Central High School - Wakitan Yearbook (St Joseph, MO)

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WAKITAN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT Sailors aboard the S. S. Cen- tral are not required to meet any language requirement. However, it is almost imperative that a sailor intending to attend a uni- versity should graduate with at least two units of a foreign lan- guage. Three languages are of- fered a sailor at Uentral. Latin, the most popular of the three, gives the student a foundation for almost every language. Latin gives the student a more thor- ough understanding of the Eng- lish language through its many English derivatives. Another ro- mance language which is popular at Central is Spanish. Spanish students are taught the everyday business grammar of Castilian Spanish. The course's practicability now is enhanced by the fact that the students are taught to converse in Spanish. The ability to read and to converse is the aim of all French students. One objective of French stu- dents is to be capable of passing college entrance examinations. Understandings of French people, customs, and history, are sought by French classes. Latin is a four-year course on the S. S. ventral. French and Spanish are taught only two years, as there is not sufficient demand for advanced courses in these subjects. MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT A unit of Freshman algebra is the only mathematical requirement made upon Cen- tral sailors. The Central mathematics department includes courses in the following: Plane geometry, two semestersg solid geometry, one semester, advanced algebra, two semesters: trigonometry, one semester. Accuracy, while it is the primary aim of mathematics, is not the sole aim. The development of the student's reasoning power is sought. Geometry is applicable to various trades and professions in the business world. It is absolutely imperative that anyone who is desirous of becoming an engineer have a thorough foundation and general knowledge of mathematics. The solving of theorems is the basis of achievement in geometry, while the working of problems and the application of various principles constitute a standard for students of algebra. SOCIAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT Three units of social science are required for graduation. This includes civics and vocations, which are taught at the junior high schools, world history, a two-semester course: United States history, another two- semester courseg economics and American government, two one- semester courses, which combine to make a unit. World history is a course which treats of the growth of civilization. Those who wish to trace the ascent and de- cline of great men, powerful na- tions, and mighty empires, will LIBRARY CA FlfI'1'lfIltlA Page Se Yellteell

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WAKITAN l er' CURRICULAR . REQUIREMENTS Sailors who are aboard the S. S. Central must comply with certain requirements previous to the time when they graduate. Three units of English must be completed before graduation. So- cial Science is a course from which two units are required, one of these must be from United States History. One unit must be obtained from R. O. T. C., 1 gym or physical education, from a natural science, and from ART ROOM mathematics if the students did not obtain one of such units at a Junior High School. Each student, in addition to these stipulations, must present six elective units. A total of thirteen Senior High School units are required for grad- uation. ENGLISH DEPARTMENT Sailors, while taking the necessary courses to fulfill the English requirements of the S. S. Central, encounter various types of work in this department. The first two semesters of English must be completed at a junior high school, as Central does not carry Freshmen subjects. English 10B and 10A, the Sophomore English courses, take up the study of correct grammar. Interspersed with such instruction is the study of such works as Silas Marner, Ivanhoe, Idylls of the King, and a general study of the history of the short story and of the essay. English V composes the first semester of work in the Junior year. In English 11B, the great Shakespearean works, Hamlet and Macbeth, are studied. A study of modern verse, in addition to the novels, The Rise of Silas Lapham and A Tale of Two Cities, completes the course. The student of English 11A is taken into the extremely interesting field of American literature. Senior sailors have their choice of one of three types of English for their fourth unit. For the sailor who wishes to continue his study of literature, a course of study is prescribed in which the outstanding authors of the past twelve centuries are studied, It is one of such classes which edits Central's literary magazine, Tower Gleamsf' Sailors who desire to become more proficient in the art of . W... , public speaking and in acting, are urged to take Speech. Journalism provides an outlet for a student's literary ability. Students of journalism gain not only greater facility in their writing, but they are the bene- ficiaries of a more complete knowledge of newspaper work. It is the class of advanced jour- nalism students which publishes Central's weekly paper, The Central Outlook. JOURNALISIVI OFFICE P xge Sixteen

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WAKITAN find a course in. world history ex- tremely interesting. The ancient Egyptians, Babylonians and Per- sians come in for their full share in the discussion. The em- pires of early Greece and Rome are reviewed. The Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and, of course, the discovery of America, pro- vide a bridge for the linking of medieval and modern times. The World War and subsequent hap- penings conclude this study of the history of the world as a whole. A student, while taking world history, does not study any par- ticular country more than any other. However, after a student has completed the study of world history, he may, if he so desires, continue in the field of social science and pursue the study of United States history. United States history, as its name denotes, deals with the study of the history of our nation. How the United States became a world power, how the frontier disappeared, the how and why of the World War, and the rise of modern economic and social conditions are but a few of the topics discussed in a United States history course. Economics is the science of business. There never was a time when people had more need of a knowledge of economics than the present. The present depression has made plainer than ever the fact that the problem of national prosperity is an economic situation fundamentally rather than a political one. Students of economics are taught about such things as production and consumption. The factors which regulate produc- tion and consumption are a source of great interest and comment. Proposed social and economic reforms, in addition to problems arising in connection with international trade relations, are topics which provide much food for thought. Students who take American government, delve into a field of social science which is quite unlike any other which they have studied. American government, unlike other courses, does not employ the entire semester for the thorough examina- tion of the specific topic at hand. Instead, the student who takes American govern- ment may be required, any time, to draw upon the knowledge which he has acquired during the time he has spent in other parts of the field of social science. In order to make the student more familiar with the method in which our government func- tions, the various classes of American government combine and form what is virtually a min- iature government. One class is the Senate, another, the House of Representatives, still an- other, the President and his cabinet. All three bodies func- tion in the manner prescribed by the Constitution. Legislation is introduced, debated, and voted upon, just as if each student were really a senator, congress- DOMESTIC SCIENCE ROOM CHEMISTRY LABORATORY 1 ige Flghteen