For some students, one of those things was an after-school job. "When this school first opened, none of my students had jobs. We were out in the country so there were no jobs to be had. Now the kids have more interests other than school," said Ramsey choir director Donald Brost. A job at McDonalds or the Roadside Inn could mean less time for extracurricular activities.

Ramsey athletic coaches were acutely aware that school spirit wasn't what it used to be. There were fewer boys going out for football and basketball (girls were not yet permitted to compete in inter-scholastic sports). A lot of Ramsey students still flocked to Friday night games, but overall, fan support was down, too. "Ten or 15 years ago, we really had pep fests, but in the past four or five years things have changed. The fans are more apathetic," said Ramsey football coach Lars Overskei.

For those who wanted to get involved, Ramsey still offered plenty of opportunities, whether it be in sports, in band and orchestra, in theater, on the school paper, the yearbook or the debate team. But the motivation for some who participated may have been different than a generation ago. They were there for their own reasons. They were entering what author Tom Wolfe would call the "Me Decade," in which self fulfillment and individual goals would take precedence over a group or community identity. "I try to win for the other guys on the team, myself and next year's team," said a member of Ramsey's debate team. "What school I am behind is not really the most important thing to me."