LaSalle High School - Lantern Yearbook (South Bend, IN)

Page 58 text:

v4, . A Mr. Armstrong Click, click, click Shorthand — the swift system of secretaries. Preparing to enlist in the Mr. Vargo Mrs. Hodges When is a tango not a tango? When one types to it — and then it becomes a lesson in rhythm. Many have taken typing or will, but this year ' s classes typed to a back- ground of exciting music — or al- most, anyway. Somehow we had to compensate for those times when — eyes transfixed on the text — our fingers hammered on the wrong keys. Perfecting a degree of accu- racy was a constant task. Some of us had it harder than others.

Page 57 text:

uncovering a culture Oh for joy — lab again ' Languages were enjoyable, too. We had fun singing even if we couldn ' t understand the words, or quite grasp the tune. The films we saw, whether they pertained to history or travel, gave us pictorial informa- tion about each country. By the end of the year, whether it had been our first or last, we felt somehow closer to people with whom we had never communicated. We gained knowledge of foreign customs and tradi- tions. We developed anticipation for friend- ships yet to be made. What we had ac- complished, consciously or unconsciously, was a shortening of the gap in miles and communication between the different peo- ples around the world. For many of us it was the first year we had ever taken a foreign language. The per- plexity we often felt as a result of difficul- ties we encountered, cannot be described. Many times, in mere frustration, we just asked, Why can ' t they say it like we do? . Whether it was French, Spanish, German, or Russian, as first year students we drilled and drilled again. We wondered why the language lab tapes sounded so different from the language spoken in our classrooms. As Latin students we conjugated and mem- orized meaning after meaning — learning of the foundation from which English and all romance languages were built. Second, third and fourth year students were required to read more difficult selec- tions, necessitating a deeper understanding of vocabulary, as well as grammar. Lan- guage lab was a part of advanced classes as well. f y A

Page 59 text:

Bookkeeping and intro- duction to business gave us a workable knowledge of business practices. Whether we took only typing or the complete four year course, we, at LaSalle, became more and more pre- pared for entering into the adult world. Attentive to learning skills. a businessman ' s army There were times when regard- less of how persistently we hit the keys — they just wouldn ' t move. It was then that we remembered to reach down and plug in the elec- tric typewriter. In addition to typing, our busi- ness department oflTered vital occu- pational courses. Shorthand was taken by those of us who were as- piring secretaries. Notehand was also available. Both challenged us to learn a new written language and required constant drill.