Where Did We Start? Origins of "The Tank" Wednesday, September 15, 2010 By Molly Long [ArticleImageHyperLink] Advertising Nearly one hundred years ago, during the first World War, an army tank rolled through the bustling city of Cameron, Missouri. Witnessing that exciting spectacle was a group of students from the local high school, some of which were writers for their school  newspaper. Those students then decided to change the name of the newspaper from the The Periscope to The Tank in honor of this event. Obviously, the name has stuck, and The Tank has become a vital staple in Cameron High School’s history. The Tank has gone through many changes during its long life. From how often it printed, to what it printed,  to even the way it was printed. “We had to type it on type writers, and it was horrible!” said former Tank reporter, 1975-1977, Mrs. Stephanie Williams. “Then we would paste the articles in on a piece of paper, then draw lines in to make it look like a newspaper. It took forever.” Other former reporters agreed with her sentiments. “We used a mimeograph, which was a piece of paper that’s got carbon backing and then you put it in the machine... and you roll it like that, and it comes out printed,” explained Mrs. Jennifer Sloan, Tank reporter from 1967 to1968. The topics covered now are very different from the ones covered along the Tank’s history. Even through the 90’s there was some form of a gossip column, beginning with Moocher’s Colymn during the earlier 1900’s, to Remember When...  until the end of the 1960’s, ending with Chart Busters from the seventies on. Mrs. Williams explained, “We had this series called Chart Busters... we would have song titles and then we would think of people they would go with.” For example, if a song title was Golden Slumbers, ‘afternoon dozers’ would follow it. The Tank has seen many events in the world. For instance, the paper was around for both World Wars, the death of President Kennedy, and the Vietnamese War. In the past, however, these events were not covered by reporters. The Tank focused specifically on issues in Cameron High. “Well, one of the biggest issues... was when one of my editors, Linda Dilley, decided to write about straws in the cafeteria. At that time they were... not wrapped. She wrote an article that got all of us in trouble, because she said that was unsanitary... But in a very short time... they had wrapped straws in the cafeteria,” reminisced Mrs. Rosalie Peterson, Tank advisor from 1966 until 1989. “Also, the first girl ever was elected president of Student Council. It was unheard of that a girl would even run for it... And of course, that was a big political upset... it was a man’s world.” From the turn of the century until now, The Tank has persisted and evolved throughout the ages. Its humble beginnings as a solely a high school edition to one that is read by the majority of the citizens in the Cameron has left a long-lasting legacy that will continue on for years to come.

Back to the articles list