Capistrano Valley High School - El Gato Yearbook (Mission Viejo, CA)

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f uei Mlgml fo v p i d Ed The direction in wliich education starts a man will determine his future life, —Plato Kou may have seen junior Ed Lind after school picking up trash in the hallways. Watching him work one may not notice that Ed has muscular dys- trophy and is learning handicapped. Because of his handicap, Ed will nevei learn to read or write and concepts mus be repeated over and over in order fo him to learn and remember. Mrs Downs, his mom, says, Sometimes I ge ' frustrated because I want him to do it. But by watching him and by seeing the things he does he gives me hope. There are many things to realize about Ed and other learning disabled students. Mrs. Downs believes that, Kids with handicaps are extremely special people. If people would recognize their work and effort it would help them to contin- ue and excel. I think it is unfair that kids like Ed are not recognized because they are not in regular classes. Ed and the kids in his class work three or four times as hard. Ed maintains an A-B average in his fa- vorite classes of machine and auto shop. I ' m learning about car engines and I ' m taking them apart and putting them back together, Ed said. I like to work on cars and get dirty. It is kind of fun for me. In addition to auto shop, Ed started working as a janitor last year and likes holding a job. I worked five days a week all summer. I was really busy. Since he came to Capo as a freshman Ed has developed a positive attitude and has really grown and improved. Mrs. Downs stated, Ed is doing 80° o better. I have seen a lot of growth since Ed started working. His auto and machine shop class have made a big difference. In school, Ed now recognizes letters in addition to his other achievements. I have learned how to add and subtract and use the computer. I like all the graphics and stuff, he said. Although Ed really enjoys school, there are some things he dislikes about it. I don ' t like it when the kinds make a mess on the carpet because then I have to pick up the trash. Of the students Ed says, I don ' t like alcohol and drugs. I say to the kids using drugs that they are doing the wrong thing and they will ruin their lives. On some days Ed has problems walk- ing and his feet hurt because of his mus- cular dystrophy. In the future he may have surgery which could help him. But right now, Ed is very excited about gra duating next year. When I graduate I will remember everything I learned. At first I didn ' t know what to expect but now everything is a-okay. Ed also shares some common goals with many other Capo students. For his plans after graduation Ed says, I want to learn how to drive. I also would like to find me a job and live on my own. Ed is a very concerned and loving per- son. He is close to his family and Mrs. Downs shared one of the special things they do together. We take our Christ- mas cards and Ed draws a card each night and then we pray for that person. Ed is very compassionate and he cares so much. While Ed is special, he ' s typical of many of the students in Special Offer- ings. The Resource Specialist Program is an educational alternative for students with learning disabilities. Learning Cen- ter and Independent Study are also geared toward meeting students person- al and mdiudiKil n. ' cds lor thoir best possible h irninu I ' viJciirrK ■ A OH! WHAT ' S THAT ANSWER? Senior Stacey Etheredge pauses to ponder a ques- tion on her homework assignment. Stu- dents wfio completed their homework were placed in a weekly drawing for a $2.00 prize. ► WOW! REALIY? Junior Nati Perez is in tune with Mr. DeCeer ' s lecture. Mr. De- Ceer made learning fun and exciting for his students. 116 Special Offerings

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luuik God (ti Fnldoij, ijow iaij? Not ' if tfowfte itujcJc numiMq (aph. Im asked, What do you t lf least look forward to in P.E.? W w many students shouted, Fri- day runs! All the P.E. classes, which include dance, aerobics, strength and exer- cise, and P.E. activities, participate in the much dreaded Friday run which lias been included in the curriculum liecause the students ' weakest point seems to be in cardiovascular exer- cises. Sounds simple, right? But the catch is that you have to finish the run in under eight minutes and six runs must be completed every grad- ing period. While our body should be feeling healthy after the 3 4 mile run, most people feel differently. Why is it that the body ' s only re- sponse is to wildly gasp for air and wince in pain? Although the Friday run doesn ' t bother some people, wearing the ' 7 hate all sports as rabid- ly as a person who likes sports hates common sense. ' ' -H.L. Mencken black and white uniform does. The uniforms look so generic, explains freshman FHoliy Archer. And adds freshman Julie Mather, We should have free-dress or at least wear different colors besides black and white. With all the complaints and gripes, words of motivation come in handy. After being asked how she motivates her students, Debbie Cunningham said, I try to get the students enthu- siastic and enjoy the activities that we do. But when students just sit around, I get upset. She pauses, takes a quick scan around the court, and spots several students sitting around talking and shouts, All you guys sitting down, go take an extra lap around the field — NOW! If you ' re not back in eight minutes, you go again! Now, how ' s that for motivation? •« RUNNING WITH A SMILE - Sophomore ▲ READY IN ACTION - Freshman Neil Per- Larisa Moore looks happy after completing reira gets ready to catch a ball. P.E. activities the Friday lap. involved volleyball, Softball, soccer, football.

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T HI THERE! — Junior Ed Lind finishes a day ' s work after making the campus beautiful. Ed ' s job as a janitor kept him very busy during ► LET ' S RAP — Mr. DeCeer teaches his stu- dents to RAP , which is a reading strategy. His learning techniques motivated his stu- dents to achieve. Picuf M(y cud tah (fowv kdfofftb ' Mt. OejGem Numbered ping-pong balls rattle and click as they tumble against each other. Players watch in hushed silence as each numbered ball pops up, checking to see if they have a winning match. It ' s the Califor- nia Lottery, right? Wrong! It ' s Mr. Mike DeGeer ' s special day class for learning disabled students at Capo. We play lottery every week with a five dollar prize, he explains, and students who an- swer bonus questions and do their home- work are eligible tor an additional two dol- lar prize. While other students may scoff at such a learning strategy, Mr. DeCeer says that with his kids, it ' s a must. It helps motivate the students to excel, he said. It ' s not all fun and games with DeCeer, however. Teaching lower level students can be extremely demanding. I have to wear a lot of hats. 1 have five classes and 1 have to find different ways to teach five different people in every one, he said. The goal of the special day program is to merge the special students ' learning and behavior with other students. And in spite of the obvious differences between his kids and others in the school, DeCeer points out that they are teenagers, the same as stu- dents in regular academic classes, and they want to be treated like everyone else. And how does he see this happening? I would like other students to talk with them and not be afraid of them. 1 want other students to realize that these kids are per- haps more sensitive and often feel embar- rassed about their disabilities, too. ■ HEY, THAT ' S GREAT - Sophomore Adam Thornfield daydreams about somewhere far far away. Daydreams helped pass the time away for some students when in class. Special Offerings 117