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

Page 29 text:

Self-expression is the release of the mind “But, soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.” This famous quote is one that almost every student recognizes from Romeo und Juliet. Shakespeare is one of the eternally popular playwrights, well-known to the youth of today. English classes of every year have analyzed the plots of such plays as Julius Caesar , Macbeth, and Othello, as well as Romeo and Juliet. Book reports, themes, plays, poetry, short stories, es¬ says, authors . . . all play a part in making up an English class. Yet those are the technical aspects. I he real key to English is understanding others through writing. The creation of a play or a theme or a book is a written at¬ tempt to express an idea, a feeling. Writing is a means for the individual to communicate with others. “Everything has been said before — the trouble is to say it again.” — Anonymous “The roven himself it hoorse Thot crooks the fatal entrance of Dunccn Under my battlements. Author, unknown, strives to make her literory mork in America. 25

Page 28 text:

Music: reflections of the stnil This year music is playing a much bigger role in the curriculum. Even the cafeteria has piped in music to help one enjoy one’s lunch. Besides the Marching Band, Con¬ cert Band, State Band, and Orchestra, there is a Cadet Band, formerly called the Freshman Band. After an ab¬ sence ol several years the music theory course was put hack into the offerings for musically-inclined students. This course offers an excellent background lor those intending to take music composition and theory courses in college. For those who enjoy singing there are fresh¬ man and sophomore choral groups. Anyone interested in the fine art ol music has a wide range of course’s to choose from at West. Also there are practice rooms for students to use as a refuge from the tensions ol school life. Faculty changes in the department as a result ol the retirement of Mr. Peters last June resulted in Mr. Don Jones being appointed Music Department Chairman and Mrs. Gloria Mayer being hired to replace Mr. Peters in instrumental music. 11 you want to find truth in life, elon’t pass music by. It is an expression ol the soul. 24

Page 30 text:

Communication: the first step in understanding Communication leads to understanding. Academically, students learn about others through English, speech, and dramatics classes. Listening to and reading ideas ol others helps to bring alx ut new ones. Students in the communi¬ cation arts study the life ol man and the ways in which he lives with others. These courses help the individual to later function as a member of society with an insight to understanding. I hey help him to identify to the world around him. The study of foreign languages is not only a study ol the language itsell hut a research ol the people who speak it. Students learn of the ways of life, the customs, and the surroundings ol these people. I hey delve into the history of the language. Relationships between the structures of foreign and English words suggest that many of our words today have been derived from other language patterns. Joanna Andresen of Portugal and Pam Gregory of the United States loam of each others ' countries through direct communication. Marilyn Dammerman ond Val Puntney take off on another debate excursion. 26