Aragon High School - El Tesoro Yearbook (San Mateo, CA)

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The English Department Answers These And Other Age-Old Mysteries CDNJUNCTIDN, JUNCTID WHAT'S YOUR FUNCTIDN? Walk into any English class and one will hear, not monotonous repetition of pronouns, but most likely the sounds of a thoughtful discussion of a literary work. ln- corporated in the classes was not only lecture from the teacher, but student opinions as well. This unique studentf teacher blend was just one characteristic of one of ,. ll cl Q Donna Brinton Jackie Estes Susan Hall Marlene Hubbard Sara lraheta Maria Lucidi 128 f English Department the most highly regarded pro- grams in the district. The staff of 14 teachers was never without a dull moment, whether hearing standard student excuses for late papers or com- pleting the over-whelming task of grading a constant influx of pa- pers. Because of the high stan- dards demanded of students in all Mr. Murgo's composition class writes many papers. phases, they were pushed to their full potential, becoming prepared for the future. While the English Department emphasized vocabulary tests in preparation for the SAT's and oth- er tests, students came out with more than an expanded vocabu- lary. The department has also de- veloped an excellent writing pro- Mrs. Witte enlightens her students with her vast knowledge of Shakespeare. Mrs. Hubbard enjoys teaching freshman English.

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Aragon Secretaries Endure Hard Work MGRE TI-IAN The second tardy bell of the morning rings, and Aragon's secre- taries clear their desks for the im- pact of the papers of the day. Suddenly, appears a lone stu- dent who walks into the office ten minutes into brunch. After a secre- tary asks if the student needs help, he replies, Well see, I was sup- posed to bring in my money for the P.S.A.T. today, but last night my cat was left inside the house lwe all thought that he was out- sidel. Anyway, the cat was left in- side, in my room, and slept under- neath my table, and wasn't fed that night because my mother and 1' Tift SKIN DEEP father went out to dinner, so, my cat chewed on my alarm-clock cord, so my alarm never went off. But, I woke up at 7:15 anyway, but everyone already left for work, so I got dressed, but I forgot that I was off schedule, so I sat waiting for a bus for 15 minutes that never came. So, I stuck out my thumb, had some gardener drop me off because I hitch-hiked to school. But I forgot my check, so do you think that I could bring it tomorrow? These student pleas and other daily routine work of the office were only the tip of the iceberg in 5? Mrs. Scatena gladly helps a student. what the staff of secretaries en- dured each day. The women con- trolled the needs of the faculty, managed to perform the duties of authorities, while answering phones, signing papers, giving di- rections, and typing forms. With all of these jobs combined, it wasn't out of proportion to mark the Aragon Secretaries as the runners of the school. As a result of their hard work and a job well done, Aragon's year ran smoothly and with organization. Aragon couldn't have gone a single day without thern! Jan Franchi Margene Noyes Joyce Reith Aileen Scatena NOT SHOWN Dixie Bazzani Jeanne Taylor Secretaries 127

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gram which encouraged a person- al critique of a literary work rather than a simple regurgitation of in- formation. Grammar was also stressed and presented in a way that attempted to make it at least tolerable! Clearly, anything from Moby Dick to modifiers was covered by the English Department. Their thoroughness was evident in the high test scores achieved by Ara- gon students. Although the de- partment was unable to produce Saturday morning cartoons on grammar, their effective and cre- ative ways of teaching not only led to a solid understanding of materi- al but reminded students that Eng- lish didn't have to be dull. wikis Mrs. Matthews always has time to help her students. Mrs. Hall has received many awards for her teaching. Mrs. Brinton lectures to her Freshman English Class. Robert McLean . W if Jack Shackleton Ruth Witte Thomas Maes Susan Stoehr NOT SHOWN: Kelly Matthews Lou Murgo Britt Williams