Brooklyn Technical High School - Blueprint Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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The Srocial Studies Department The Renaissance, the rebirth of knowledge, was possible only after the rediscovery of classical civilization. Scholars of the Dark Ages largely disregarded the past, thereby limiting their cultural and scientific potential, but in the beginning of the fifteenth century, peo¬ ple began to realize what lay among ancient temples and manu¬ scripts. Soon, when the trickle of knowledge became a deluge, there emerged from this crossing of the classic with the medieval—the Renaissance. First the humanists, led by Petrarch and Erasmus, sought to elevate the downtrodden soul of man. Leonardo formulated plans for devices only recently put into practical use. Machiavelli, in The Prince, produced the first realistic discourse on relative government since Tacitus. In all aspects, the Renaissance elevated man ' s mind and spirit. Just as the Renaissance turned to Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome for inspiration, we find strength and purpose in the heritage of the past. Social studies is the subject that lays the groundwork for good citizenship in a democracy. Through such a study, we get to know our fellow man, in the past and in the present, next door and around the world. It is only through an understanding and a recog¬ nition of the achievements of the past that a civilization can expect a future of prosperity and development.

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Physics During the Renaissance, philosophers started to seek scientific laws governing the physical world lheirjnvestigations into the phenomena of force, matter and energy laid the basis for our modern achievements in physics. Physics today is one of the most im¬ portant of all sciences. In laboratories throughout the world, physicists delve into the mysteries of nature to unearth the secrets of the universe. Tech recognized the importance of phy¬ sics to the modern scientist and engineer. Our students learn not only to master the accumulated knowledge of the past, but to think and reason according to the prin¬ ciples of the scientific method. Industrial Processes The Renaissance man manipulated wide range of materials—from wood to ferrous and non-ferrous metals used in ships and buildings. A large work for had to be educated in the handling of thes materials from their basic form to their final shape. The need for such a force has increased with advances in technology. Tech’s Industrial Processes Department, under the direction of Mr. Max Kohn, ex¬ poses students to the basic processes and materials of modern industry. The curricu¬ lum includes a study not only of traditional substances, such as ceramic materials, but also of contemporary ones, such as plastics. Discussions encompass in-depth studies and examinations of these materials ' structures and ways in which these structures de¬ termine properties and hence uses. Atten¬ tion is also given as to how these struc¬ tures may be varied to increase the suit¬ ability of materials for commercial use.

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The Music Department Music is a universal language. It ' s a symphonic represeri the likes, dislikes, fears and joys of the age it was written in. The music of the Renaissance took bold new forms to exp people ' s feelings. The madrigal was born, which expressed the and gay feelings of the age. Operas and oratorios expressed people ' s feelings from the meekest to the strongest. The age is by people such as Palestrina and Scarlatti and a host of other m geniuses. The Music Department of Brooklyn Tech is also brimming over bold thinkers, fine musicians and talented instructors, such as its c man Mr. H. Garter, Mr. C. Troxell, and Miss M. Silverstone. By quainting our freshman with operas, symphonies and concertos, t Department stimulates an appreciation for good music. The Music Department also provides excellent opportunities fo students with instrumental or vocal talent in either the Glee Club the Dance Band, the Orchestra, or the concert band. 21