Austin High School - Comet Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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Editor s Journal vere opened for Election 84 voting. After B counted Ronald Reagan was re-etected e U.S., and Phil Gramm took the vacated U.S. Senate seal by John Tower away from opponent Lloyd Doggett. Nov. 9 Last football pep rally and game of the season was marked by extreme spirit and support. During the pep rally, the Key Club performed an unforgetabledance imitating the Red Jackets, and after the varsity team beat Lamer 10-7. the student body ran upon the field to congratulate the victorious Maroons. Nov. 11 The Ramones appeared at the Austin Opera Great Nov. IS During break students parti. American Smokeout Balloon liftoff. Nov. 15 John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band. known for their music from the sound-track, Eddie and the Cruisers ' performed at the Austin Opera House. Nov. 16 After three weeks of life with an interspecies heart transplant. Baby Fae. California ' s anonymous child died when her baboon heart failed her. Nov. 18 Rick Spnnglield in concert with special guest Corey Hart at the Frank Erwin Center. Nov. 20 JeaneKirkpalrick.lheReagai Nov. 22 The U.S. and the USSR m confirming that Secretary of State George Shultz i Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko would mee January to negotiate an agenda (or nuclear ar the Frank Nov. 23 Bruce Springsteen Erwin Center. Nov. 27 College Night was open to the bound at Lanier High School cafeteria. Nov. 28 Seniors met in the cafeter graduation invitations. Nov. 28 Centex College Fair was hek Erwin Center after school. Nov. 29-30 The Fantasticks performed by the Red Dragons opened to the | ' DECEMBER we don ' t throw the baby out with the bath water PRINCIPAL JACQUELYN McGEE on HB 72 as it pertains endorsed Board of Education. The urs a week for one activity, and 20 hours were given to students involved in more than one extracurricular activity. Dec. 5 The Football Banquet was given at the Onion Creek Country Club. Dec. 5 The President issued a savings proposal of $34 billion to his cabinet and the savings included a five percent pay cut for civilian federal employees. Dec. 6 At the Frank Erwin Center RED Speedwagon appeared with Zebra and Survivor. Dec. 7 Due to popular demand the case of The Fantasticks ' performed an extra night. Dec. 8 The State Board of Education approved a new strict rule that if a student tails a course he will be suspended from extracurricular activities for six weeks. This pass before play rule was to go into effect upon the spring semester. Frank Erwin Dec. 11 Zappa appeared at the Palmer Auditorium. Dec. 14 The choir gave its annual Christmas conce Dec. 19 Barry Manalowe at the Frank Erwin Center Dec. 20 White House officials said that when resume, a central part of Washington ' s posi be lo negotiate upon the deployment of the I defense systems for both superpowers. Dec. 20-31 Wi talks JANUARY Wayne, they ae hie work. Movie. ' ica found itself having a hard time ; they looked for people like John John Wayne was no longer available. Ronald Reagan. GIL SCOTT-HERON in E tain and further attain peace between themselves. Reagan said he felt strongly about breaking the barriers between them, but Gromyko said that the USSR wanted concrete deeds, not verbal assurances from the U.S. to create rela- tions. Reagan concluded with the idea of institutionalizing regular cabinet-level meetings to discuss military plans. Appointed state board Texas A M University pro- fessor John Prescott was ap- pointed by Gov. Mark White to represent the central Texas area on the new State Board of Education. Prescott was one of fifteen new members appointed to the board, which replaced the 27-member elected board as the result of the Select Com- mittee of Public Education ' s reccomendations for public school reform. The committee felt that a strong and effective state board was essential to school reform. Prescott was appointed to help reform Texas schools and to interpret many of the am- biguous policies in House Bills 72 and 246. He was qual- ified for his position because he served as a director of Oc- cupational Medicine at A M, and his knowledge and ex- periences in the field of educa- tion gave him a strong back- ground in educational man- agement, according to the Governor ' s office. The new appointed board will serve a four year period upon the implementation of the school reform package in- cluded in the bills, and after that period, an elected board will be re-established. Homecoming ' 84 Activities for Homecoming 1984 untraditionally lasted for two days in October. OnThurs.,Oct. 18, the Stu- dent Council successfully im- provised an Alumni Lunc- heon, a parade, an evening outdoor pep rally and a Homecoming dance, despite House Bill 72. On Friday, the band parents hosted a Bar- beque at Pease Park before the Maroons played Crockett High for the Homecoming During the halftime enter- tainment show the Home- coming Court was an- nounced. Freshmen Prince and Princess were Bruce Ybarra and Jennifer Hailey. Mike Kelley and Patricia Al- bright were the sophomore royalty, and Scott Montgom- ery and Melanie Milner were elected for the junior class. The 1984 Homecoming King and Queen were Wayne Brumley and Catherine Schneider. DeAnne Solt was the co- chairman for alumni Home- coming festivities. She invited alumni to a Mexican-style luncheon on Thursday after- noon. Many distinguished alumni were present includ- ing Hill and Carole Rylander, yell leaders of ' 57, Jack Schneider and Mary Pearl Williams, Homecoming King and Queen from the class of ' 47, Will Davis, yell leader from ' 47, and Mary Ester Bentliss, Homecoming Queen from the class of ' 48. Solt also secured honorary Grand Mar- shalls, Lynn Ramada, class of ' 67, and Ed Small, AISD School Board Trustee, for the Homecoming parade. Jeanette Villareal co-ordi- nated the band, alumni, cheerleaders and club floats for the parade. Maroon Mania was the parade ' s theme. Float judges Marti Owen, Social Studies teacher, and Peaches Henry, English teacher, awarded the Child Development Lab the Most Creative for their Future Maroons float. The class of 85 received Most Humor- ous for their Senior Citi- zens float. Health Occupa- tions won Most Original, and Overall Best Float while the class of 88 won the Most Spirited float. An evening outdoor pep rally followed the parade in the west parking lot. Hill and Carole Rylander performed a cheer that they gave in 1955. After the pep rally, a dance with a live band was held in the cafeteria. The dance at- tracted one of SFA ' s largest social The Student Council Social Chairman, Suzanne Schulze, said the enthusiasm for the dance was the result of the high spirits generated by the parade and the pep rally. On Friday after the Bar- beque, the Maroons played Crockett at House Park stadium, but lost 7-21. Presidential domestic debate For the first 1984 presiden- tial election debate on prime- time television, Barbara Wal- ters mediated a 90 minute match between President Reagan and incumbent Wal- ter Mondale on Oct. 7. The two candidates went from podium to podium after being asked questions on domestic issues, such as social security, abortion and the federal de- ficit. On a whole, the exchanges were more substantive than heated and more insightful than dramatic. Mondale was

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The class of ' 87 marches In the Homecoming parade. At the end of half time, the Varsity football team runs through a sign created bv the Kev Club Senator Lloyd Doggett During the Homecoming parade, the junior class show high spirits on their float. than to gain popularity at home. It was our futures these leaders were holding in their power. At least Reagan or his advisors could have tried to negotiate a date for a superpower summit for arms talks during the meetings. But despite the stategic dates of the first meetings, they should be considered as steps that attempted to narrow the gulf between East and West. SAT national average report In the last week of Sep- tember, the College Board, which sponsors the college- entrance exams, reported the average score of the Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) four points higher than last year. This was the largest single in- crease since SAT scores have dropped, beginning in 1963. Math scores increased to a na- tional average of 471 , and ver- bal scores increased to 426 for a combined average of 897. In 1963 the average was 980 out of a possible 1,600. The jump in the scores probably resulted from an overall improvement in schools. Recent school re- forms have led students to take more academic courses. Also students have been re- quired to take more standar- dized exams to prepare them for the SAT and other exams after high school. The increase showed that someone was doing some- thing right. However, Greg- ory Anrig, President of the Educational Testing Service who produces the SAT, de- nounced the SAT as a meas- ure to show the overall perfor- mance of American schools. He said if a student scored well on the SAT, it was his accomplishment, and his school should not accept the credit for an individual ' s knowledge. Thirty-nineth session at tine UN Soviet Foreign Minister An- drei Gromyko and President Ronald Reagan addressed the 39th session of the United Na- tions in New York Sept. 24. The president spoke about U.S. foreign policy, arms con- trol, Central America and U.S. Soviet relations, while Gromyko expressed his feel- ings on nuclear arms, space weapons. Central America and Soviet U.S. relations. Regarding foreign policy, Reagan said he welcomed di- versity and peaceful competi- tion. He explained that his ad- ministration would follow its principles without being ideologically rigid while seek- ing international friendships and good will for all. Reagan said that there was no sane alternative for arms control beyond negotiations. however, a restraint on both sides needed to take place be- fore any negotiations. Gromyko said the Soviets wanted to maintain a nuclear arms equilibrium at the lowest possible level. He said such a balance was disrupted by U.S. obstacles. In conclusion, Gromyko added that an effec- tive freeze on nuclear-weapon arsenals by all possessing countries was his state ' s goal, but before any such dream could be initiated, the U.S. should reverse its plans for military arsenals in space. In discussing Central America, Reagan justified the presence of American troops as a defensive to protect democratic freedoms. The Soviet Prime Minister charged the U.S. of interfering in situ- ations that could be peacefully settled without American troops. Finally, both speakers ex- pressed their desire to main- D

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Clem Vetters blows up a balloon for the Great American Smokeout Litloft. Democratic nominee Walter Mondale and his running mate Geraldlne Ferraro. mostly noted for choosing the risky strategy of making his proposal to raise taxes to staunch the deficit. And Reagan used patriotic sym- bolism and imagery to further define his campaign. In the closing statements Reagan chose mainly to re- work his famous 1980 ques- tion: Is America better off than it was four years ago? Mondale kept his rhetoric fo- cused on the future by con- cluding with: The real quea- tion is, will we be better off? Are we building a future that this nation needs? Mondale was reported as confident, thoughful and well-informed. The presi- dent ' s aides said that Reagan got the best of the debate yet he overdid the statistics and was too defensive. Some Democrats felt that Reagan was off his script, struggling, floundering and uncharac- teristically ill at ease. Con- sequently, the Democratic party concluded that Reagan showed his age making age a campaign issue. However, by itself the de- bate was not enough to trans- form Mondale ' s faltering cam- paign. In spite of his good per- formance, the pressure for a success in the second debate on foreign policy was greatly intensified for Mondale after the debate. The Age Issue Ronald Reagan ' s wobbly performance in the first de- bate stunned his staff and his opponent, and suddenly, the 73-year-old president ' s age was a factor in election ' 84. Within days after the de- bate, the White House de- tected a 3 point drop of Reagan supporters in a nationwide poll, the presi- dent ' s aides hastily reissued a Alumni Hill Rylander and Carole Keeton Ryiander lead a cheer at the Homecoming pep rally. Seniors Francle More, Paul Gerling and junior, Edward VanWisse preparing Homecoming Barbeque plates at Pease Park. statement on Reagan ' s last medical exam stating that he was mentally alert. This age issue hit the leadership factor, and Mondale ' s advisers gave the issue a new significance especially geared toward the second debate on foreign pol- icy. Before the second debate, Reagan ' s advisors argued that age played no part in the troubles the president had during the first debate. In- stead, they said the president was overconfident and over- coached by his staff. During the second debate Reagan took the offensive on the age issue himself by say- ing I will not make age an issue of this campaign; I am not going to exploit for politi- cal purposes my opponent ' s youth and inexperience. New report cards issued Distribution of the newly re-designed report cards was delayed throughout the dis- trict during the first six weeks. The district wanted the report cards mailed to each student ' s home after each grading period, but the grades were not printed correctly in their new fashion and addressed promptly by the school com- puter systems. The report cards were cor- rected and passed out almost a week after the teachers turned the grades in to the of- fice. The mailed cards were un- like previous report cards, which only contained grades, absences, teacher names and the grading system. The re- designed cards also included previous credits and courses, complete student testing