John H Reagan High School - Spur Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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Typical of a good soap opera, ours included romance, too. Faculty and students alike were delighted when French teacher Judy Mills and English teacher Doug Austin married, about three months after meeting each other at a Reagan faculty meeting. 03 c CO CO 97

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Mm,mM tQ Mmmtmm As chairman of the Language Arts department, Ms. Judy Austin led 19 teachers into battle. The battle . To in- crease the standing of Reagan students in the basic skills. This was the thrust of the LA teachers because theirs was the department most responsible for the basic skills. If students can ' t communicate, they can ' t learn anything, was their theory. Of course, this responsibility put a lot of pressure on the LA teachers. And their main problem was trying to cope with that pressure. One way the department tried to achieve their goal was by meeting more often. ' There ' s a bigger effort to let each other know what ' s going on in the department, said Ms. Austin. As chairman, Ms. Austin ordered sup- plies, worked on LA class schedules, and informed the other LA teachers about changes in the curriculum. It ' s time-consuming. There are several times throughout the year when I need to do additional work, explained Ms. Austin. The reward. ' Seeing a complete reverse in the attitude of an individual, answered Ms. Austin. After all, every battle must have its rewards. Ariel sponsor Ms. Araminta Seal retired during the school year. Ms. Seal had started the school ' s literary magazine, the Ariel, and had taught at Reagan since the school opened 16 years ago. During her English VI class, Ms. Bobbie Brownlee I discusses the finer points of composition. Mrs. Brownlee was elected one of Reagan ' s IMHi | Teachers of the Year. CO CO 3 c 03 96 After replacing Ms. Seal, Ms. Sherry Gilly A teacher wiihoui a class, Mr. Brendan Kenny ran ihe Write Ms. Sharon Cartlidge looks over some research geis right inio ihe swing of things by giving Place. where students could go for tutoring in reading, until papers from her English VIII class. her (XA II class some definitions. Spring, when Ms. Tina Stonebarger took over the task. Ms. Ann Cain helps organize a Latin club bake sale. Ms. Rebecca Van Shellenbatk discusses the short story ■ Footfalls with her English IV class.

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£i ll0ii grO Q)€. T After talking to Mrs. Jo Hill for a few minutes, it was easy to see why she became chairman of the Math department. She was an outgoing and involved lady who loved her job. It (a teacher) is the only thing I ever wanted to be; it was my goal. I ' ve wanted it since I was eight years old, related Ms. Hill. She went on to explain that she had been teaching for 27 years, the last 17 at Reagan. And she has taught every math there is, from Fundamentals of Math to Calculus, with the exception of Computer Math. About being chairman, Ms. Hill said, I wanted it, I got it, and I ' m happy right now. She also added It takes good teachers to be chairmen, not just in math, but in all departments. One thing that made her responsibilities as chairman easier was the extra hour off she got. She used this time to talk to other teachers and even take over their classes if they were absent. I was chairman of the Math dept. before the big split between Reagan and LBJ. I had 21 teachers then and no extra hour, explained Ms. Hill. Now she has it slightly easier, with 1 1 teachers and two part-time teachers. The only problem the Math department had didn ' t involve books, overhead projec- tors, or any other supplies, it involved the teachers themselves. Mrs. Hill explained that the Math department had a big turn-over with teachers; none of them were staying in the department for any length of time. Students need to see the same teachers year after year, and work with the same teachers. This way the teachers and kids can become closer, and the teachers will become interested in the students ... I just wish we could keep Math teachers and get more kids interested, emphasized Mrs. Hill. Junior My Le prepares to lake the National Maih Exam. j;k w Stephanie Ledesma learns that two heads are belter than one as she helps Dennis Turnipseed in Analysis. ;M5. Sybil Kingston explains a proof for . he Geometry class. CO One of Ms. Ginger Hert ' s many duties included plac- ing absence slips on the classroom door. This was Ms. Hert ' s first year to teach Computer Math at Reagan. Ms. Jane Delaney helps Steve Reeves with h programming. After transferring from LBJ. sophomore Stephanie Wright learns thai algebra is just as hard here as it was there. 98