During the 1980s, Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ became a pop music sensation. People were solving the Rubik’s Cube, and teens headed off to roller rinks and to malls. Society was introduced to Ferris Bueller and Marty McFly, and big hair and leg warmers were in style.
At the turn of the decade into the 1980s, The John Carroll School was almost two decades old.
English Teacher Allison Hall was a student at JC during the second half of the decade, beginning in 1985 and graduating in 1989. Mrs. Hall said that one of the biggest differences was the number of students in the building. “There were about 1000 of us. I’m not sure where they put all of us for classes because some of the additions had not yet been built, but at the time, nothing seemed crowded.”
A mod system existed in the ‘80s, but it was a bit different than it looks today. “We had 15 mods a day except for Wednesdays when we had 16. Classes were either two or three mods long, and classes met four times a week.”
Like in the previous decade, the advisory program had not yet begun. “We had homerooms where we were separated by grade level and gender. The people in our homerooms were together for four years, but we had different homeroom teachers each year,” Mrs. Hall explained. She added that part of homeroom included “Homeroom Clean-Up” where students stayed after school each day to clean the floors and boards.
Mrs. Hall remembers when news broke in January 1986 that the Challenger, a US space shuttle, exploded, and seven astronauts died. “I was in freshman English class, and an announcement was made that interrupted classes. The school stopped and prayed for the astronauts and their families. At the end of the day, students went home and watched the footage on TV.”
A more positive memory occurred in the fall of 1985 when JC won a radio contest. A major ‘80s band came to JC and played a full concert. “It was very loud and very cool to have them in the gym and playing for only John Carroll students,” said Mrs. Hall.
Mrs. Hall also recalled “Ms. Jean,” a cafeteria worker who played a major role at life at JC. “She knew every student’s first name and said it as you paid for your lunch each day. She and her husband also came to so many games and events. Everyone absolutely loved her.”
Regarding other ‘80s differences, Mrs. Hall explained that students took typing classes and did not have laptop computers. Places like the Fine Arts wing and the lower gym did not exist. The football field did not have lights, and the main office looked very different than it does today.
– Emma Short, Patriot Staff
– Art by Savannah Sieck, ‘24