San Dimas High School - El Santo Yearbook (San Dimas, CA)

Page 132 text:

With the idea that two heads are Oblivious to the goings on around be „ er than one , sen iors Fernando ln a le stre « ' ul moment of A.P. him. senior Raymond Bautista Velayos and Steven Cronk work on American Government and focuses his thinking on a Calculus their Ap . E |ish assignmenl Econom.cs. senior Ch.ng L,u kicks assignment. together. t2X t M U»UC4

Page 131 text:

(?«dtct ie (2£a44e4 ux£t t 2 ? vuvand, H 6c t$ Sac , xx6i«iy iiacutd History, Psychology, Child Development, Planning and Guidance, and foreign languages were listed as favorite classes by many who liked to discuss how other people live and interact with their peers and cultures, while learning more about themselves. Students enjoyed researching events in the past that had effects on their lives today. I really like World History because I learn a lot of new, interesting things about the world and its people, said freshman Nichelle McDaniel, like how the Islamic women can ' t go out alone and have to keep their faces covered when they do go out. As a requirement, 10th graders took Planning and Guidance, where they explored decision making and career choices by doing exercises, role playing, taking personality and COPS tests, as well as participating in group discussions, having egg babies, and filling in workbooks. Choices for girls and Challenges for guys had sophomores writing a journal of what it would be like to have a baby for a week; predicting what they would be doing at ages 25, 35, and 50; and making out budgets according to the career they planned to be in. Relationships, Child Development, and Psychology helped students understand and learn more about human attitudes and actions. Senior Kenya Taylor said, There are things I learned in Relationships that I apply to real problems to help me solve them. Since it was only one semester, most followed Relationships with Child Development. Psychology was also a one semester class. The focus in French and Spanish classes was on learning how to speak a new language; however, in the process the cultures were studied also. Spanish classes studied it through films, such as El Norte, and sections at the end of each chapter called ISotas Hispanicas. Junior French III Student Amy Hinton said, Our French book has sections about how the French eat, what they eat, and what their society is like. More advanced French students read French novels which also gave them a chance to learn more about the French culture. A lip-synch to Greased Lightning is done by junior Paul Navarro in second period speech. For group discussion questions on the Civil War in Mrs. Bierbaum ' s 4th period, the class breaks into 5 groups. Aaron Alcala. Ginger Lively, and Melanie Montoya ' s group talk about how to present their answer. With Kristina Nicotra as Oprah Winfrey and Mikel Husband and Michelle Beightol as in-studio guests. 5th period A. P. History students act out the Oprah Winfrey show on the topic of carpetbaggers, scalawags, and the Ku Klux Klan after the Civil War. Soci z£ (?e A4e4 f27

Page 133 text:

7U PcUa, 7U fyica The foreboding initials A. P. found before certain class titles meant different things to different people. The official designation for these Calculus. U.S. History. American Government and Economics, and English IV classes used by teachers and administrators was advanced placement, but to those students who had firsthand experience, A. P. stood for advanced pain! Although the advanced class offered valuable opportunities for more extensive study in a subject, it also provided the aspiring student With many challenges. They quickly discovered that A. P. teachers meant business. More was expected and iess was put up with. Junior Yu- Chien Kuo said, It ' s a lot more work to do and a lot less time to do it in. An enormous amount of -esponsibility was imperative. An abundance of work was assigned all at once and often never mentioned again until the due date. Teachers expected that the A. P. student didn ' t need to be reminded of everything. Senior Peter Brown said. You don ' t have teachers pushing you all the time to do your work. Teachers were less concerned with whether or not homework had been completed, and more with test and project results. It was always evident who had done his homework. Because of the amount and complexity of material, late night cramming before a test was virtually impossible. Many sacrifices were made in order to excel. Countless hours of sleep were lost due to late night studying. A. P. U.S. History students continued the tradition of spending lunch and break in the library to finish an essay or study for a test. One could always tell when something was due by how crowded the library was. Junior Dale Geurts said, I ' ve had to give up a lot of my lunches and breaks to get help on history essays. This resulted in less time for food and friends. Along with time, money was also invested in the $53 A. P. fee for the test offered in the spring. Despite all of this. A. P. students agreed that the hard-work paid off. Junior Keith Gallina said. It ' s worth it because it prepares me for college. The writing and studying skills I have learned will hopefully make college less of a shock. A. P. tests, in many cases, went to good use. Some universities gave credit, and college classes were waived if the score was high enough. Another bonus was that more topics were covered and in greater detail. Referring to U.S. History, junior Shannon Booth said. I like the way we get more into the subject and find out about a lot of different people and events. Other benefits were smaller classes made up of hardworking students. The privilege of being in an A. P. class was not taken lightly. Junior Thanh Bui said. You ' re surrounded by students who are above-average, and this creates an atmosphere which provides the ideal learning environment. Perhaps the most appreciated aspect of A. P. classes was that students could see improvement and they realized that, through their hard work, they had learned a lot. Senior Elizabeth Mondragon said. I got a really low grade on my first English essay: now I ' m getting much better grades. I ' ve learned to condense my thoughts and not put in worthless ideas. Although the prices paid were painful, the prizes were something to be proud of. An outward sign of achievement was an added grade point to serve as a reward and to help boost grade point averages. The inward indication of accomplishment was the feeling of fulfillment the brave students that completed an A. P. course had. They knew that they had succeeded and that the knowledge and experience gained would help carry them through their collegiate endeavors and. more importantly, through life in general. Perplexed over a difficult Calculus problem, senior Steven Huang lifts his hand in a gesture of confusion. In their close-knit A. P. American Government and Economics class, seniors Jason Hignite and Ricky Engel carry on a friendly conversation. s4dva tced Pe ce tte4tt f29