Newton High School - Railroader Yearbook (Newton, KS)

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llS3jLlflQlG out there omeone once said, lt's a ,jungle out there. When today's student looks to the future, he or she is faced with a high-tech, competitive changing world, and posibly a wilder jungle. So when the American public began expresing concern about public education, the issue vias a hot one. Everyone seemed to feel that somehow students needed to keep pace with the changes happening around them A great deal of the changes in society began with the wide spread use of computers. Ps the corrputer age progressed, the may of life in America changed. At Newton High, corrputer science was introduced several years ago to allow students to learn the basics of conputer programming. Other de partrnents, arch as mience, advanced by offering new courses, such as ad- vanced biology. Last year, for the first time, juniors were required to take a math corrp etency test, and if they failed this test, they were required to enroll in one semester of math their senior year. These changes were made in an effort to offer students a more advanced education. Yet, concerning Newton High's status in comparison to other public schools, Principal Don Willson said, We have some weaknesses and there is room for improvement. ln particular, Willson foresaw the posibility of upping the number of credits required for graduation, mainly in the areas of math and science. And another weakness Willson expressed con- cern over was the amount of time students and teachers mend out of clas- rooms for field trips, assemblies and sports As NHS tries to upgrade education and prepare its students for the future, pupils will feel the changes. Changes may come quickly or slowly but Nl-IS will continue to challenge its students and give them every chance to meet with success. During a lab experiment in,Chuck'Engle's chemistry class, junior Eric Moeder and sophomore Tariq Oamar prepare a warming bath to find the melting and freezing temperatures of a certain substance. Cheminry is a course that prepares students for college and their futures because it teaches them to solve problems and apply their conclusions. 16!Academics

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annum it , ' WHEEL lwi1,f'li . , 3 V' txt, E A E at salma .Lil oes it bother you to see someone wearing headphones because you have no idea what type of music they are jamming to? There are many types of music to choose from, but most NHS tudents prefer that good ole rock n roll. But there is more to wusic than loud, distorted guitar riffs and lyrics depicting the nguish of love. ln fact, many students desired to expand their musical pref- rences this year. Some tuned their dial to T-95, while the more nturesome turned to a different style of music. Stage Band students were exposed to jazz and found they really ked it so they started listening to it on their own. Senior Stage .and member Karalee Kiger likes jazz because it's not so precise. 'ou improvise which allows you to express your feelings through we music. Some of my favorites are Oscar Peterson and Count lasie. Bluegrass is another style of music which students are exploring. enior Sylvia Ewert attended the Bluegrass Festival in September 983. l like bluegrass because it's a different style and I like the 1usicians, said Ewert. The festival was fun because I like watch- tg different kinds of people. However, the big sound of the 80s is techno- rock. Some musicians, like Neal Young, are using synthesizers to add a variety of Junds to their creations. He tried it in his album Trans. So the next time someone bobs down the hall in headphones, 'ieck them out. They may turn you on to a new style of music. Top: Junior Amy Girard searches for Tim Curry albums at the used record store called the Music Merchant. The Merchant buys and sells used albums and tapes. Bottom: One of the best parts of attending the Winfield Bluegrass Festival is just walking around the campfires and listen- ing to musicians play. :orn.v.,- -. - h ,V Sounds of the 8Os! 15

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