Acalanes High School - Aklan Yearbook (Lafayette, CA)

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Daily census. Much to many students ' dismay, excessive absences or tardies were detrimental to their grades in a course. Melissa Richards fills out an absence report for Mr. Reeves ' second period Bible as Literature class. It was that uncomfortable time of year again. The tests and essays had been returned; the points had been tallied and re-checked, and dumbstruck stu- dents staggered glumly from class to class. They appeared with alarming regularity, those little white slips of paper that acquired so much significance for so many over the course of a semes- ter. They were, of course, report cards. Grades came out, to a somewhat numbed reception, four times a year, and the two sets which materialized at the all- important semester breaks in January and June were recorded permanently (read forever) on a student ' s transcript. It all sounded very ominous and threatening, and quite a few people reacted accordingly. Sopho- more Ross Tsugita said, I worry a lot about my grades because I ' d like to get into a university when I ' m finished with high school. Respectable grades were clearly necessary for those who hoped to move on to most forms of higher education, but Senior Margaret Gordon took a more casual approach. She remarked, I don ' t worry too much about grades. Certainly I want to maintain a reasonable average, but I just try to do my best; I can ' t do any more. Perhaps Greg Slama most succinctly captured the attitude of most students when he commented, I worry about my grades at the end of a semes- ter. For many, it was a tense era. As books, newspa- per articles and television programs examined pressures and people ' s responses to them, some grade-conscious students acquired a new worry; they feared they were worrying too much. Senior Chris Fender recalled, Just during the first quarter did I realize that I had become so con- cerned with getting A ' s that I had neglected other areas, like a full social life. I found myself studying things that didn ' t interest me and saying, ' Gosh, I hate this, ' but forcing myself to go on to get the grade. That determination to get high grades ruled my life. Chris continued, After my realization, I got into subjects and activities that interested me, and I en- joyed myself. Learning should be the important thing. Since most teachers and students agreed that learning was, indeed, the most important purpose of school, could grades as we knew them ever be completely eliminated to encourage learning for its own sake? Margaret didn ' t think so. She argued, The people who claim we could have some sort of Pass Fail system instead of grades are being pretty stupid. You have to have some way to separate people. With a system like that, you soon have ' high passes and ' low passes, ' and before long you might as well go back to grades. Well, if we were stuck with them, were we at least evaluated fairly? Junior Mark Bredahl com- mented, In general, grades are fair. Of course, some classes seem more difficult, and some teachers make harder tests, but over all, the grades I get are reasonable. Whether they were reasonable or not, grades be- came a part of our high school lives. We worked for them, worried about them, or just plain ignored them, but their presence, and their effects, were undeniable. Grade graveyard. Only semester grades were recorded on a student ' s record, but something had to be done with reams of quarter report cards. In the counseling office, copies of all first quarter cards wait for further instructions. 26 GRADING

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News notes. On a Saturday afternoon, fifth period American History students assemble at the Lafayette Library. This group researched old facts as they prepared a model 1 850 newspaper. First-rate traits. American Government students look on as Mr. Dobbins lists qualities necessary to be a successful president. After preparing a list of the opinions of the students, Mr. Dobbins compared it to the list printed in their Back tracking. Bill Nagle and Craig Morrell wait for a cable car in San Francisco on their California History field trip. The history students visited Alcatraz, the Cable Car Museum and a Korean naval ship before returning to Lafayette in the afternoon. Campaign ' 80. A group ot American Government students discusses propaganda in their first period class. Throughout the elections, government classes zeroed in on the media and how it affected the election. 25 HISTORY

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College consultation. Grades were among the more important factors colleges considered as part of a student ' s application. Senior Marianne Foglia discusses her college plans with Mr. Diehl in mid-November. itfl • : - : fi On report. Though it would later be the object of scorn, derision and contempt, a standard blank report card seemed hardly capable of evoking strong emotions. Last-minute confirmation. Mary T Li adds her scores in Mr Dobbins ' seventh period government class to determine her first quarter prospects. A flurry of excitement, worry and disputes about point totals greeted the end of each quarter. Composition conference. After school, Mrs. Meek clarifies the grade she has given to Joe Schafer ' s most recent College Comp. paper. Most teachers made themselves available to respond to students ' questions and complaints about grades. 27 GRADES