Argentine High School - Mustang Yearbook (Kansas City, KS)

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rg entia tv life and that the laws of mathematics are permanent. We endeavor to present mathematics as an interesting field of knowledge and try to include some of its historical background. Some of the specific aims of our course are as follows: 1. To perform the four fundamental operations with mixed numbers and with decimals. 2. To know the meaning of common mathematical terms such as sum, dif- ference, product. 3. To measure an angle with a protractor. 4. To find the percentage one number is of another. 5. To find the percentage of a number. 6. To find simple interest by the year, the month, and the day. 7. To find by measurement the perimeter and area of a rectangle, square triangle, and circle. S. To find the volume of a box. 9. To open an account in a bank, to write a check and a deposit slip. 10. To find discount and deduct it. 11. To make simple scale drawings and interpret them. This year we have tried to have some creative work in some of the classes. The pupils were asked to make an original drawing and color it as they wished. They also graphed some problem which was of particular interest to them such as the relative cost of feeding the does and bucks of their rabbit hutches, the height of the tallest buildings in Greater Kansas City. I TYPING Most young people who remain in the city, at some FTYv future time will work in a business office. Many rrrk offices require applicants to be able to take dictation in shorthand and to operate the typewriter. There are others who will go to a school of higher learning and it is always an advantage to be able to do one’s own class work on a typewriter. The same theme or paper will secure a better grade when neatly written on a machine. A small number of students find that they are able to work their way through a college or university because of their commercial train' ing. The department has been one of the most successful among high schools of the entire country. This is accounted for by reason of a highly-developed technique in the manipulative arts, typewriting and shorthand, and because of the fine spirit pre' vailing among the students enrolled in this work. A few years ago Interstate contests were won at Kansas City, Missouri, Dcs Moines, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska. A National contest was won at Chicago in 1924, the only national meet the school has entered. In the Interstate contest in 1923, and in the National meet a year later, a novice or one-year writer made the very fine record of eighty-one words per minute. The school has been singularly success- ful in typewriting meets with thirty-four consecutive victories and no defeats. In the Kansas state contest, an annual event sponsored by the principals of the high schools of the state, all records in performance, both in accuracy and in speed, are held by Argentine students. Our graduates have always proved equally proficient in the business positions which they obtained upon graduating from the school, and have filled these places with great credit to their Alma Mater. 1931 i Twenty-three

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ft ft Although Latin, as a language, is not now spoken by any people, it lives in and through many of our words. More than two'thirds of our own words arc derived from the Latin. Many phrases and words have been carried over into English directly from the Latin, and are still preserved in their original forms, such as habeas corpus, dc facto, post mortem, status quo, exit, stadium, vacuum, radio, quotum, and data. Latin is regarded as essential for students of medicine and law, as many of the terms used in these professions are Latin. The students of science and business will find Latin equally helpful. Many names of articles and commodities on the market have taken their names from Latin words. You are really talking Latin when you talk of Duco paint, Lux soap. Premier salad dressing, Aqua Velva shaving cream, a Corona typewriter, or perhaps you own a Duofold fountain pen, or you may buy Rexall drugs. In the study of a great civilization like that of the Romans, the student learns many interesting facts, which give him a broader and a more intelligent view of life. It is rather enlightening to know that the Romans lived in apartment houses, had water heaters in their homes, built huge aqueducts carrying water for many miles, and made cement like that of the present. For the student who cares, Latin is splendid training. Mathematics SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL “Let no one ignorant of geometry enter here, was, we arc told, an inscription carved over the entrance of the first gymnasium or academy in ancient Athens. “Let no one leave here ignorant of geometry, should be a motto of our modern high school. Why did the Greek scholar value mathematics? The Greeks loved mental gymnastics. Geometry is pure logic; its possibilities for abstract reasoning are infinite. The Greeks loved nature. The laws of nature are the mathematical thoughts of God. The Greeks loved art. The principles of geometry helped to perfect art’s graces. But why does the practical, modern professional or business man urge the study of advanced mathematics? That it is useful as mental discipline, he knows, but that is not the phase in which he is greatly interested, valuable though he concedes it to be. He recog' nizes the fact that the material advantages of our modern civilization are linked with the uses of the formulas of algebra and geometry. The physicist, the chemist, the astronomer, the militarist, the navigator, the aviator, the engineer, each has found mathematics necessary to the development of his branch of knowledge. The designer, the artist, and the architect make constant use of geometric principles. The great industrial organizations are putting expert mathematicians into their plants. We use mathematics in life, therefore it should be studied in our schtxds, is the conclusion the modern man draws. JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL In junior high school mathematics, we try to develop an attitude of accuracy with reasonable speed in the fundamental operations. We also try to develop an ideal of thoughtful, careful, and punctual preparation of all work and to have the pupil check every process. We stress the fact that mathematics functions in real ¥ 1931 Twenty-two

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English SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL A good command of English, the ability to write it and speak it, is essential in every walk of life. That is why three years of it are required and a fourth is elective. Stated broadly, it is the aim of the English course: First, to quicken the spirit and kindle the imagination of students, to open to them the potential significance and beauty of life, to develop habits of weighing and judging human conduct and of turning to books for enter tainment, instruction, and inspiration as the hours of leisure may permit; second, to supply them with an effective tool of thought and of expression for use in their public and private life, that is, the best command of language which, under the circumstances, can be given them. Stated concisely, the aim of high school English is two-fold: 1. To give pupils command of the art of communication in speech and writing. 2. To teach them to read thoughtfully and with appreciation, to form in them a taste for good reading, and to teach them how to find books that arc worth while. This year emphasis has been put upon creative work, with the result that a large number of creditable poems, stories and plays have been written. JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL Language is the chief instiument for acquiring and communicating what mankind knows. Junior High School English has three functions which arc: First, to increase the pupil's power to express himself, both in speech and in writing: second, to cultivate in him an appreciation of the best things in literature; third, to develop a fund of knowledge of certain essential, fundamental facts regarding the mother tongue. It is through speech and reading that man acquires the truth regarding the lives of mankind, regardless of time and place, the truth which is so essential to a sympathetic and understanding mind. In accomplishing these aims a multitude of devices must be brought into play. The more variety the teacher can secure the greater will be the interest and effort, for joy and pride in work arc, indeed, the most powerful of lures. The pupil finds real pleasure in creating. His originality may take the form of a few verses, a newspaper where the characters of a classic constitute the news, of clever posters, of a group poster, with various figures costumed to repre- sent characters from favorite books, of tournament fields, of the interior of homes, of soap figures, of dolls dressed carefully to portray prominent characters in the stories, of dramatiza- tions, of games, of stories. Many a small creative effort has been the beginning of genuine effort in a study. 1931J Twenty-four