Stroman High School - RoundUp Yearbook (Victoria, TX)

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p reparing for contest i Putting in 110% f Cars dragging down a back road . . . slamming someone ' s fist down as you win an arm wrestling match, or the simple child ' s cry of I ' ll race you. It ' s man ' s greatest art form ... a challenge, a contest. Challenges meet us on an everyday basis. Some are sim- ple .. . getting to class on time, beating the crowd to the cafeteria at lunch. All of these are a challenge. There are other types of challenges, however. Whether it ' s a test or some other type of academic challenge, such as a UIL con- test, we want to excell and are willing to practice long hours or study until we know the material completely. Several organizations par- ticipate in competitions throughout the year. For band and choir, it is district, region and state competiton as well as solo and ensemble competi- tions. I practice several hours a day, said Charles Marshall. Raider Belles compete against other drill teams from this area of Texas. Each team must use one certain song for contest, said Jennifer Voelkel, senior. We practice a lot so that we can get everything down straight, she added. In the spring, CIIL academic contests are held and students will compete in typing, shor- thand, prose and poetry, jour- nalism and one-act play. I think that it is neat that typists can compete in GIL contests, said Tim Krejci, junior. Typists compete in accuracy and time, said Blanche Ruelas, sponsor. Melissa Gomez, and Homer €■ work together on their science i ject. The Regional Science F sponsored by VISD at Stroman. alante • pro- My journalism students practice writing on a daily basis, whether they know it or not, said Melicent Bryarly, sponsor. It ' s only a couple of weeks before the contest that I actually go over any special material with them, she said. No matter what the challenge, one must be ready to meet it in order to succeed. Raider Belles work many a long hours to perfect their dances, Jennifer Voelkel, Morgan Stevenson, and Mindy Steininger, make sure everything is adequate in their dance. ) » m n .j

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T eacher evaluation Pressure put on teachers in order to improve the educational system The tardy bell has just rang, and a high school classroom is filled with many noisy students. After taking the roll, the teacher starts the class with unusual quickness. Then, a few of the students notice something strange about the teacher. They notice that the teacher seems unusually ner- vous and that she tends to repeat things they already know. Suddenly, a loud dropp- ing of a pen is heard from the back corner of the classroom. Immediately, many of the students turn around only to see a formally dressed man with a large notebook. He, the teacher evaluator, smiles as he picks up his pen. Teachers must be completely prepared for each class. Ray Jackson puts math problems on the board prior to his fifth period class. Teacher evaluations, which were created by Texas House Bill 72, are a big change to the teacher and the classroom, and have attracted a number of dif- ferent opinions and arguments. Teachers get visited by two different evaluators twice a semester. One of the visits is unannounced, and counts for 60% of the teacher ' s grade. The other evaluation is announced to the teacher, and counts for 40% of the teacher ' s grade. It disrupts me knowing that everything I say or do is being analyzed and recorded on paper, said a faculty member. Teacher evaluations were one of the many changes to take place in Texas education. This time, the pressure seems to be put on teachers, but in order to improve the educa- tional system, someone has to start somewhere. Teachers must make sure that everyone understands what is being taught in the classroom Mrs Carol Swaim ta kes time to explain English composition techniques in her class Teacher Evaluation 103

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Preparing for a contest is not easy for band members Johnny Gomez, Nick Munoz. Joe Ruiz, and Teresa Cavazos. Band competitions are very tense moments when I feel like I HAVE to do good, said Cavazos. Jim Tumlinson and Mindy Steininger work on a science fair project together The annual VISD Science Fair was held March 27-28 in the boys ' gym. Darrin Wilson prepares for the (JIL literary academic contest. The contest was held March 27-28 in Corpus Christi. Students competed in jour- nalism, typing, speech and one-act-play. Preparing for contest 105