William B Travis High School - Rebel Roundup Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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Building reflects Sqhggl 30 ears of ro th Changes Phrf'fa r 8 Memories of the physical environment of Travis High School through the years can be as vivid to the thousands of people who have come and gone through 30 years as can memories of the people, moods, atmosphere, programs, fashions and activities that make up any high school. Through 30 years at Travis there was always the breezeway, the gym, the upper and lower levels, the woods next door, and the curved sidewalk and canopy leading to the front door. Such memories are common to many generations of students who look back to their high school days at Travis. ln 1982-83, as in other recent years, the memories also included buckets and new- spapers soaking up rainwater from leaky roofs, and classrooms that were often too cold in the winter, and too warm in the fall and spring. In a nutshell, breakdowns in the physical plant were everyday facts students accepted, usually with little expression of annoyance. The Austin Independent School District'sfirst bond election in 13 years was held Feb. 5 not only to build new schools to meet Austin's growing needs, but also to improve, renovate, and bring 1980s technology to aging physical plants such as 30-year-old Travis. ln this school year, as in other recent years, facilities for learning were always adequate, but there was plenty of room for modernization. Unlike Austin's high schools built inthe 1960s and early '70s, Travis lacked energy efficiency. The plant, spread over many acres, was much like a house that has been added to and patched up so many times that each room is a statement of architectural styles of different ages. These ranged from the carpeted, well-organized Language Arts and Social Studies wing - Travis' most recent major addition - to the noisy gym, which lacked air conditioning, to the sciencefhealth portable which new students could never find. On the east end, outside, was the familiar smoking circle, gas station, and Denny's restaurant. On the west end was the steady stream of students coming and going from the secretive woods, future site of a city wilderness park. Through 30 years, as in this year, were the common sentiments expressed by students: five minutes between classes is not enough time for me to get from my homemaking class to my history classg l was late because it was raining and I had to go the long way, I got caught in the halls outside cosmetologyg and my hubcaps were stolen in the parking lot. Most students will look back fondly on the physical school - Travis High School - realizing that the variety and diversity, from one end of the building to the other, made the experience unique. . . . Through the years Spooner directs a p BELOW: In the for students classrooms. X... LEFT: At the Bands Christmas Concert, Assis- tant Band Director Steve iece. hall march Fiebelettes Samantha Pott, Alison Fendley, Eva Biddle and Michelle Pavlik perform IH ,Q s x XR pi ,av An aerial view of the school in 1975 shows the constru '70s 'chief . ction of new additions. Being constructed was the autobody shop, the English and Social Studies wing, and the Industrial Arts wing.

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In 1956, the school building was much smaller and housed fewer students than it does now. Additions that have been made to the school are the math wing, the English and Social Studies wing, autobody and the Theater. 5 ABOVE: At the DE Open House, DE member Jill Whitworth talks with friend Fiosendo Ftodriquez. ABOVE RIGHT: During the annual hall march, band members Carla Miller, Frances Green and Hillary Blewett get ready to play their instruments. BELOW RIGHT: Each year classes are given a hallway to decorate for a football game. Here a group ol students walk through the senior hall. '60s In 1969, a portable unit is moved from the southwest part of the campus to another area. Today there are still a few ot these portable units being used for classrooms.

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In December of 1959, the construction of lH-35 in the downtown area continues toward South Austin. The area being worked on is across the street from Brackenridge Hospital. if OS For the first time in recent mem- ory, there was a new way to cross the Colorado River. The Loop 360 Bridge, seen here looking north, opened in December, 1982, spanning Lake Austin with its unique suspension arches. The bridge brought South and West Austin nearer to North- west Austin. Prior to its opening, the nearest road crossings on this portion of the river were Mansfield Dam and Red Bud Trail below Tom Miller Dam on Town Lake. -011' , The Hill Country west of Aus- S tin frames the downtown sky- line, a view off Loop 360, the Capital of Texas Highway. Town Lake night reflections are of Austin's no-longer-used fire practice tower, sl-.- W .85 .yi i In 1961, a group of boys from a club once at Travis, the Key Club, works on clearing a walkway down Oltorf. The area across the street was once an open field.