Austin High School - Comet Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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ifii ' ' rren, English and tennis Instructor, may orbit the earth in 1986. flexibility in disciplining stu- dent because of an allowance of six days of suspension and immediate expulsion from school for possession of dnigs, alcohol, or weapons. The procedures for removing a student to an alternative education program would also be clarified. Several of the other changes would be: a reduction of paperwork for the Central Education Agency, school districts, teachers and ad- ministrators; the addition of bbrarians and non-degreed teachers to the career ladder; an increase of the age for com- pulsory attendance in public schools from 16 to 17; and the acceptance of medical ap- pointments as excused ab- sences. If passed, SB 525 would go into effect for the 1985-1986 school year. How- ever, as the legislature began its final week in late May, it seemed unliklv that he bill. which had passed the Senate, would be approve by the House. Even if itwas, indica- tions were that Gov. Mark White might veto it. Editor ' s note: F inally , a glim- mer of hope. Toward the end of my high school experience, I saiv education become more and more strictly defined as the national pendulum moved closer to the conservative side. I hated the thought of leaving the public school system to all of those un- derclassmen, especially my younger brothers, who would have to either fight or accept the perilous changes in educational reforms. In all my prayers, I hope more adults in legislative author- ity, would, like Senator Parker, realize the danger in their educa- tional change game before people in school are required to carry their own rechargable battery in order to live in the system or in the extreme, before all the teachers resign and all the students drop out. Warren : the right stuff to enter space B, • Ihocnd of the school ear overyone knew that Ln- glish teacher and boys tennis coach, Steve Warren was also an U.S. Navy Pilot, and that he expected the most from both his students, as stated in the Austin-American States- man. This summer Warren may recieve notice of an Honor that would give a chance to go higher in the sky than even he has gone before, or the possibility of becoming the first ordinary person to orbit the earth as a member of a Space Shuttle crew early in 1986. Texas candidates for NASA ' s Teacher in Space were annonced April 18 by Dr. William Kirby, the Com- misioner of Education. The only other teacher nominated from Texas ' 420 applicants was Peggy Lathlaen of Friendswood Independent School District who teaches grades three through five. Warren still had to survive several more cuts before a winner is chosen to travel into the final frontier . I didn ' t even think about it, Warren said about apply- ing for the honor. The minute I heard I called the White House. I was watching the news when I heard Reagan make the announcement. Then I called Washington and they gave me an address to send for an application. A peculiar thing about Texas applicants was that there were only 420 of them in comparsison to the 10,000 nationally. Warren thought he knew a couple reasons why The application re- quired six essays, three letters of recomendation and a pro- ject. You also had to pass cer- tain medical requirements and be willing to undergo a secret background which in- volves the FBI asking people you know, such as neighbors, questions. The investigation is supposed to prove that you ' re not a communist, Nazi or somthing crazy like that. The person chosen in the final nomination will get a year ' s leave of absense with liftoff scheduled for January 22, 1986. Then, after the teacher chosen has been in space, he will go on a tour of schools throughout the U.S.. With this possibility Warren verifies that, the agreement I made with Ms. McGee was that if I won I would get a year of leave so that I ' m able to come back. My tennis team ' s too good. I couldn ' t leave that. As for his chances, Warren feels that they are, as good as anybody else ' s. It ' s one out of one hundred and twenty right now. I hope they will look at my military back- ground favorably. Warren always excelled at Austin High. As a tennis coach, his team never finished lower than first place in dis- trict. As an English teacher, he taught the most talented freshman students, and with great success inspired them to be the best they possibly can be. As a person Warren is in- telligent, he is physically at his peak, and has an attitude to succeed as well as to teach. The only challenge he now had to face was whether or not the National Review Panel felt he has the right stuff to be the first teacher in space. m-i

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Editor s Journal F finals for third and fourth periods. Afterward they were dismissed for lunch and or the commencement cere- mony. The final day of exams was the same as the past with fifth and sixth period finals lasting two complete hours. In previous years, two-hour exams were held for each period on three days wih two exams per day. Lucky artist suspended Cartoonist, Whitney Ayres was suspended from school and banned from commence- ment and prom exercises after the publication of his comic strip in Austin High ' s news- paper the Maroon. Lucky comic strip con- tained two characters master- bating in this year ' s final issue. Tom Prentice, SFA jour- nalism instructor and student publication advisor said the artwork was lewd, obscene and not protected by the First Amendment. Prentice re- quested disciplinary action to- ward Ayres after a number of students brought the material to his attention after the news- paper was distributed Fri., May 17. Budget cutting plan approved by Congress When President Reagan re- turned from one of the most grueling and controversial as- signments of his career, the European tour with his con- troversial stop at the Geman War Cemetery at Bitburg, he found a victory for spending restraints and no tax increase in the national budget cutting plan for 1986. While the president was across the Atlantic, Vice Pres- ident George Bush broke a 49- 49 Senate tie vote which brought the GOP deficit bus- ters a tactical victory. The plan consisted of a budget that would cut out $56 billion in 1986 and about $300 billion over the next three years. Although the GOP felt the passage in the Senate was a victory, it was something of a strategic defeat for Reagan. The plan included a one-year freeze on the cost-of-living al- lowances (COLA) for social security, a major contradic- tion to one of Reagan ' s few campaign pledges. While the plan ignored COLA impor- tance, it also included a no in- crease budget beyond infla- tion for the Pentagon. Even though the budget cutting plan survived the Se- nate, it was unlikely to clearly pass through the House. The Democrats were eager to aviod new taxes, but were de- termined to reject a cap on so- cial security COLA. The next item on the agenda was the presidential tax reform plan. Despite the bipartisan agreement on a need for the plan, Reagan ' s proposals were expected to evoke considerable disagree- ments during the summer months. Daily extracurricular participation limited In May, AISD announced it was complying with the pro- vision of House Bill 72 which required school districts to limit student participation in and practice for extracurricu- lar activities during the school day and school week. The State Board limited to ten the number of days that could be missed for activities out of a 175-day school year. It was up to each individual district to decide how to space them out over the spring and fall semesters and the six- weeks periods. Some districts decided to split the 10 days 5-5 over each semester. In some areas, special cases were discovered. For exam- ple, golfers, baseball players, debaters, and even jour- nalism students needed more days off for their activities in the spring semester. Con- sequently, the AISD decided to simply leave a 10-day maximum for the entire school year. Any coaches, sponsors, or directors with comments or complaints about the limitations were in- vited to contact the State Board directly. In addition, the AISD im- plemented the state-required eight hour per week limit on practice time for a single ex- Katherlne Von Driesler at Commencement tracurricular activity. Senate Bill 525 Throughout the school year, in the halls, the class- rooms, the offices and even outside the building have been endless complaints about the ever so popular House Bill 72. However, toward the clos- ing of the year, rumors were heard that the legislature might bring some changes in the educational restrictions that the bill imposed. Senator Carl Parker prop- osed Senate Bill 525, a bill which would refine some as- pects of HB 72, such as, in- creased funding for the teacher career ladder or relax- ing restrictions on extracur- ricular activities. According to a bill analysis of SB 525, it would insure the most effec- tive implementation of HB 72. If passed, the bill would au- thorize the State Board of Education to provide for grade reporting periods of less than six weeks in imple- menting the no pass no play rule. In other words, if a stu- dent in a sport fails a course, the time which he cannot play that sport would be less than six weeks. In addition, honors students would be exempt from the no pass no play rule if the student maintained a certain defined level of achievement. Another effect of the bill would be to require teachers and administrators to take a basic skills exam, but the State Board of Education would study the results of the exam as well as the results of im- plementation of the statewide appraisal system to determine the need for any further test- ing in subject matter areas. Student discipline is also addressed in the bill. School districts would have greater W

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Features Trend setting Maroon poll shows drinking, computers, on rise By HALLIE KLEIN 1 ho I ' HS Maroon Comet poll shows that more students have computers, weekly drinking is up but daily drinking is down, weekly use of drugs other than marijuana is up but daily use is down, and twice as many students ha e sought birth control information. In addition, a majority of SFA students plan to con- tinue their education after high school, many believe that time should not be set aside during the school day for prayer, and most are strongly in favor of arms control. Each year the Maroon Comet poll is distributed to a random sample of 107c of the SFA student body. This year, 90 polls were re- turned and tabulated, and the results show that stu- dent views on issues have basically remained the same as those in the 1984 poll, but that some lifestyle statistics have changed. For instance, the owner- ship of home computers has increased from 307c to 447c. The weekly con- sumption of alcoholic bev- erages has risen from 187c to 317c but daily consump- tion has decreased from 87c to 3%. Weekly use of drugs other than marijuana has increased from 07c to 77c but daily use has declined from 37c to 07c. The number of stu- dents who have sought birth control has risen from 87c to 167c. The 1985 poll shows that eighty-four percent of the students polled are plan- ning to continue their edu- cation after high school. Of those, 337c plan to attend The University of Texas at Austin, 117c plan to attend another four-year state col- lege, 117c plan to attend a private college, and 317c are undecided on where they will continue their education. On an education issue, 667c said that weighted grades did not encourage them to take honors courses. Fifty percent say teachers assign too much homework and 45 percent say that academic expecta- tions cause stress. Seventy-one percent of the students polled believe that time should not be set aside during school for prayer. However, 807o do believe that religious, political, or philosophical Percentage of the students who feel the amount of homework assigned by SFA teachers is too much 46% Increase in the ownership of personal computers ' ? ' ---,. 44% 28% u = • ...1 j 1983-84 1984-85 groups should have the opportunity to meet on campus during after- school hours. Forty-six percent attend church reg- ularly, 56 percent describe themselves as Christians, and 777c believe in God. The students also favor arms control. Eighty-one percent favor a verifiable nuclear freeze. In addition, 877c favor an arms control treaty with the Soviet Union. Eighty-six percent say they fear nuclear war. Ronald Reagan received good marks from 487c of the students responding, and 487c also indicated they are lifetime Austin re- sidents. The school received an A grade from 477c of the stu- dents polled and no one gave the school the grade of an F. Increase in the weekly consur alcoholic beverages nption ot BEER BEER XXX XXX 19e-l-85 c 1 you think US troops will merica in the near future? i 20