Pleasant Grove High School - Grove Yearbook (Texarkana, TX)

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'X KEVIN TAYLOR WORKS DILIGENTLY TO STAY AHEAD OF HIS assignments in Computer Science ll. Many stu- dents considered Computer Science a hard class because of the amount of work involved. XNJ TAKING NOTES IN ALGEBRA l, STUDENTS TRY TO KEEP their heads above water. For many students Al- gebra is hard , but for some it is a step forward in taking the advanced route in math. nam classes 47

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Acodemic Expenditures Hord Closses Consume Time ond Mind ard classes. Exactly what are hard classes? Are they the classes that take up too much time, or the ones people have the most trouble with? Hard classes range from math and English to foreign lan- guages. Why do people take these classes? Freshman take them because they are required. A few, however, are taking them for advanced credit. Janet Macey's hardest class is Algebra l. She's taking it because l'm taking the advanced route in math. Other stu- dents' hardest classes are electives. Terri Rapier, whose hardest class is Spanish l says, I took it just as an elective. Many students take certain classes because they think they will be easy. Some are sur- prised at the work really involved. Office and counse- lor's workers are a good example. Most people think all they do is sit around and do nothing for an hour- not true. These workers rarely have free time: most of their time is spent getting students, picking up slips, filing cards and running errands. Of course, it's not a hard class , but few people realize the work they do. Are hard classes worth the trouble? Many stu- dents say, No! One freshman is taking Algebra I now instead of Pre-Algebra because, it will help me with the math classes l plan to take in the next couple of years. English is one of the hardest, students said and it is required for everyone. Most students feel English is worth the trouble, but a few do not. Do these classes take up a lot of time? The study period for these classes ranges from 15 min- utes to 1V2 hours. A few students don't study at all, and some said, it depends upon the length of the assignment. English assignments took up the most time. Greg Pinker, sophomore, studies up to 1V2 hours a day. Hard classes are time-consuming, but do they take up the most time? Amy Leary, junior, said En- glish is her hardest and most time consuming class. I have to read a lot in English and I have to understand what l'm reading. Amy also said she spends about one hour a day studying for English. English, for most students, is the most time-con- suming. Even those whose hardest class ii En- glish say they spend more time on it than on their hardest class. Some teachers, such as Mrs. Henry, offer all year passes to come in at 8:00 for extra help. The night Library also offers a place to study for that hard, time-consuming class. So however you view a hard class, there is always a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. -Angie Watson BIOLOGY I-HONORS STUDENTS GRAPI1 THE RESULTS OF an experiment on bacterial growth on antibiotics and anti- septics. Science labs required both time and thought- char- acteristic of hard classes. Qatgfiigii demlcs 257.7 - M. sp .A C Mi. im X55-0. -2133 New EXAMINING TADPOLES IN BIOLOGY ll, TODD MARTIN AND CHAD Merchant take turns at the microscope. The Biology II students spent several weeks studying the growth of tadpoles. Page Sponsor: ROY D HOPKINS FEED AND 501 East

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Mind Bogglers Soturdoy morning tests put pressure on students he room is deathly silent except for the buzzing of the fluorescent lights and the sound of busy No. 2 pencils coloring small dots. The air is cold, and heads are pounding as time ticks away. Faces show signs of bemlderment as students ponder over the irksome problems and wonder what possessed them to rise at 8:00 on a Saturday morning. Somehow everyone falls vic- tim to the testing dilemma. The ACT fSAT tests are designed to show overall high school achievement and determine entrance to colleges and universities. While the college tests show overall knowledge, they also infest students with anxiety and stress. Kim Wal- ton explains, lf your test date just happens to fall on a bad day, or a day when you're sick, it could affect your score. lf the test date happens to fall on an off day, students are allowed to retest as many times as they want. Senior Mark Hawkins took the SAT sev- en times. Mark said, The first three times l took the test l was nervous, the second three times l was a little relaxed and by the last time l felt very confident. He added that he seemed to score bet- ter if he went out and partied the night before in- stead of staying home to study and go to bed ear- ly. Of course the testing is not free: the SAT test cost S-11.50, while the ACT costs 510.50 a test. Both tests are usually given about once a month. To eliminate the need to retest, some stu- dents go to vast extremes to prepare for these mind bogglers. Preparation books for both exams are the most popular and inexpensive source of help. These books range in cost from five to twelve dollars. Preparation courses cost close to two hundred dollars. Either of these methods can help but they won't do much good unless you have previous knowledge of the testing areas. Besides the college entrance exams, stan- dardized testing in the form of CAT fCalifomia Achievement Testi and TEAMS fTexas Education Assessment of Minimum Skillsj were given to un- derclassmen. Of course, seniors were excused but freshmen, sophomores, and juniors fell victim to the moming's long confinement for a series of days. Finally the testing is over and students walk out into the fresh air and release their tension. Brains are drained of every last thought, and sto- machs growl at the 12:00 time. For the moment, the pressure is off . . . until scores are received and the process begins once again. b -'-H-24-..-... ,Ni MM .....,,:-ii., i-nw.-W. 5 .. -Le. . .Sai 48E?tCademics WHILE TAKING THE FEBRUARY ACT TEST at Texarkana Com- munity College, Seniors Chad Merchant and Brian Norton re- lax during a five minute break. K -Q an .wa AJC- AA Page CLEM I-30 at