Fairfax High School - Colonial Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

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has so competently occupied, Girls' VicefPrinf cipal at Fairfax. During the first semester of 1925 it was deemed necessary to import a second vicefprincif pal to take charge of the boys' affairs of the school. To thus complete the executive departi ment at Fairfax was chosen Dewit S. Swan. Although born in the southern tip of Illinois, Mr. Swan's education was gathered chiefly from schools of Colorado. He graduated from the University of Denver and proceeded into the teaching profession in that city. In 1912 Mr. Swan moved to Los Angeles. Here he proceeded to the Los Angeles High School where he taught mathematics and astronomy. It was from that position that he was transferred to Fairfax to take up his valuable work as Boys' VicefPrincif pal. Thus we have examined the members of the executive staff. The next link in the chain of eflicient management of the school is the office staff. The enormous task of keeping the records of such large institutions clear and unentangled is accomplished by a small staff of eight persons. As well as the clerical work, members of this group operate the library, attendance oliice, clerks' office, and counselor's office, and discharge secretarial duties for the principal. Next in the system of school management comes the faculty.. Each subject and teacher is grouped into a department of like classes. Each department has a department head or chairman, who is responsible for that division. The wisdom of this segregation of departments may best be understood by an examination of the far differ' Qld' Dawrrr S. SWAN Boys' Vice-Principal . . . completes the executive department at Fairfax. ent problems and activities of each department in our rapidly growing school. In accompaniment with the growth of the en' tire school, the Art department, presided over by Coach Will Paxton, artist and poet, has ex' perienced a corresponding increase in enrollment during the past year. This department gives its students opportunities to enter two poster conf tests the year, the Community Chest contest, held during the fall, and the Easter Sunrise Service contest, held during the spring. It also sponsors Vicefprincipal D. S. Swan takes a few minutes to explain the shield of the Colonial Knights, an organization which he sponsors. Then it is back to work as Mr. Swan goes to bat with the telephone, with Mr. Gooden' ough on deck. 11

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MRS. Mlrniueo BROVJN Girls' Vice-Principal . . was chosen to accompany Van Cleve as vice-principal. Mr. Van Cleve's first teaching position was at the Baptist College in Los Angeles. From there he transferred to the San Fernando grammar school, in which he served as principal for four years. It was now the year 1901 and Mr. Van Cleve was brought in to the Los Angeles High School, at which institution he served until the fateful day when he was chosen to lead the des' tinies of Fairfax. While at Los Angeles Mr. Van Cleve led a busy life. As well as his reguf lar daytime activities as head of the biology def partment, he occupied the following outside po' sitions. He organized the Los Angeles Evening School and acted as its principal for four years. For thirteen summers Mr. Van Cleve also di' rected the activities of the summer school which he organized at Los Angeles High. Well qualif fied was he, then, and fortunate for the future welfare of Fairfax was it, that the man chosen to govern the activities of Fairfax High School was Rae G. Van Cleve. To accompany Mr. Van Cleve as vicefprincif pal of the new school was chosen Miss Mildred Finch, then a teacher in Mr. Van Cleve's Biol' ogy Department. Mrs. Brown is the name today, but she still administers the activities of the Ladies of Fairfax. She was born in Riverside and received her early education in that city's schools. She then enrolled in Los Angeles High and was assigned to Mr. Van Cleve's home room. Once again she returned to the city of her birth, attended, and graduated from Riverf side High. Following this, five years at the Uni' versity of 'Southern California earned her a Bachelor of Arts Degree and Teacher's Certinf cate. Mrs. Brown then traveled to the Univerf sity of California for her Master's degree, then to an extension school for her administrative credentials. Mrs. Brown has taught in several far different parts of our state. Her first teaching position was in the commercial department of a small school in Modesto county. She followed this with four years in the Science department at Los Angeles High. It was from this department that Mrs. Brown was chosen to fill the post she A torn dress or a bunch of flowers present no difficulties to Girls' VicefPrincipal Mildred Brown, whose varied talents include wielding a needle and arranging a bouquet as well as those necessary to carry out the executive functions of her position. 10

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many organizations which do valuable advertisf ing work for the school. Another department of the school is also ad' ministered by an artist. Coach Hugh Welsh of the Boys' Physical Education department exhihf its his artistic abilities in many ways, principally by the homefdrawn sketch of the symbols of the various fields of athletic endeavor which hangs in his ofhce. This department offers two alterf nate courses for the students to pursue. The newcomer to Fairfax may choose to enroll in the Gymnasium classes or the R.O.T.C. unit. The Gym classes are naturally devoted to outdoor exf ercises and sports. The R.O.T.C. is nominally under the head of this department, hut is actual' ly semifindependent with Major Sliney at its head. This unit is under the supervision of the United States Army and tends more toward dis- cipline and army tactics. Alrr DEPARTRIENT Odgzird. Donaldson, Paxton Kun-vers. VV1LL PAXTON l'lUGIl VVELSH lrt Depa1'tm0'rlt Boys' Physical Education Head Department Head Boys' PHYSICAL , EDUCATION DEPARTMENT Back Row: Rynearson, Welsh, Bowen, Lloyd. Front Row: Pylon, Timme, Shaffer, Sliney. 12 l l