Ohio was the 38th state to ratify the Twenty-sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, meaning that many members of the Class of ‘71 would be eligible to vote in the next election as 18-year-olds. Referring to the very unpopular military conscription draft, a popular slogan said, "If you’re old enough to fight, you’re old enough to vote."

In a potential challenge to the school’s revised, less restrictive dress code, girls’ clothing ranged from the very short—1971 was the year hot pants became popular—to long peasant dresses. For the anti-fashionistas, long hair, jeans, and a T-shirt worked for both sexes. The ubiquitous POW/MIA bracelets first appeared in in 1970. "Love Story," "Little Big Man," and "Five Easy Pieces" were three of the top box office hits during that school year. "All in the Family" was the most watched TV show.