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

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Students are dissatisfied, yet many are also apathetic. Con- cerned administrators and students are experimenting with and evaluating several alternatives to the traditional mode of educa- tion, with varying degrees of success. One program initiated by Mr. Noyes this year was the Family Program. Each family unit consisted of approximately 15 stu- dents selected from the three grades, and a faculty member. Meetings were held irregularly during most of the year. Family meetings were designed to serve a dual purpose. They provided a relaxed atmosphere in which it was hoped personalized rela- tionships would result between students and teachers, and among the students themselves. Secondly, the meetings gave students an opportunity to discuss topics of interest. Unfortu nately, the Family Program was a disappointment to many. While a few families met continuously and enjoyed being with each other, the majority were unsuccessful. Students became disinterested in attending the meetings, and subsequently their frequency was reduced. Some attributed this disinterest to the lackadaisical mood of the students or felt the group situation was an unnatural one. Others wondered what could be unnatur- al about sixteen people gathered to discuss and to relate to each other. In contrast to the questionable success of the Family Program, the Independent Study Program has been gaining much popu- larity since its conception. Student involvement in the program increased rapidly this year under the leadership of Mr. Lewis Love and the Independent Study Committee. Students have been able to explore such diverse areas as pottery, experimen- tal school systems, and Ancient Greek under the sponsorship of a faculty member. Although some students chose to take advan- tage of the relative freedom of the program, the majority benef- ited greatly from the experience of self-teaching. Independence was also demonstrated this year by the hordes of students who adopted the Open Campus Plan before it was approved by the Board of Education this spring. Much to the students’ surprise, the program is now formally in the experi- mental stage and will be evaluated every month. The success of the program this spring will determine whether or not it will con- tinue next year. The plan gives the students the freedom to man- age their out of class time. They can leave the school grounds or use the facilities in the school during their lunch and study pe- riods. According to Mr. Noyes, the plan’s primary purpose is to help to develop in students responsible self discipline in the management of their own time and activity. Educational reform is a continuous process. It must advance with our changing society, or it will have failed. Our responsibil- ity lies in experimenting with new educational approaches and encouraging those who follow us to do the same. Independent Study

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