Northwest High School - Silvertip Yearbook (Wichita, KS)

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'N 3 4 '53 fit We rv Unique Faces Many people compose school Many types of people made up the stu- dent body at Northwest. A touch of foreign flavor from countries around the world such as Sweden, ltaly, New Zealand, West Ger- many, France, and Viet Nam as well as America was present in the daily life of Nor- thwest students and faculty members. Yet the people at Northwest were uni- que. Each person was an individual that made the school a whole. The pride that students exhibited on their faces at winning basketball games or when the results of col- lege entrance exams came back showed the community and other class mates the per- sonal reward felt when things were ac- complished. Some students were extremely involved in extra-curricular activities as well and their school work and outside job while others preferred to go to school for only a half of a day. The unity ofthe three grade levels pro- vided students a chance to get to know one another, to share joys with, and comfort each other in times of defeat. The special friendships that were built throughout the year were treasured and made for an easy living environment at school. No matter what the status of an in- dividual was, he found a place in the school that was especially for them. A Grizzly was accepted for who he was, not what he did. Northwest's reputation grew among the students as well as the community. -Anita Zelmer TLA Faces ' 9

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BELOW: Explaining new music to student musi- cians, Director Berle Willis works with the Pep Band. BOTTOM: Finishing the day's assingment in Spanish Ijunior Brad Francis sighs with relief. RIGHT: Carefully disecting a shark in zoology junior jay McLaurian removes the fins from his specimen. TOP RIGHT: Students find seats before the start of a pep assembly held to raise spirit for Friday's game. BOTTOM CENTER: Completing a CPR test, Sophomore Kim Kastman demonstrates her skills in restoring respiration to a manakin while classmates Kelly Olson, Michelle Buchanan and Wendy Kline look on. 1- 1. Ip . 5 , a,4i E-.5.y- f ' fist 'ff' rf ,f 8 ' Faces N., v.,'f'f-P ' 4, f,..4 'Nz if 1 ' M EU R l A F

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Committee makes recommentiatiqns . ' ' ation at R1 k' criticizes pubhc education On August 26, 1981, Secretary of Educa- tion T.H. Bell created the National Com- mission on Excellence in Education and directed them to present a report to the American people on the quality of educa- tion that the American students were receiv- ing. This report, released in April 1983, show- ed that students at the high school and col- lege levels were not being taught the basic essentials needed to secure a future in the working society. The basic essentials ac- cording to the committee consisted of four years of English, three years of science, social studies and mathematics, and one- half year of computer science. Also, for those students who were college bound, two years of a foreign language were recom- mended. Indicators of the risk included studies on the number of people who were functional- ly illiterate, the decline in the number of students demonstrating superior achieve- ment, the lower scores of standardized achievement tests, and the number of students enrolling in the New Basics. These U.S. Secretary of Education Terrel Bell opens the Regional Form on Public Education conducted last july at Northwest. Also participating in the opening session were Governorjohn Carlin and Undersecretary Garyjones. Approximate- ly 1,000 individuals participated in the Regional Forum. Despite recent criticism on the quality of public education, Northwest Advanced Placement English students continue to excell in their educational pursuit. -f , if he Ni Nw 'uxz 10 ' Nation At Risk facts, after being compiled were put together in a report, A Nation At Risk: The Imperative For Educational Reform. It was found that the decline in educa- tional performance was in large part the result of disturbing inadequacies in the way the educational process itself was often con- ducted. The commission expressed its con- cern on the curriculum, or the very 'stuff' of education. The courses a student could choose from was a mere smorgasboard. An astonishing 25 percent of the credits earned by a student were in physical education, work experience, remedial English and math courses, and personal service and development courses such as single survival. Another issue discussed in the report dealt with the amount of time students in the United States actually spent in the classrooms compared with the amount of time students in other countries spent in school. The average American student at- tended school for 180 days a year for six hours each day, while most students in England and other industrialized countries spent eight hours a day in the classroom, 220 days per year. Also, compared to other nations, American students spent much less time on their school work. The time that they did spend on their homework or studies was used ineffectively and therefore, defeated the purpose of outside classroom' work. Recommendations by the committee in- cluded strengthening high school gradua- tion requirements, raising college and university requirements for admission, devoting more time to learning the new basics, and improving the teaching profes- sion so that it might draw better and more qualified college graduates into that profes- sion. It was the hope of the committee that citizens across the nation hold educators and elected officials responsible for pro- viding the leadership necessary to achieve the things that were outlined, and that citizens provide the fiscal support and stability required to bring about the reforms that were proposed. -Anita Zelmer A ESX ii i tt' -f.--. -..ti. I-iz: --,Ii: Being a teacher is more than standing in front of a classroom and lecturing. For Il Strattman, photography instructor. teaching requires much time and patience w working with students on individual projects.