Northwest High School - Silvertip Yearbook (Wichita, KS)

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. E I Homework load increases Many demands made for tudents' time As a result of 'A Nation at Risk' report released in April of 1983 on public educa- tion, many teachers felt pressured to assign more homework and make better use of the time spent in the classroom. For the students, however, more homework meant finding extra time in their already busy schedules to keep up with their assignments and studies. For many students, finding an extra hour or two in every school day was extremely frustrating. About 72 percent of all Nor- thwest students worked between 15 and 25 hours a week. Working was not merely an activity that gave students something to dog it was an extremely important part of their lives, and in many cases, a necessity. While some students worked to buy cars, clothes, and other necessary items, others worked to save for their college education or for the future and the needs the might have. Another time consuming activity that oc- cupied many students was being with their families. Most students felt that the time they spent with their families was just as im- portant as the time they spent studying. Be- ing active in community and church func- tions provided students a chance to enjoy their families and and do something for other people. While this may or may not have been true for all students, a social life of some sort, whether it was with family, friends, or participating in school or extra- curricular activities, was a necessary part of the lives of most Northwest students. With many things considered, however, students also spent much of their spare time talking on the telephone, watching televi- sion, and playing video games. These ac- tivities, or habits, were not necessary, yet many people felt they could not give them up. Priorities fell into different categories when goofing around was matched up with the importance of studying and doing the homework that was assigned to them. For this exact reason, teachers were encouraged by The National Commission on Excellence in Education to assign more homework. Students enrolled in advanced courses found that doing more homework was to their advantage. The extra work that they did outside of class helped them to under- stand what was being taught in class. The need for more homework was a con- troversial subject. All in all, the extra homework did not hurt the students in their academic achievement, but in many cases, imposed on their outside activities. It came down to the individual and what his priorities were at that time when he decided whether or not to do the extra work. -Anita Zelmer 162 r .lf MM, .w't 'l Ai, TOP LEFT: Studying occupies much of Senior Mike Gormish's spare time. Many hours are required outside the school day to complete homework assignments. BOTTOM LEFT: Presenting the latest sounds in music the Northwest Radio Club features Kelly Hicks, David Harsoly, Shawn Hoffman and Kelvin Relf on air during first lunch. CENTER: Testing his skill at Ms. Pac-Man, junior john Madden plays at a local arcade during his sparc time. RIGHT: Exhibiting a favorite past time of teenagers, Sophomore Jacque McKim talks to one of her friends on the telephone. ABOVE: Relaxing comfortably at home Seniors Patrick Lager and Brad Heyen enjoy an evening of watching television. Spare Time ' 13

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W were V' , -if Wdeo game popularity mereases among teenagers Video games were big business. In 1981, S5 billion in quarters were fed into arcade games, representing 20 billion games and 75,000 man years of playing time. That was 100 games for every man, woman, and child in the U.S. That S5 billion was twice the gross ofthe movie industry over the same period, as well as twice the year's combined television revenue and gate receipts of major league baseball, football, and basketball games. An additional S1 billion was spent on videogame consoles in that year. This figure was tripled in 1982. Pac-Man alone pulled in S1 billion in its first year in the arcades, and the first Asteroids games brought in 31000 per machine per week. It was obvious that a lot of people were playing these games. The question was: Why play them? There were many reasons as to why video games had become so popular. They offered more of a challenge than many other forms of enter- tainment, they provided an outlet for tension, they allowed the player to have control over his situation factive entertain- ment as opposed to passive entertainment, such as watching a moviej, and they allowed players to escape from everyday life. Approximately 80 per cent of arcade-goers are teens, and arcades often caused problems for them. One of the most prominent was overspending. Three dollars was usually the minimum satisfactory amount for a visit to the arcade, and it took anywhere from S20 to S50 to become proficient at any game challenging enough to be fun. Other problems includ- ed glorification of violence, gambling, health problems such as eye strain and Pac-Elbow, and wasting time. Fortunately, the good points of video games outweighed the bad. It was proven that playing these games improved hand-eye coordination, which improved driving skills. In- terestingly, video games improved reading speed as well as geometrical thinking. Moreover, many educators believe that video games helped improve learning skills and gave more confidence to master complex learning situations. -David Draco

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Second to Southeast Sophomores score high on proficiency tests Northwest sophomores continued to add to the growing academic reputation of the Grizzlies. Achievement tests given in the fall showed a district wide average of 51 on a scale of one to 100. Northwests' fifty-eighth percentile score was second in the city only to Southeasts' sixtieth percentile standing. Deputy Superintendent, Dean Stucky, felt the city average was acceptable but said that there was a desire for improvement. Both the fall achievement tests and the previous springs' Iowa Test of Basic Skills showed Wichita students to be roughly average nation wide. Scores were higher fat Northwest and Southeast while West, South, and East rounded the bottom. Some attribute this to the fact that Northwest and Southeast serve relatively middle-uppetclass families, while students from West and South came from low income families These scores paint a slightly more favorable picture of Wichita high schools than the scores on the standardized test -the ACT. The ACT scores were lower than what they had been in the past with an average score of 17.7. Northwest scored higher than the state and national average with a percentile score of 19.5. ' The achievement tests given in the sophomore year were beneficial to the students in preparing for future tests, such Q 14 ' Testing Willa- as the PSAT, SAT, and ACT. The PSAT, given in the junior year, is a preliminary scholastic aptitude test. This test consist: primarily of English and social studies. ' Counselors and advisors were active in en- couraging students, particularly those who were college bound, to take demanding classes. Poorly prepared students who decid- ed to take the ACT and PSAT and the last minute received appropriate counseling. 1 Sophomores, their parents and advisors were able to use the achievement and prof? ciency tests in helping in course selections and future career goal decisions. - -Cheri Nethercol i National Merit Finalists seniors Rick Brewer, Spencer Smith, and Andrew Sparks discui positions on the PSAT they took their junior year with counselor Rurhe Tolbert. . t Studying during theirilunth period, two sophomores use the time to prepare forthe class. 3 and dedicated work helps to prepare students for future testing and career planning. Striving to pass the Emporia State Scholarship Test, junior Patti Staggs was one of the r students who hoped to receive a scholarship from the university.