Austin High School - Comet Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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third floor tried to help others on the second floor by screaming their classification. This was only the start of the highstrung battle between the classes before the first afternoon pe rally of the year. Each class strategically tried to win the spirit competition with signs, props and mutual class chants during the 3:15 rally. The freshmen were placed opposite the sophomores as the juniors were facing the seniors. While each class tried to out-spirit the others, the underclassmen used their voices as weapons, flashed signs, and held up lposters, Members of the senior class held up pages of the ocal newspaper for an original displa of spirit. They looked pretty sharp, especially when they all, threw the papers in the air to start their individual chants. When the band marched into the gymnasium the students clapped their hands and stomped their feet to the booming of the dnims. As the cheerleaders presented various cheers, the classes screamed at the top of their lungs for the varsity football team, in hopes of winning the weekly spirit stick. T e whole gym echoed of spirit. Out of the noise and from behind the bleachers came Action 24 sports reporter, Ben Storey, with his camera man, an event which drove the student body wild. The noise increased. After waiting awhile for the students to calm themselves, Storey took a microphone, commented on the incredible spirit, and said that this pep rally was the loudest he'd ever been to. As the camera man zoomed in on excited students, Storey started many zany cheers and called upon different classes to display vocal strengths. The freshmen, sophomores, iuniors, and seniors matched each other's volume showing total s irit, PStorey then brought out a hurge trophy with a gold football mounted on top. He announce that SFA varsity football had won the 24-Action News Team of the Week award for their strong performance in the 14-8 victory over Travis High the preceeding week. The gym erupted in pandemonium. SFA Disqualified from District Football race During varsity football practice on Tuesday, Sept. 27, Coach Bill Harper called the team together before advancing to the field for the workout. Harper had bad news. He said that Stephen F. Austin High School had been disqualified from winning the District 26AAAAA football championship or making it to state UIL playoffs in 1983. The disqua ification was the result of a violation ofa UIL rule which prohibits a student or team from taking part in more than one game within five calendar days. Two Austin High football players participated in the varsity game against McCallum on Friday, Sept. 16, and were permitted to p ay in the junior varsity game against McCallum on the fol owing Saturday, Sept. 17. The members of the varsity team were shocked to hear the news. Some players went home early from practice in angry disbelief while others stayed for the workout. Harper anticipated the reaction from the hard-working players, but he hope the team would stay together for the remainder of the season, The following day the Austin-American Statesman published a story about the violation and penalty that the UIL District Committee decided to assess against Austin High. lt stated that the remaining games of the season would be counted as forfeiture. However, in reality and contrary to the American-Statesman story, Austin High received the disgualification penalty which greatly differs from the for eiture penalty. In forfeiture, the remaining games of the season would be recorded in UIL district records as automatic losses, regardless whether Austin High won, tied, or lost, In the disqualification penalty, the remaining games of the season were played and the actual scores were recorded, but none of the games could be counted as District 26AAAAA competition. The players and the students came to school with newspapers in their hands in disappointing confusion. The forfeiture news was how the majority of the student body saw Austin High's season punishment. However, on Sept. 29, Tom Prentice, journalism teacher, spoke to the students during announcements. Prentice stated the correct information and encouraged the school to maintain it's pride. Also on that day the Austin-American Statesman corrected itself in the sports section with a story interviewing SFA players. The team said that they would stick together and play their hardest throughout the football season. Many troubled parents of the players presented their concerns confronting the UIL ruling. T ese parents not ong wanted to change t e ruling, but they believed that AIS coaches had met earlier in the season in order to collectively break UIL rules. No evidence was discovered which verified the booster's beliefs as a result of an investigation conducted by Supt. Iohn Ellis in mid-November. Homecoming activities include parade, mums, and a dance The fall Student Council, under the leadership of President Paul Gerling, provided a co-ordinated Homecoming Celebration Sept, 30, The council organized a morning Spirit Parade, a Homecoming dance in the school cafeteria a ter the varsity football game against Lanier High, and sold traditional Homecoming mums, Before school, many organizations and class groups joined the band, the Red jackets, and the cheerleaders in the Homecoming Parade, It started in the east parking lot and ended by going through the west parking lot. The organizations that entered in the float contest had constructed their own float to somewhat match the parade's theme s 3 a I E I , U.S. Marines help a wounded soldier from the fallen U.S. headquarters in Beirut, after a terrorist rammed a truck carrying explosive cargo into the U.S. building. :CI Q, ......,, A My Judge hornberry speaks to John Greenway, and Paul Gerling the day he was installed as a distinguished alumni to the of Honor in September. fo-naw. any

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INTRODUCTION The year Was exemplary. Before the dawning of the fall semester, Stephen F. Austin High School was designated an exemplary public secondary school by the Department of Education. As a result, the academic year was marked by celebration, pride, special assemblies with guest speakers, publicity, and visits from educators and observers from other schools in the nation. The year was unpredictable. During the same week that Principal jacquelyn McGee was in Washington D.C. to accept the Excellence in Education award from President Ronald Reagan, the University In- terscholastic League iUILj de- termined that the Maroon varsity football team would be disqualified from the district competition. The team and 'its supporters suffered due to a rules infraction by Coach Bill Harper. However, the season was filled with spirit and pride for the school's success in academic accomplishments. The year was appraising. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools evaluated 8: accredited the school, and the district implemented new graduation requirements as a result of revisions by the state Board of Education.The grad- uation requirements includ- ed two graduation plans and raised the minimum number of credits from 18 to 21 or 22, and the plan would affect incoming freshmen during the fall of 1984. Consequently, the effects on Austin High would be insignificant since the AISD already required 21 units for graduation. Since the state Board of Education wanted to encourage rigorous academic courses to be pursued by the students, the only material addition to the curriculum was an economics course. dy Melanie fbupwf The year was con troversial. Throughout the school year, H. Ross Perot and his Select Committee on Public Education reviewed and cri- ticized Texas schools. Most of the committee's proposals were reforms that had already been implemented at Austin High, but the remaining proposals, such as lengthening the school day by two hours and the school year by ten days brought objections from students and educators. Perot said there was a need for Texas schools to recapture the school day for learning, and he criticized that most schools were places for play. His criticisms directed against athletics, extra curricular ac- tivities and vocational educa- tion drew hostile responses. As the year came to an end, it appeared that the Texas legislature would approve many of the proposals in a summer special session, in- cluding a higher pay raise for teachers that Perot recommended. The year was political. The 1984 presidential cam- paign was underway with Walter Mondale and Gary Hart visiting Austin to solicit votes to win the chance to face Ronald Reagan in the fall, 1984 presidential election. jesse jackson, the first viable black presidential candidate, also created a lot of excitement. Austin State Sen. Lloyd Doggett, a 1964 graduate of Austin High, won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by john Tower who is retiring, Doggett would face Republican Con- gressman Phil Gramm in the November election. Locally, Lidia Perez defeated Manual Navarro for a place on the Austin School Board and trustees Abel Ruiz and Nan Clayton were re-elected. And controversy continued to swirl around Austin's participation in the south Texas Nuclear Project, with an effort by citizens to recall the council for issuing revenue bonds without voter approval to pay for the plant. Soviets shoot down Korean airliner Korean Air Lines Flight 007 was blasted out of the skies by a Soviet plane Aug. 31, 1983, resultin in the loss of 269 lives. The world-wide reaction was of shoci and disbelief, and the superpowers in diplomacg began one of the most unexpected confrontations of each ot er since the cold war. Although the aircraft destroyed near the Soviet island of Sakhalin was not American, it did carry at least 61 American passengers, including U.S. Congressman, Lawrence McDonald of Georgia, the Presi ent of the right-wing john Birch Society. The incident was called by President Reagan a crime against humanity and a violation of the most fundamental rules of the air. The Soviet Union did not provide an adequate explanation of their action. When they finall admitted tothe attack, they accused the plane of being a Ugl spyplane. Flight 007 took off from Alaska at 10 a.m. EDT, heading for Seou , South Korea. At noon the jumbo passenger 747 jet turned west from the scheduled route into Soviet airspace where the aircraft was infringing upon nonqfree flying territory and could be fired on without warning, according to Newsweek magazine. japanese intelligence stations watched the Soviets monitor the jumbo jet for two and a half hours as the Korean plane first passed over the Russian island of Petropavlovsk and then over the island of Sakhalin. At 2:26 PM the Soviet missile that had been fired upon the unarmed aircraft was reported and hours later, after initial news reports that the aircraft had either crashed or landed safely at a Soviet airport, confirmation was received of the downing of the jet. The incident increased tensions between the US and the Soviet Union at a crucial time in nuclear wea ons negotiations, talks later broken off after US deployment otPPershing missiles in Europe. The international environment was clearly mored unfriendly because of the incident. Austin High marches in UT Centennial parade The Band, Red jackets, and more than 40 other members of SFA clubs and organizations marched to the tunes of the Twenties, Sept. 15, during the University of Texas Centennial Parade. All t e other AISD high schools plus Westlake joined the march down 26th Street, Guadalupe, Martin Luther King Blvd. and Congress Avenue to the capitol. Costumes, banners, music, and floats displayed American, Texas and U.T. history. Austin High contributed to the look at 100 years of UT education through the looks and themes of the Roaring Twenties. Some Austin High students wore glamourous twenties fashions, flapper costumes, or old-fashioned U.S. military uniforms. The SFA faculty contributed a float covered with a banner in the front that read UT Goes To War while the rest of the float was covered with American flags. SFA students walked alongside the float holding up signs explaining their theme, or rode on the float which displayed a three dimensional Uncle Sam pointing to the crowds on either side of the road. The march was long and tiring for eve one, but SFA students held their festive pride to the parades end. While keeping smiles on their faces and their steps sharp and clear, the Red jackets vibrated spirit through the streets, and the Band carried the twenties tunes through their instruments to the final steps. Spirit soars at afternoon pep rally During break on Fri., Sept. 16, the competitive senior class challenged the underclassmen on the second floor commons area to a demonstration of school spirit by the cheers: We've Got Spirit and V.l.C.T.O.R.Y. The juniors, sophomores, and even the freshmen tried to out-yell the seniors, but it was a losing battle. In turn, the seniors started the chant, Seniors Rule and people on the

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it E ii .ws sfo c During the University of Texas' Centennial Parade on Sept. 15, Michelle Grodsky, Paul Von Wupperfeld, Eric Meisner, Paul Pennington, Jody Hart, and Mike Curtis ride a float crafted by some of the SFA faculty members. junior class shows monstrous spirit during a pep rally for the varsity football team on Sept. 16 after a victory over Travis. 15 ftee , J , lf'-:ann Tami Monte Ezell, Doug and Johnson lead the seniors duringa battle between the guoniors during the Homecoming Parade, on Sept. classes. - jam with the Through the Years. Once all the marchers and their tloats reached the west parking lot, the participants joined an outdoor pep rally beside t e west side entrance. The Homecoming Dance featured a special effects company, Whiplash, which provided a disc jockey, lights, videos, mirrors, and a fog machine. This comcpany also played requested songs. The students danced an partied until the clock struck twelve. A student ID was required of all students and the admission was 51.50 for a single ticket and 52,50 for cou les. This year the Student Council sent invitations to the parents of students to visit Austin High on Homecoming, All alumni were welcome to the parade, football game, and dance. U.S. Marines killed in Beirut terrorist bombing Flags were flown half-mast all over the nation in response to the deaths of more than 200 U.S. Marines in Lebanon on Oct. 23. A suicidal Lebanese terrorist rammed a truck carrying explosive cargo into the four-story Marine headquarters buildin . Its result was the largest non-nuclear explosion in human iistory. I The goal of the attack was clear: to drive out the U.S. troops. ' The American military was present in Lebanon with France, Italy, and Britain to promote peace. The terrorists wanted them out, but who was behind the attack? In his nationwide address on television the following Thursday, President Ronald Reagan made a strong statement in favor of the continuation of the U.S. presence in Lebanon: We cannot and will not dishonor them now, and the sacrifices they made, by failing to remain as faithful to the cause of freedom and the pursuit of peace as they have been. Throughout the week, the site of those sacrifices was slowly pulled apart in the search for marines, dead lor alive. As bulldozers and cranes grumbled back and forth in attempt to pull away the crushed slabs of concrete, other volunteers searched throughout the ruins. Eventually the hope of finding survivors diminished as the wreckage search ended. Following stepped up criticism of the presence of the Marines from Congress and from Democratic presidential candidates, Reagan ordered a withdrawal of the Marines from the Beirut airport in Feb., 1984, a move Reagan exkplained was simply redeployment of the Marines to ships o the coast of Lebanon. US invades Grenada For the first time since the Vietnam War, the U.S. committed troops to a combat attack Monday, Oct. 24. The invasion of Grenada immediately drew a worldwide choms of protest. The assault took place on the island 80 miles off the Venezuelan coast in the Carribean's Windward Islands. President Rea an's decision to invade the tiny island was conducted wits the declared purpose of protectin the lives of 1,000 Americans who were retained on the isiand after a militarly coup had togpled the left-wing government. On uesday, Oct. 2 , two days after t e death of more than 200 Marines in Beirut, the U.S. sent 650 armed Marines and hundreds of U.S. Rangers to rescue the Americans on the island. Although six of Grenada's worried Caribbean neighbors had requested the U.S. action and supplied 400 men to the operation, many nations accused the U.S. of violating international law. But the administration produced evidence which it said showed that Grenada was becoming a Soviet-Cuban base that threatened U.S. stategic interests in the Caribbean. When the U.S. Army Rangers met heavy resistance from Grenada military and from Cubans on the island, an additional 5,000 U.S. paratroopers were sent to the island. By Thursday, Oct. 27, all major military objectives were declared secure. The final American toll was put at 18 killed and 91 wounded. From Cuban records captured on the island, it was established that the Cuban and Soviet compacts with Grenada had been more elaborate than the U.S. ad thought. Fidel Castro had planned to send 341 officers and 4,000 soldiers to the island, increasin the total of armed Cubans to the force of 6,800. Later six wareiouses north of the Point Salines airstrip had been found with Soviet and Cuban ammunition, but the arms were recorded as ancient. Although the 1,000 Americans on the island were not in imminent danger, President Reagan said that being so close to such an inherently unstable regime could have put the U.S. citizens in jeopardy, and that the mission was necessary to protect them. Observance marks Stephen F. Austin's birthday Because preserving tradition wasa goal of the spring semester Student Council in 1977, they began a spirit focus day for the fall of that year known as the celebration and memorial service for Stephen F. Austin's birthday, For the past six years, students on a steeriigg committee have successful y produced such an event each ov. 3. This year, more than 300 of Austin High's students, teachers, and alumni braved the rainy morning of Stephen F. Austin's 190th birthday celebration. Visitors from other schools and representatives of each of the U.S. Armed Forces were also present. I if