Belleville Township West High School - Bellevinois Yearbook (Belleville, IL)

Page 26 text:

Misunderstandings and wrong interpretations stem trom poor communications between individuals. Clearer expression of thoughts and ideas are essential for the prevention of misunderstandings which might eventu¬ ally lead to serious conflicts. Since studying the past provides standards for evalii ation of the present, English classes study history through greiU literary works and their authors. Enthusiasm lor these Studio ' S sometimes reaches a low ehb but is quickly re ' i ’ed with frequent field trips to plays, movies, and other jx ' rtinent events. This vear many classes enjoyed seeing The Comedy of Errors, Merchant of Vetiice, ( imelot, and other plays. English is not confined to a study of grammar me¬ chanics and g(X)d literature but tends to help one develop his own character. I his is accomplished by the compari¬ son of ideas through classroom discussions and evaluation of ideas through research. There are some course ' s designed e ' speciallv for expre ' ssing and examining ieie ' as. Preparing for the Hy News staff, Steve Bishop and Kathy Kniepmann count characters for headlines during journalism class. Combining individual efforts, Mrs. Philip ' s senior English class completed a booklet on American teenagers for a Vietnomese student. 22

Page 25 text:

Six Belleville West students received superior ratings in the Illinois Junior Historicol Society ' s annual regional meeting held at West on March 30: Karen Berry and Judy Brown for their diorama of Belleville’s original Philharmonic Hall; Anne McLaughlin and Kitti Taylor for essays; Cindy Barwick and Mike Anderson for paintings of Belleville ' s Court House. Man is tlic subject of the social sciences — man and his relationships with others, man and his surroundings, man and his cultural heritage. C n ics is a course in active citizenship made more interesting by the team teaching approach and closed circuit r ' , and more meaningful by the nc‘edv Family Project, lield trips, and visiting VIPs. American llisto ’ prescaits the story ol how the American {xxjple have lived and worked from the discover) of America to the present time. 1 his year an honors course in American Ilistor ' has Ixen added to the curriculum for those students who wish more rigorous study. Two approaches are used. The chronological approach examinees issues and problems in each historical jxriod and the topical approach traces and issue through history. Scxiology is concerned vyith human Ixlu ivior, international relations keeps us aware of current world problems, and economics show how we support ourselvts. 1 he structure and growth of our kxal, state, and lederal go ' emments is analyzed and compared with other political systems in government classes. I hus one sc’es that on the basis of our knowledge of the past and prescait, we can build for the future. SiK ' ial studies relate inau to his world Freshman Diane Barnes observes world happenings reported on a civics class bulletin board. The sixth annual Southern Regional Meeting of the Illinois Junior State Historical Society wos held at West this year. It featured a history foir, a program on Illinois, and a bus tour of Belleville ' s historical architec¬ tural landmarks. A student could enter a research paper, piece of handi¬ craft, model, diagram, or art work on o historicol subject which per¬ tained to some phose of local or state history. These meetings ore designed to give young people an opportunity to learn more about the historic backgrounds of their state and region. It olso showed that his¬ tory is not only important, but exciting and fun. 21

Page 27 text:

English is a necessity in the modern world Shakespeare once said, “All the world ' s o stage, and all the men and women merely players. But according to Mr. Paben ' s dramatics class, All the foun¬ tain ' s a stage and the players merely drips. Finding second level meanings and reading Ix ' tween die lines are laniiliar practices to the honors English student. In these ad ' anced classes, students have the opjiortunity to develop their own thoughts on various articles of literature and to compare their ideas with the criticisms of authorities. In speech and debate course ' s a much dc ' ejxT studv ol a particoilar subject is nevessarx Ix ' lore it is discussed. Sometime ' s manv hours ol rese arch are ne cessarv lor an effevtive pre ' sentation ol ieleas lx cause opinions must Ix ' supporteel bv facts in deixite. Six ' evh courses help give stuelents a rela. eel leeling while the ' vVe elelivering a sjx ' evh. These cxiurses also teach one to organize the material to be pre ' sente ' d and emphasize the imjiortance of speaking witn e.xpression. Ihe emphasis place ' el on improving communications by the English IX ' partment is vitallv important to main¬ tain unity throughout the Llnitexl State ' s as well as the world. Bevause sjx ' aking anel writing are the main means ol communication in the world todav, people should lx able to talk and write clearlv. Although concentration is essential in writing required English themes, Diane Richter finds that a free moment refreshes the mind. 23