European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 19, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 c the stars and stripes Friday june 19, 1992drawdown expected to Pinch schools by Jimi Jones education writer Washington a military overseas schools will be hard pressed to maintain their Quality of education during the draw Down of forces in Europe a congresswoman has told school officials. Rep. Beverly Byron d-md., made the remark before her congressional subcommittee heard testimony on the subject wednesday. She made two recent trips to Germany where she met with parents of students at department of defense dependents schools. Byron chairs the military personnel and compensation subcommittee of the House armed services committee. Millicent Woods Deputy assistant Secretary of defense for personnel support families and education pleaded before the subcommittee for continued financial support to Dodds. She termed the Impact of the draw Down As Quot significant a noting that the system will close 23 of its 250 schools prior to the beginning of the 1992-93 school year. By fiscal 1996, school officials expect to close nearly 60 schools with Germany going from 143 schools in fiscal 1991 to 108 in fiscal �?T96. Enrolment will drop from 152,000 to 100,800, she said. Woods told the panel Dodds is striving for a stability during the school year. She said elementary school classes would be established with the intent of keeping students together throughout a school year hoping to eliminate complaints about some schools in Germany shuffling students Between classes. Schools would be staffed at a 20-1 student teacher ratio. A More courses. High school course offerings Are expected to Rise As a result of the move from a six period to a Seten period Day which began in Germany during the 1991-92 school year. Woods also said school officials will set higher National test targets and provide other education programs such As language immersion classes and sure Start a program for preschoolers similar to head Start. A counselling services. The school system will seek to increase the time spent by school Counselor and school psychologists with students. A teacher stability. Efforts will be made to minimize staff reductions by retaining permanent employees through reassignments. Officials will try to restrict transfers periods when schools Are not in session. A facilities. Woods asked for Money to maintain the Quality of school buildings a specifically the schools in Grafe Wohr and Hohenfels Germany which she said were in Quot deplorable  a budget stability. Woods said the school budget remains stable at $912.7 million for fiscal 1993, and that stability is crucial to maintain standards. Fiscal year budgets which begin oct. 1, have always been a problem she said because they do not align with the school year. Budget reductions after october require staff cuts and the movement of students from class to class she said. Woods later used the termination of nearly 100 slots in Germany in january As an example of teacher layoffs and student dislocation. Byron later questioned John Stremple director of Dodds about reports that administrators were being retained at the expense of teaching positions. Stremple said officials were a letting administrators go proportionally the same As  he said the systems administrator ratio among its staff was comparable to that in stateside  Force rolling on new method to test fitness by mur1dith Winder . Bureau Raf Mildenhall England the 93,000 service members in the air forces air mobility come Are being introduced to a new test that officials say More accurately measures physical fitness. Quot the air Force program which replaces the annual running walking test is set to Start oct. 1,�?� said capt. Wayne hand of the 313th tac Airlift group at Raf Mildenhall. A but we started our test command wide june 1.�?� the program relies on a stationary exercise bicycle replacing the 1.5-mile run. The program More accurately measures fitness Levels by focusing on oxygen consumption and by placing less stress on the body officials say. Quot with the new test you May work up a Little sweat but you wont get wiped out like the old aerobics test a said hand who works in the 313th Quality office which monitors the units program. Quot you done to have secondary problems such As lost time due to injuries or Over exert  staff sgt. Thea Evans Chunn who also works in the 313th Quality office said testing is simple. People sit on the bicycle which is tied to a heart Monitor and timer. Electrodes built into the bicycles handgrips record readings a we also have a computer program that we use with the test a Evans Chunn said. A the program has a number of questions that each person must respond to before the test  the questions identify each persons physical condition or exercise habits. The questions also determine whether subjects have ingested Coffee or have smoked within four hours of testing conditions that can lower test results. Antihistamines and medications can also alter the results. The test usually takes six to 10 minutes with the actual length calculated by the computer Evans Chunn said. But once a subjects heart rate exceeds 150 beats a minute the test automatically ends. Y 848 Mur Tafth Winder staff sgt. Thea Evans Chunn monitors the fitness test taken by tech. Sgt. Tom Dobek at Raf Mildenhall England. Subjects Are ranked on a scale of 1 to 6, with 3 being the minimum accepted by the air Force. Those receiving a 1 or 2 Are retested within 90 Days. A the computer can also give a printout that will give a personal exercise program to help people get fit Quot Evans Chunn said. A this test is not punitive a hand said. A your goal is for everyone to  hand said that people done to have to buy a Bike to Benefit from the program. A we have a brochure that is coupled with the computer and lists different aerobic programs to help a person get  Evans Chunn suggested that those taking the test need to exercise a minimum of 20 minutes three to five times a week. The 20 minutes should include continuous strenuous exercise such As aerobic dancing jump ing rope fast walking or using a Stair step machine. Hand said the former running test did no to necessarily reflect fitness. A even with runners the 1.5-Miles did no to put much o a stress on their cardiovascular system a hand said a after a while runners bodies can easily adapt to Dis Tances if its repetitive enough. This system will give i better  hand advised air Force members to embark on a fit Ness program Well in Advance of the test. Notification Are usually handed out about 30 Days before testing. A i takes nine to 12 weeks to get in shape a hand  ride off As winners in army Art contest by the stars and stripes Joshua Hawke Jonathan Kissane and Brian Paul Are the proud owners of new bicycles after winning first place honors in . Army Europe so kids world of tomorrow Art contest. More than 700 entries were judged on creativity craftsmanship and interpretation of the environmental theme what can kids do to improve planet Earth a first second and third place winners and honorable mentions were chosen in each of three categories. Joshua of Stuttgart Germany won in the first and second Grade category. Jonathan of Heidelberg Germany topped the third and fourth Grade category. Brian of Mannheim Germany received top honors for filth and sixth graders. As sponsor the coca cola co provided contest prizes. First place winners received bicycles. Second place winners received coolers. Third place winners received tote bags filled with coca cola prizes. Honorable mentions received watches. Following Are the names and locations of the other winners Flat and Yacond grades second place Matthew Finnegan Frankfurt. Germany. Third place Gary Marcum bad Herstell Germany. Honorable mentions Scott Collins to Gensh Germany Darryl Baker jr., Numberg Germany Matthew Campbell. Augsburg. Germany Kyle Bridgman Brun sum the Netherlands Victoria Torres. We Brucken Germany Charlene Crowley Kaiserslautern Germany and Tara Hawthorne. Bamberg Germany. Third end fourth Gre Dee second place Barbara Lopez Mannheim. Third place Kristy Ridgeway Kaiserslautern. Honorable mentions Margaret Devito Stuttgart Emanuel Medina Cruz Stuttgart Andrew Chandler Stuttgart Thomas Reoa Mannheim Kendra Caratini Heidelberg Jeffrey halt i Wurzburg Germany and Sarah Dunnegan Kaiserslautern. Fifth and sixth grades second place Michele Caratini Heidelberg. Third place Kevin Saunders. Brun sum. Honorable mention Kristen prom i Leech. Germany Erika Wayman vog Ekeh Chr Chese Baian. Heidelberg Andrea Glover Wurzburg Milton Santos Butzbach Germany Nelson Prouty Vogel Weh and Nicky Schultz. Vog Tweh