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

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4 i' 4' f 41. A SHOT IN THE DARK. In the coolness of the UT Frank Erwin Center, senior Cindy Lolgreen gathers informa- tion about colleges she mi ht give a shot at con- si ering. A full busload of seniors headed for the UT campus to meet with various college represent- atives. , ' , U 2 ,ff A , . ff f. ,. ,V Sf ,,,, 1 I . s , :QE J Mggfg? 5? gig km 'Essdws-e:'r-w,u-qgpf A . - of 2 F1 . , .. : f 'E:,F' : Fi:Qr' , ' M- 73 4' i? j v A , t...r..- -- ' ' I f-.. 4, Y-5, if -N ' , 255:12 .-Wy.: ' . . ' .f .QQ - 5' H -f Q g: -f f WAW ii 5 'W -1 W l A NA A 2 so r ,E ' N- ,V sl for , ,g-- 54- MP5 . .,.. or x - -f .MQW ,.K.,. Q3wr1 .v My M , ge. ' , or fd fir division

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academics EYEING THE ASSIGN- MENT. English student Vivek Yagnik reviews his assigned vocabulary words in instructor Elain Hettenhausen's honors class. Vocabulary building assignments were a regular part of the curriculum. K W EW standards, new attitudes ra s students aimed for raduation in the 1985-86 schoo year complications crossed their paths. New policies and structural re orms forced students to adapt to the changing slystem. Althoug the no pass, no play rule was introduced in Spring, 1985, the new school year was the first time it affected major fall activities. No pass, no playaproposed by the Texas Legislature, state that students would not participate in any extracurricular activities for a period of six weeks if they were failing any courses. Football and other sports became main concerns as players struggled to maintain their grades. Although Travis only lost three varsity football players to failing grades, other schools were not as fortunate. One major change which affected students a academically was the . .sse change on report cards. No longer did students receive A's or B's. j Instead number grades W were issued. Some students who were still fi recovering from the disappearing D's looked 5, at this plan with some if if M c v 1 bitterness. s Until this year, students could have taken easy classes, A - passed them, and therefore received a diploma from high school. For the first year, students had to take the TEAMS test to graduate with competency. Only this year's seniors were exempt. Juniors were required to take the test in October, and the freshmen took a practice version of the TEAMS test in February. In an effort to help more juniors pass the exam, teachers were required to teach mini-lessons having questions similar to those on the test. They were taught the first five minutes of every class period until the test on Oct. 16. Many teachers and students soon took an aversion towards the required lessons.

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oreign exchange student : In 1986, Travis was invaded by Spain, Germany and Brazil. The Spaniards sent student jose Federico to America. I-Iis mission: to learn of another language and culture, and learn about the United States and it's different people, said Federico. The task would take ten months and his lodging and meals would be provided by junior las Ratliff's family. The journey was not all new to Federico. Three of his brothers and sisters were assigned to such far-away places as Washingtonf In Brazil school is Colorado and ' Nevada' held every day HI-hs jib was not ' I F d . l O gouggftimeefoiflco including Sundays some fun and games and found them quite different than in Spain. In Spain, teenagers go to parties, the discoteque, and bars, said Federico. The drinking age in his country was also much lower than in Texas. The average drinking age is 16 for hard liquor in Madrid. West German, Annette Theis came to the United States for different reasons. I wanted the away-from-home experience, the chance to learn a new wa of life, a new language and a different culture, said Theis. ISH One thing Theis found difficult to adjust to was the hot Austin climate. In Germany the high was about 70, so coming to America where the high was 100 was a shock. I got used to it, though, in a couple of days, said Theis. To native-Brazilian junior joel Spandoni, weekends were a luxury that he rarely experienced before he came to live in America. In Brazil, Spandoni attended classes from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a break in the middle of the da for lunch. School, is held every day of the week including Sunday. Students don't take finals at the end of each semester, they take them at the end ofntheir high school years. You are expected to remember everything you had been taught since you started school, said Spandoni. Spandoni lived with Travis student, Chris Brandt. Most of the foreign exchange students that came to Travis lived with a student who also attends Travis so that transportation was no problem. IN TUNE. Foreign exchange student Annette Theis concentrates on playing a piano selection under the guidance o her instructor Mr. Fernandez. AT FIRST GLANCE. Two visitors At the end of the school year these foreign students traveled back to their homeland to report on a lifestyle that from Mexico City, Mexico tour the campus. Accompanying the students were a number of governmental officials as well. was not only different, but a challenge. The transitional at Travis providedfiIjIispanitc11 tc.I students with limited English .'.. proficieincyfan I oppor- tunity to receive instruction in their native language .during one class period as well as instruction in English asa se- cond language. -Inaaddition, their curriculum included A s1. f,,. 7.s , A A -instruction in content areas during the . j ,A siit C fi ffii ..l .GTA1 iis..iiss,r.. l .Es5lQ,Class. Content instruction included seems like Yoursw ai. . Computers and mini lessons- . , . .iftc .ir. I sitsft I ..,, plans were prelpared for I f01'e1-gn Student t0 keel? track Of f elf Work I . I . tr.I fcti areas of math, science, social studies academics readin . The teachers have to manage a skillful : rf, ge--w .,.-' as.,-f'fw,,ewt:-.. J, ..,, ,,,,.. balance between students to think and language skills and knowledge' csrjt rc various subjects at the same time. Th teachers say they also 'provide' counsei ing and monitor student progress ver closely. ' I'm not sure how I could make ' through school .without this program lustjglisteningftotall of my other teacher falliidaylongs.Wearsrme out. You not onl have ftof s.i Work sat? understandin the sul: to try tot foiow whzl theyfsaylt, gets confusing. This prograr givesirnetsa chance just to relax some an catch up. Sometimes I feel behini