Newton High School - Newtonian Yearbook (Newton, MA)

Page 21 text:

'I .IA Miss Rachel Johnson, Riley House Mr Michael Gradone Palmer House a burst of Shakespearean ingenuity, term- ed it: this whole bloody business. Department heads as a group are the most influential administrative officers in the high schools, mainly because they control curriculum planning at both New- ton North and Newton South, and be- cause they are intimately involved with the respective faculty members whom they lead. A department head has a huge responsibility, since it is up to him whether a school stands or falls academ- ically. Department heads assist in choos- Mr. Richard Adams, Beals House

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Mr. Graham Easson, Adams House masters of the house, why couldn't the women be . . CThis particular teacher sat down rather abmptlyj. Each house- master-in addition to his own native talent- was provided with an oflice Ceither cramped or dimly-litj, three chairs and a desk, a secretary and an aide, a bunch of noisy kids, and his own boys' lavatory which he could police at will. He was told to get to know his students, direct his faculty, and administrate his house. That was all he was told, purpose- ly. Thus, each housemaster was able to a large extent to define his own job, and to bring his own particular talents to bear where they would be most effective, and all succeeding housemasters tended to mold their jobs to themselves, rather than allowing their jobs to mold them. Although their jobs are basically sim- ilar, each of our present housemasters - Mr. Easson, Miss Ryan, Mr. Batchelder, Mr. Adams, Mr. Gradone, and Miss Johnson - reflect this image of individu- ality. They are a group with highly differ- ent backgrounds. Mr. Batchelder was in the South Pacific with the U.S. Navy at 17 Lndeveioping ulcers J. Mr. Adams wanted to be a professional baseball play- 16 - K er. Mr. Easson just wanted to be a manf' Miss Ryan was an actress for sev- eral years Cof course she still isJ, Miss Johnson wanted to be a nurse. Although they all approach their jobs with dedica- tion and a strong personal feeling for the student, they have varying perspectives and styles of operation. Mr. Adams is especially interested in giving his students as much responsibility as they can man- age, Mr. Easson places emphasis on free- ing both faculty and students from en- tangling red-tape, Mr. Gradone goes out in the halls to chat with students, Miss Johnson holds an orientation tea for the sophomores each fall. All of the housemasters have taken on duties outside their regular responsibili- ties, both within and without the school. Mr. Gradone handles graduation with Mr. Howland, and is involved in both the Boy Scouts and the Babe Ruth League. Mr. Batchelder is president-elect of the Na- tional Education Association. Miss Ryan still enjoys work in dramatics. They appreciate the complexity of their jobs. All of them find the work never- ending, especially the purely administra- tive side. As Mr. Batchelder said: In this job you are involved with everything from flowerpots to God? And Mr. Easson, in Miss Helen Ryan, Bacon House . . 5 1 . 0' KJ ' A 5----wi O

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Ll .4 'a'4f-i I flung 4, Mr. W. Eugene Ferguson, Mathematics Mr. C. Wayne Altree, Social Studies Mr. Robert Mitchell, Guidance ing books, determining intra-departmental standards, and a host of other curriculum activities. ln addition, many of the de- partment heads take part in school activi- ties outside the normal scope of their de- partment, and serve as informal advisors for their faculties. And, of course, they teach classes themselves. The department head might be called the housemaster of the curriculum, as with the housemasters, there are certain basic similarities in their jobs, but there are differences too. For example, Miss Lanigan in English and Mr. Altree in r-' Mr. Orrin Brawn, 18 Mr. Jacob Skilken, Science Director of the Technical High School ,Q