Austin High School - Comet Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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QMEWMM , ,ul .gf ,, fr fe sw'-22 'er the White House, President congratulates Ei r it I vw, ,i,, . ,-, I we -e'f wucomz T0 ee s STEPHEN E AUSTIN new sm-soot. 'ia E Rrfafmzed by the US' Paper ' , Q I f'f as cfs :w Y I or mcse scffscfa. ' mation I 23, ' . J pw QQQ 'fe Ee? Q Fm' 515: 'KY 'uane Gaslin, counselor Gaylord Humberger and Meryl Jordan observe we new sign placed in the front entrance and faculty applaud their school's success in a special assembly Dec. 7. f s , 1 it ,.,, N . , ,fHf4KMmHwt i 'iw 1982-83 .EH SUCCESS ,i..ll ., q W ,,... t,.l r,.. , r, ' .t,... ,, 33 .V A . Qs , 4 Principal Jacquelyn McGee keeps the school systematic and orderly in a busy year of recognition. .Zi

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l l Excellence ln Education Stephen F. Austin High named outstanding secondary school in U.5 n the south lawn of the White House on Sept. 28, the President of the United States conducted a ceremony honoring outstanding secondary schools in the nation. Instead of sitting at her desk, shuffling through routine paper work and supervising Austin High, Principal Iacquelyn McGee joined President Reagan and 139 principals of exemplary junior and senior high schools at that White House recognition ceremony. She was there because Stephen F. Austin High School was one of the high schools honored. It has been named exemplary by the U.S. Department of Education. Since Austin High was one of the only two schools in Texas and one of the 80 schools in the nation which received the honor, the school received an Excellence in Education banner from the President. It's a real honor, said Principal Iacquelyn McGee. It means that someone out there thinks we're doing a good job! The honor was part of the Secondary School Recognition Program initiated in january, 1983, by U.S. Secretary of Education, T.H. Bell. The final 80 schools were chosen for their work to overcome obstacles, improvements in education, and ability to maintain high educational standards. The honors graduation plan and the attendance policy are examples of steps SFA piloted to initiate better education. We place a strong emphasis on learning and try to do all of those things which, research indicates makes a difference in learning, McGee said. he recognition process began in the spring of 1983, when the Chief Education officers of each of the 50 states were asked to nominate junior highs and five high schools for the program. Austin High School and Churchill High School in San Antonio, were among the schools chosen from Texas by Raymon Bynum, the State Commissioner of Education. By March, 1983, 396 schools had been nominated. These nominees were reviewed by 15 member panels composed of parents, community leaders, and distinguished educators. During the second meeting of these panels, the list was narrowed down to 198 schools. These 198 schools were then visited by 27 educational experts from outside the federal government. Dr. O.L. Davis, Professor of curriculum and Instruction at the College of Education at U.T., visited Austin High. My role was to visit the school and examine it against a set of criteria that the national committee had developed, explained Davis. I found that Austin High met each of the 14 characteristics of an exemplary school. In evaluating the school, Davis considered these 14 characteristics: 1. Clear academic and behavior goals 2. High expectations for students 3. Order and discipline 4. Teacher leadership qualities 5. Rewards and incentives for teachers and students By Melanie DuPuy 6. Positive school environment 7. Administrative leadership 8. Community support 9. Extent of concentration on academic learning time 10. Frequent and monitored homework ll. Regular and frequent monitoring of student progress 12. Well-structured curriculum 13. Variety of teaching strategies 14. Opportunities for student responsibilities Davis said he was mainly impressed with the leadership qualities of the teachers and admin- istrators. He noted that there seemed to be good relations between them and the students. McGee agreed that the teachers are not only strong in their subject areas, but also responsive to student needs and are willing to help them. As evidence of that, Davis pointed to the school's student publications, an area quoted in the national Kiplinger magazine Changing Times lt's a real honor. It means someone out there thinks we 're doing a good job! -Jacquelyn McGee in April 1984. The article, called Good Schools and How They Got That Way tells of Austin High: I I ree, responsible and tough-minded was a visitor's description of the student newspaper at Austin High on the banks of the Colorado River just a mile downtown. When the paper take issue with school administration policies, school officials take it in stride, applying the same philosophy to divergent opinions that they do the school's mix of ethnic and economic backgrounds. 'We find strength in diversity,' Principal jacquelyn McGee explains. 'We are proud of it. We do not try to make everyone over in a single mold, but we do try to make everyone stretch somewhatf Austin high is unique because it incorporates the best attributes, the wide range of personal interests, and the tastes and intellects of the student body, faculty, and staff, said drama instructor, Larry Preas. I believe the institution and its population take seriously the message 'Everyone is Someone at Austin High' and extends that to mean that everyone has something good to offer. This school engenders a genuine pride in its significant century of accomplisment and develops in its staff and student body a determination to strive for more excellence. On the criteria of order and discipline, Davis said, There appears to be a fair development of fair rules and fair administration of those rules. He liked the fact that everyone, including parents and teachers, participated in the developing and planning of the school rules. Austin High provides opportunities for all level students and for students of varying interests, noted Mary Ruiz, home economics teacher. Davis added that Austin High has a sound program of course offerings and very fine school organizations. Another characteristic was the amount of rewards and incentives for teachers and students. Davis said that the school seemed to be proud of its award winners and recognized their achievements. Although there are many things which contribute to academic excellence at Austin High, the one I would like to highlight is leadership of the students and their teachers. Having a principal who is intelligent, well-educated, and well informed in the management and operation of an educational program has been important to staff and student performance and achievement, commented science teacher, Elizabeth Essary. ach nominated school also has to complete an extensive questionnaire or self-evaluation con- tract about the school's percentage of students who go on to attend college or some other form of post-secondary educationg percentage of students receiving scholarshipsg percentage of students who are successful in academically oriented competitions, dropout rates, and student performance on standardized tests. Davis found that SFA test scores were clearly above average for the state, and the dropout rates were low. Government teacher, Brian Schenk added, Austin High feels good. A person gets a special good feeing here. It's a good place to be. There is real truth behind the 'Everybody is Somebody' slogan. Hovering over your shoulder is the tradition of excellence built over more than a century. It's a place where people are expected to perform, to excel, to develop. It's a part of the landscape. In a special assembly held on Dec, 7, officially declared Austin High Day by the City Council, SFA students clearly realized that their school was an outstanding educational institution. You are purely and simply the very best in the nation, said Hunter Harrison, special counsel to the Secretary of Education T.H. Bell. The entire audience responded in a standing ovation as Harrison presented a plaque to Principal ,lacquelyn McGee in recognition of a commitment to academic excellence. The award was given in behalf of the President of the United States and U.S. Secretary of Education Terrel Bell. I wish every student could have his own copy of this plaque, said McGee upon receiving the award. It really belongs to you. ongressman 1.1. lake Pickle, Mayor Ron Mullen, and AISD School Board President Ed Small attended the assembly. Instead of declining, Austin High has gotten better, said Mayor Mullen who added that SFA, Demonstrated the possibilities can be achieved. I am proud to be back at my old school, remarked Congressman Pickle. l often brag about SFA to my colleagues on Capitol Hill. .20-S44:14n 8 School

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