Great Neck North High School - Arista Yearbook (Great Neck, NY)

Page 26 text:

group spent most of its time dealing with re- search and development proposals and trying to generate better communication of new ideas between the different schools of Great Neck. As might be expected, red tape con- sumed a considerable amount of time and ef- fort. The CDC has at its disposal certain funds which must be spent on research and development proposals. The proposals, by defi- nition, must relate to curriculum in some way and above all, they must be innovative or ex- perimental in nature. Among the research and development programs that the CDC has im- plemented are: Independent Leaminq Centers at Cumberland School, Improved Diagnostic Techniques at Kensington-Johnson School. Language Arts Tape Recorder Project at Park- ville School, Classroom Libraries at North Jun- ior, and Senior Values Seminars at North Sen- ior. This past year, the council has become more and more interested in developing new basic curricular philosophies designed to meet the needs of a generation that is demanding that its curriculum be relevant to today’s world. Of its twenty-two members, those from North Senior were Dr. Herbert Isaac, Mr. M. Elliot Noyes, and Mr. Daniel Laskin. The Instructional Council, consisting of stu- dents, teachers, and administrators was formed in February. It was designed to review and recommend new methods of instruction. More specifically, the council was charged with de- veloping self-evaluation techniques for teach- ers, implementing new curriculum materials, and involving the district in teacher education and preparation. Alice Friedman and Stephen Messner, both sophomores, served as student representatives. Under the chairmanship of Mr. Kenneth Can- field, the Building Curriculum Group pro- ceeded in much the same way as last year: its most controversial issue being Health. With the pass-fail grading deemed a failure, Mr. Noyes concurred with the recommendation that grades be reinstituted into the Health pro- gram, thus making most sophomores quite un- happy. The three student members, Reuben Cohen, Judy Pollack, and Marc Rosenwasser, voted independently and not as a student bloc. However, the BCG stood unanimous in its attempt to improve communication with North Junior and in its charging the central administration with ignoring the group. Early this year, the S.O. requested student membership on the Building Representation Committee; a group of teachers elected by the faculty to handle any pertinent educational matter including tenure, orientation of new teachers, school rules, and teacher working conditions. While the BRC did agree that some of its discussion included legitimate matters for student concern, they felt that there was not enough to warrant direct student participa- tion. Therefore, a compromise, the Student- Faculty Advisory Board, was proposed. The committee consisted of eight members; four student members and four faculty members. The SFAB concentrated most of its efforts on student evaluation of teachers, conversation study halls during lunch periods, and the avail- ability of outdoor space for students during free time. The student members were Matthew Edlund, Marc Machiz, Judy Pollack, and Rick Reibstein. Mr. Cartee, Mrs. Harrington, Mr. Morrison, and Mr. Porter represented the faculty. In addition to continuing to teach physical education, in his new role Mr. Morrison strived to prevent system-student polarization. His new title, Administrative Assistant for Student- Faculty Relations, succinctly defines his new duty—the improvement of student-administra- tion relations.

Page 28 text:

LEFT: Miss Sonders conducting her Italian class: FAR BELOW: Dan Wartenberg working on his study of guppies: BELOW: Mr. Love teaching A.P. Physics. Under the leadership of Mr. Lewis Love, the Independent Study Program at North Sen- ior is continuously expanding. This year, the program involved approximately sixty students who pursued various fields of study individually. Independent Study was originally established to aid students who felt that they could com- plete a course in less than the allotted time or who were interested in a subject not offered as a regular school course. A student, if he feels that he is capable, may take Independent Study in lieu of almost any regularly scheduled subject. Course titles ranged from Russian Literature” to The Ecology of a Bog. Under the auspices of the Independent Study Program, several students were able to take courses which were not normally offered at North, Advanced Placement Physics and first year Italian were only two such courses. In addition, the entire group undertook a sociological study of Great Neck and its stu- dents. The Independent Study Program, through the diligent efforts of Mr. Lewis Love and the committee, has become a permanent institu- tion at North. Hopefully, it is the forerunner of future education in Great Neck. Its success depends upon the responsibility of the involved students. So far, the future is bright.