West Valley High School - Aurora Yearbook (Fairbanks, AK)

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STUDENTS H D A CHANCE TO DE ELOP THEIR SKILLS IN VOCATIONAL ED. ND P.E. West Valley offered many different learning opportunities for their students to take advantage of. One of the many advantages which the students had access to was the wide range of quality facilities they had at their disposal. Two prime examples of this could be found in the North wing of the school where the physical education and vocational education facilities were located. The physical education facilities were among the most modern high school facilities found in Alaska. Students had a wide range of P.E. electives to choose from, including everything from aerobics to volleyball. Because of this, the physical education classes remained some of the most popular in the school. For many students, vocational education classes allowed them to take basic courses in auto maintenence, mechanics, woodworking, or welding without having to make the daily trek to A.C.D.C.. Some of the instructors who taught these diversified classes were Mr. Napolilli, Mr. Shawcraft, and Mr. Thayer. There are many reasons which make West Valley a great place to have received an education, and the number of modern facilities offered to students were just one reason why. Exercising her self defense skills in a P.E. class, Chris Rodey tries to get the upper-hand on her opponent Britt Stelnbright. P.E. student Robert Bredlie spikes the ball in a coed volleyball class. D VOCATIONAL ED. AND P.E. 207

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THE CURRICULUM T WEST F LFILLED A VARIETY OF EDUCATIONAL NEEDS In a time when the basics of education were becoming more important, the Math and Science Departments of West Valley met the challenge by continually expanding their programs. The Math Department, headed by Mr. Don DeWitt, offered math classes of every level, from Basic Math for those students who were less mathematically inclined, to A.P. Math for those who were more suited to this field of study. To further meet student's needs and to keep pace with an ever- changing society, the Math Department expanded their Computer Programming course from one class to three classes. Moving right along with the Math Department was the Science Department headed by Ms. Deborah Pomeroy. The Science Department offered a wide range F ...xii . 'self of classes to meet student's needs, from Basic Life and Earth Science to A.P. Chemistry and Biology. To satisfy student's further, the biology section was expanded to include two A.P. Biology classes. During the year one could have observed the diversity of these programs by the many activities that took place, including dissections, chemistry, labs, or a computer program at work. Among the new equipment which the Math Department received was most notably the Apple, a new computer terminal for the Computer Programming and Science Departments at West Valley. Students could now keep pace with a changing society. Computer programming teacher Mr. Reed demonstrates the versltility of the Apple. 206 MATH AND SCIENCE Math and Science teacher Bill Montgrain answers questions asked by students. Carl Holzmueller passes back graded homework as Nancy Winford hurriedly scribbles some last-minute notes.

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The Adult Career Development Center CACDCD was a treasured neighbor at West Valley. Students at West could pick up where our own vocational education wing left off, and it was so close that it was a mere five-minute walk away. ACDC provided the opportunity for any high school student to learn a skill, and enter a well-paying career without going to college. The best thing about ACDC was that, for students, it was free. Students chose from a wide range of classes, from auto mechanics to secretarial skills, cookchef, printing, custodial skills and many more. Because the building was shared with adults, the classes were conducted in a more relaxed adult atmosphere. The building was also shared by students from other high schools, allowing students to meet and go to school with students from schools other than their own. The Adult Career Development Center was another reason why the education one received at West Valley was best. 208 ACDC AND JANITORIAL STAFF ACDC AND THE JA ITORI L STAFF BOTH PROVIDED SERVICES TO WEST V LLEY tease ...fft it it Typing out an intricate program for her computer programming class is Donna Koelzer. Scraping the remaining paint from his truck, Dave Lester .prepares to apply a fresh coat of paint in Auto Body. West Valley was fortunate to have such an on-the-ball janitorial staff. These were the people who went about quietly doing their work almost unnoticed, until one looked at the first-rate condition of our school. They were the people who got the unenviable job of cleaning the eggs off the outside walls, or any other maintenance jobs that needed to be done. They deserve our gratitude. TEACHERS NOT PICTURED Bill Ernst Karen Helmer Donna Matschke Sandy McGill Noel Napolill Charles Scott Georgjean Seeliger Virgil Thayer Renata VanEnkevort Cleaning up the commons is only one of the services that Gertrude Brown provides for West. A ., llii Qliiilfliilfiiiiilll f l ln order to keep the appearance of the school up West's high standards, Kevin Apling scrapes egg stains off the front of the building.