Halifax County High School - Haliscope Yearbook (South Boston, VA)

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for College Jimmy Glidewellpoints to one of the geometric designs made by advanced math students. During chemistry class Jimmy Gravitt runs a titration experiment. The advancement of the understanding of general science, biology, chemistry, and physics was the purpose of the Science Department this year. Armed with five full¬ time and two part-time teachers, the department gave train- ingin some field of science to about 780 students or roughly half the total enrollment here. Two additional classrooms were equipped for science instruction cutting the funds for new equipment considerably. However, such new equipment as a satellite globe that shows movements of planets in the solar system, a vacuum pump, some government surplus optical equipment, charts, and audio-visual equipment were bought for the classes. This term marked the first time physics was taught in Grade 11; therefore, the first time the total science course offered by this school has been completed by a class in four years. Thegrowing schoolpopulation and the increasing interest in science was typified by the two new classrooms and an extra class of advanced Science 8. i i

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Maffi And Science Prepared Students From fractions to logarithms is the scope of classwork students found in the math classes here. General math, algebra I and II, plane geometry, solid geometry, trigonometry and business math were a- mong the classes students attended. This year emphasis was placed es¬ pecially on getting and holding the interest of students. One six weeks period especially was set aside for securing this interest, and this year for the first time students in solid geometry and trigonometry were required to construct geometric figures and to make snowflakes containing geometric designs. Greater stress in all math classes was placed on neatness, accuracy, and arrange¬ ment of work. Teachers agreed that only rarely should part credit be given for work which contained careless errors because math is a science of accuracy. Also in solid and trigonometry classes students were required to do library work. This work included reading topics from books on higher mathematics and writing summaries on them. This activity was established to help students understand what college math would be like and to broaden their knowledge of the subject. ' IBMSIK 10

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interest On Business And Language Qvew To develop the students’ proficiency in speaking, writing, and reading a language other than English is the purpose of the Foreign Language Department. The department offers Latin, Spanish, and French, with Spanish receiving the greatest em¬ phasis this year. The purpose of this emphasis is to eventually develop a five-year course that would enable students to acquire a fluent speaking knowledge of a foreign language in high school. This year a successful experiment was conducted in an eighth grade Spanish class which used a text consisting mainly of dia - logues that stressed the importance of speaking the language. Although Spanish is the only foreign language offered in the eighth grade, freshmen may begin a two or three year study of Latin; however, students are not eligible to take French until they become sophomores, and only two years of French are offered. Students in Business Education courses receive practical experience and training for clerical and secretarial work after graduation. In addition to academic work, girls in office practice and shorthand classes serve their school in many ways. The ad- vanced typists work for the STAR, HALISCOPE, and other school departments. In advanced shorthand, students take dictation from Mr. Swanson and other members of the faculty. General record keeping which offers training for general clerks, bookkeeping procedures for small businesses, and bookkeeping practices for personal use, is a pre-requisite for the standard bookkeeping course, offered to seniors only. Peggy Jones and Wingate Eakes are reviewing written and oral Spanish in the laboratory language class that eighth grade students could elect. Morty Miller, president of the Latin Club, displays a modern Roman camp for second- year Caesar students Linda Whitlow and Mary Vicks. 12