Sapulpa High School - Sapulphan Yearbook (Sapulpa, OK)

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THE KODAK or more courses in this department a year ago were able to find positions if they so desired, and all who accepted positions have been able to hold them satisfactorily up to the present time. The Gregg system of short-hand is taught. This course consists of all the different forms of business letters, journal and legal dictation matter and word drills of various kinds, thus preparing the student for every kind of stenographic work. The Rational System of Touch Typewriting is used—a fact which every modern business man will appreciate. The course in bookkeeping offers training in both single and double entry bookkeeping. Exercises in various types of business practice are worked out with ample drill in the use of vouchers. Great emphasis is laid upon accuracy and neatness in this course and the relative importance of each phase of the work is not neglected. MATHEMATICS BY MISS NELLIE SCHULTZ The general purpose of Mathematics in our High School is not so much to give to the student a large amount of new facts and information, nor yet to train him for practical later life, but rather, to inculcate in him certain ideals of work which carry over into all his activities. In the study of every branch of Mathematics the student is brought face to face with the fact of the immutability of truth. There is no quibbling possible here. A solution is either right or wrong and before he has gone very far he comes to the realization that unless he is willing to work persistently, honestly, accurately, and thoroughly it is impossible for him to obtain any great good whatsoever from the subject. However, its logical reasoning and abstract thinking soon manifest an ease, accuracy, and definiteness which results in a spirit of mastery and makes the subject appeal as a pleasurable activity. At present the Sapulpa High School offers three units in Mathematics. Of these two and one-half are fixed requirements for graduation, and the other one-half is elective. The requirements are: ALGEBRA—One year: In this an attempt is made to broaden the student’s quantitative conception of his surroundings. The fundamental operation of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are first exhaustively treated, followed by factoring, proportion and radicals. The equations, linear and quadratic, are studied only so far as their solution

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THE K 0 I) A K The Foreign Language Department of the Sapulpa High School is made up at present of two languages. German and Latin. There are now about 25 pupils enrolled in German, which is an increase of almost 50 per cent over last year. In the first year special attention is given to grammar. It is essential that the American pupil, first of all, have a technical knowledge of the language. This is attained by giving the pupil in the first year a thorough drill in all the grammatical forms. In addition to this, memory work is required, which gives the pupils training in pronunciation and also helps them to think in the language. A third thing sought after in the first year is that the pupil may have at his command, even though it may be limited, an every-day vocabulary of the language. The work taken up in the second year is three-fold. First, several of the best known German classics are read and studied, together with the life of the authors. This year, “Immensee,” “Der Neffe als Onkel,” “Hermann und Dorothea,” and “Wilhelm Tell,” were read. Second, some time is spent in German composition, that is, translating English into idiomatic German. Third, one day a week is devoted to conversational German. In the Latin Department, the regular four years’ course is offered. There are now 30 pupils enrolled, showing an increase over last year. It is hoped that next year a beginning Latin class can be started at the time of the mid-year promotions. A number desired to take up Latin at that time this year, but on account of a lack of teaching force it was impossible to start a new class. It is very probable that in the near future other foreign languages will be added, such as Greek, French and Spanish. COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT BY MISS T. DALE NISWONGER The purpose of the Commercial Department of the High School is to train students in proper business methods and prepare them thoroughly for future positions of responsibility and influence. The Commercial Department was established in the Sapulpa High School in February, 1913. At that time courses were offered in shorthand, typewriting and bookkeeping. Last fall, however, we were able to introduce in addition, courses in commercial law, business spelling and penmanship. Twenty-nine students are enrolled in this department this year, most of whom are registered in two or more commercial subjects. One encouraging feature has been that every student who finished one

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THE KODAK aids in the solution of practical problems and graphs and graphical representation are introduced to make the subject clearer and more interesting. PLANE GEOMETRY—One year: Within recent years considerable change has been made in the treatment of Geometry. The theoretical theorems are still retained but they have been heavily supplemented by exercises and applied work of a far less formal nature. These exercises are obtained from physics, mechanics and other sciences, from architecture, decoration and design. Their function is to create an interest in the minds of the students that reacts strongly in increasing his understanding and appreciation of the logical side of the subject. Special stress is put upon the applications of Geometry to measuration and to the verification of formulas already met and used by the student in Arithmetic and Algebra. ADVANCED ARITHMETIC—One-half year: In the High School the fundamental principals of arithmetic as begun in the grades and extended and developed and at the same time the essentials of commercial practice are included. To help the student to be independent of the usual school room tools—paper, pencil, etc.—considerable time is given to oral exercises. Accuracy and rapidity of solution are always sought for. Short processes and methods are emphasized and a large number of the exercises are taken from actual business transactions. The elective in 1914-15 was: SOLID GEOMETRY—One-half year. The same general plan of work as outlined for Plane Geometry is followed. The cubes, spheres, cylinders, pyramids with which the student has to deal here are things of his daily experience, consequently the practical applications become very pronounced. SC IENCE D E FA R'l'M ENT BY F. M. COLCORD The significance of the development of modern education can best be estimated by the stubborn agitation directed against the inefficiency of the scientific training given in our High School. The outcome of this agitation is that new and revolutionizing importance attaches to the study of the sciences. For the first time in the history of education the work of teaching science is being organized with something like scientific foresight and method. An unprecedented activity and enthusiasm in the pursuit of this aim are strikingly manifest. In the “cultured curriculum” science has been omitted. Any line of that which develops an appreciation of the things upon which our very existence depends, or add ideals, tending to form concepts and judgments.