Lew Wallace High School - Quill and Blade Yearbook (Gary, IN)

Page 33 text:

Richard Howard: “The SAT is necessary because colleges need a way to tell if you are college material or not. Your school courses are not enough because they don’t know the teachers methods or how hard they are. I also think the SAT puts too much stress on the verbal part.” Hugo Marquez: “I don’t really think the SAT is hard. I think it is rather easy if you know what the test is a- bout. So I suggest that before you take the test you read the study booklet they give you. I think the test is necessary to measure your abilities, because your grades in high school may not be a true picture of your aptitude. Derrick Casson: “I myself really liked the SAT. It showed I was capa¬ ble of doing academically. I consider the SAT as being the most important test in high school. The SAT shows you and others what you have accom¬ plished in 12 years of school. Not that scores were bad, but I wish I could have done better which means a score of 1600. I recommend all high school students whether col¬ lege bound or not to take the SAT. You will be doing yourself a favor.” Dawn Ruzbasan: “No, I don’t think it should be a condition for grad¬ uation. When you come in as a freshman, you don’t always know what field you want to go into in the future. Most people will change their fields many times throughout their four years in high school, and that defeats the purpose. Either that, or they would be stuck in a field they were un¬ happy with.” Bridget Ferguson: “I feel that Competency II should not be re¬ quired before you graduate. May¬ be if you are prepared from your freshman year to take the test, it should be required. We students have so many requirements needed to graduate, that another require¬ ment would be just another heavy burden. There are many students who are not prepared to take tests, therefore it would prevent them from graduating. Why should a test that’s not prepared for lesson our chances for graduating?” Michelle Carpenter: “I don’t feel that Competency II is necessary because I don’t think it would make any stu¬ dent learn more. Now with all the things seniors have to do before the school will let them graduate, I feel that it is unfair to add more and more pressure than is already given.” Opinio Poll-29

Page 32 text:

Are SAT scores really important? Thinking about going to college? If you are, you better start thinking about the SAT-the Scholastic Aptitude Test- because almost any college you apply to will want to see how you did on it. The test is divided into two parts, ver¬ bal and math. Possible scores range be¬ tween 200 and 800 for each test. It’s three hours long, with between two and three hundred multiple choice questions. And generations of students have looked on the SAT as the most feared, most important and most agonizing test of their lives. In the case of verbal, you’re trying to measure a variety of verbal skills: reading ability, voca¬ bulary, and the ability to deal with words in the language. In the mathematics section, you’re trying to develop the ability to solve problems that in some cases are similar to those the student has solved in class room exercises. We polled junior and senior students on whether they thought the test is necessary and why? Anitra Harris: “I feel it is not necessary because it does not really prove if you can handle college work or not. When preparing for the test you’re trying to cram in information for the test all at once. The day you actually take the test, your scared you won’t do well and you’re just upset emotionally. This all goes against your prefection of the test. I say let the colleges go on what you have done throughout your high school years. You can’t base four years on one test that lasted only a few hours.” Marion Rodgers: “If you plan to further your education the SAT is very neces¬ sary. It tests your vocabulary and your math abilities. I plan to go to college, so I felt it was profiting me if I took it. The math section was the section I had problems with. The verbal was easy if you have a good vocabulary background. The SAT is necessary and a good test.” How necessary is Competency II? Competency II is a test that prepares you in one or more of five fields: aca¬ d emics studies, business studies, tech¬ nical studies, practical arts, or the fine arts. Though it has not yet been endorsed by Superintendent Ernest Jones, counselors urge students to complete the Competency II program. According to Mr. Christ Christoff, principal, there is nothing official saying you have to pass Competency II. Students were asked if they felt that Competency II should be a condition you need to complete before graduating from high school? Lisa Manuel: “I think that all students should take this Competency II test, because it will show up what they lack in and what they do best. It takes a long time and experience to know just what and where you stand. I feel that most people who are interested in going to college or a trade school would not mind.” Veronica Bates: “No, I don’t think we should have to take Competency II because we alre ady have Competency I to pass, which includes a writing and math profi¬ ciency test. Along with the headaches of passing those we also have finals at mid-term and during the fourth period.” Eunice Miller: “I feel that Competency II should be a condition you need to complete before graduation, because it gives you the skill to get a job for those who feel college is not for them, or for those who feel even though they attend college they have that extra knowledge of a skill whether it’s typing, shorthand, or some kind of trade like woodshop or carpentry. I also believe it’s very important to pass for each and every indivi¬ dual, also. The students themselves should have to decide whether they should have to pass in order to graduate or not.” 28-Opinion Poll

Page 34 text:

Philosopher sells carnations as ‘love’ bites LW on Valentine’s Day I t is known to LW students that the month of February isn’t famous for its “days off,” but many still managed to make the best of things. Speakers such as Detective Tony Rizzo and Dr. Douglas Turmail, veterinarian, spoke to CLASS about the awards of being a detective and a veterinarian. Mrs. Sarah Boyajian, CLASS sponsor, commented, “Having various speakers come to LW gives students a chance to see what college and professional businesses are all about.” FEBRUARY Larry Moore, freshman, explains eighth grade math to two Bailly students as Sheila Horton, freshman, looks on. Taking a break from Valentine’s Day activities, Jenny Lopez, sophomore, show ' s off her flowers. 150 fail to immunize on time February may be the time that LW students are antici¬ pating summer vacation, but the problem for some wasn’t getting out of school, but instead getting into school. About 150 were kept from classes until they up¬ dated their immunization records. Mrs. Margaret Swisher, head nurse for 20 years, explained, “In the beginning of the month we sent 1000 notices to pupils, and the number fell to 200. The deadline for completion was Feb. 2” Students wondered what all the commotion was about, because for some, it was the first time they had even thought about their booster shots. According to Mrs. Swisher, 10 per cent of LW students didn’t even start their re¬ quired immunization. “It’s really a shame that all those students aren’t getting the proper treatment for otherwise curable diseases,” she added. SO-February