Northwest High School - Silvertip Yearbook (Wichita, KS)

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ABOVE: ESL class time is spent learning the English Language with the use of such sources as textbooks and dictionaries. Seniors Bau Tran and Phuong Huynh spend a few minutes studying for tomorrow's assignment. BELOW: Studying the world globe can be used for many lessons than just learning where countries are located. Nancy Hancock takes a few moments out of class to explain longitude and latitude lines to junior Steve Leach and Sophomore Andrew Butler. is laqflp l E L, lab, O I Z aid special needs Career Lab, English as a Second Language, LD and EMH classes offer a special service to students at Northwest. Assisting all students with information about potential career choices was the chief objective of the career lab. Through the year the lab was open to all students. Each sophomore English class spent ap- proximately five hours in the career lab researching jobs and persuing post high school information. The careeri lab is not designed to make students ldecide their careers at that very moment, but hopefully to help students get a head start and interest in a few careers, said Wanda Ecker, career lab instructor. information for approximately 30.000 occupations were available in the career lab to be researched by students. The use of computers came in handy as over 785 of the 50,000 jobs were filed on com- puters. All career lab information was updated every six to eight months so that accurate information was available Speaking the English language has become an expected language foij many students. But to those who did not grow up in an English culture, the difference in language provided barriers. For Grace Blum, English as a second language teacher, her main objective in teaching English to students whose native language was not English was to teach it as any other foreign language. English as a second language is just the same class as Latin, French and Spanish, stated Blum. The only difference is these students need to learn the language because where they live now calls flpr it. Students in her class were primarily Viet- namese and each student was put on dif- ferent learning levels ranging from how well they could speak English to how much English they could understand. Students that needed helpi with reading or math skills could find that assistance along with listening oristudy- ing skills in the Learning Disabilities resource room. The facility was well- equipped and students made rapid pro- gress in their specialized area. W In the Emotionally Mentally Han- dicapped class, students learned English, history, math and science. However, most of the emphasis was placed on home living and vocational skills. The students learned to sew and cook, along with general household duties., We have an alternative way of learnirtg were we learn the same as other students, but using an approach that works for us, said Nancy Hancock, EMH teacher. 'k Special Services ' 137

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f ...va -I ' ,U f.frw.- - -- .. , - LW as In the course of everyday activities, the washing and folding of clothes is just one of many duties that must be performed at home. This activity is just one of several taught to Sophomore Andrew Butler and junior Steve Leach in the EMI-I program. Grace Blum Billie Bryant Sue Cantrell . i Y joe DcSpain Wanda Ecker Karen Fields as Nancy Hancock by Linda Loveless 1 jeff Schwab, Aide ' if W is . E 136 ' Special Services W M . f' .Sw M., 21 2 W 17 f . Wgfw 'M V f,,..,,., 7 Reading books written in English helps Sophomore Hanh Nguyen get a better understanding of the new language she is having to learn.

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Support Services lend help, effort to students, staff I'm here to help you, not to hurt you, was the way Esther Franklin, security specialist, expressed the attitude of the support services staff. This part of the school consisted of two part-time nurses, two security specialists, a social worker and a school psychiatrist. The support service personnel were constantly seen throughout the school lending a hand with anything from turning on candy machines to helping students with personal problems. e Security specialists kept busy in trying to prevent vandalism i both in the building and parking lots, helping students with car problems, and many other duties to ensure the 'safety of students. They worked a considerable amount outside school hours for athletic games, practices and various other school activities. e The two nurses carried out numerous tasks. They screened all sophomores for hearing and all juniors for vision, in ad- dition to giving both tests to new students. Approximately 100-125 students went to the nutseis office every week for various reasons. The nurses also performed comprehensive evaluations and counseling, and they informed teachers about specificproblemsisuch as drug abuse. p is S s The social worker helped in problem solving with both students and their parents. As a member of the evaluation team, the social worker helped toescreen students for appropriate education place- ment and made referrals when necessary. The job required working with atten- dance neglect and abuse, and working closely with other socialagcnciesg Part of the social worker's job included inform- ing teachers about certain social pro- blems for a better understanding, and working with students to meet' their needs whether it be a new environment or other adjustments. p , - t The school psychologist was also a member of the evaluation team and worked closely with the social ,workerg The psychologists job was primarily to test students individually and help with any psychological problems. S 1 S ' T One of the main ideas of the support services staff was that you get out of your job what you put in. The support service staff remained as an authority, but also as a friend to students. . p Q 138 ' Support Services Communication between counselors and the school psychologist is a vital part in aiding students with concerns or needs. Counselor Victor Wilmoth and Psychologist Joyce Simmons take time out to talk to Sophomore Willie Harvcll about a schedule change.