Sodus High School - Soduskan Yearbook (Sodus, NY)

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FIRST ROW: Marcia Norton, LIBRARIANg Thelma Scott, SOCIAL STUDIES. SECOND ROW: Paul Shaver, SCIENCE: F. S.l-Iungerford, PSYCHOLOGY: Maynard Bellinger, AGRICULTURE. FIRST ROW: Jeanne Moore, ENGLISH: Ruth Cornish, LANGUAGESg Elizabeth Bellinger, ENGLISH, SECOND ROW: David Cooper, ENG- LlSHg Keith Ketcham, SCIENCEQ Lloyd McGowan, GUIDANCE. Teachers Seek BeHer Methods Our priceless heritage is the American way of life, and nothing is more typical of the average American than his constant search for something better. The everlasting demand for better homes, better automobiles, better schools .... better everything .... has gone hand in hand with our devo- tion to freedom. Shields lt is the characteristic of this sear,ch that teachers should be looking constantly for better ways of teachingg the self-imposed demand for improving themselves, their methods, their philosophies, is evident from the increased num- ber of committees working on educational prob- lems. After nearly a year of work, the Philosophy Committee, with Mrs. Scott as chairman, made public its work for the January Z7 faculty meet- ing. Lively discussions followed on such sub- jects as drop-outs, grouping, social promotion, extra-class activities, diplomas, and awards, culminating in sanction of the committee's work by the entire junior-senior high faculty. Soon the recommendations will be presented to par- ents for their approval. Marks Committee Goes to Work Following the report of the Philosophy Com- mittee, the Marks Committee, composed of Mr. Shaver, Mr. Stelianou, Mr. and Mrs. Bellinger, Miss Welch, Mr. Cooper, Mrs. Cornish, and Chairman Miss Doyle, began to work in earnest to find ways of improving and clarifying our marking system. Room Mothe r s Organized A joint activity of mothers and teachers be- gan this year in grades kindergarten-second with the organization of room mothers. Room mothers assist teachers by going on field trips with the children, helping with parties, sewing, etc. The group has held several meetings and selected a chairman for each room. Each moth- er helps for two months. The chairman makes schedules and plans. Handw riting Committe e Meets February 14 the Handwriting Committee held its first meeting. Composed of represent- atives of grades K-6, Mrs. Hill, Miss Werner, Mrs. Aumann, Mrs. Tallman, Mrs. Rolfe, Mrs. Keefe, Mrs. Contant, and Mr. Scurrah, it is

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s Board of E ducahon FIRST ROW: Eugene Cook, President Morris Butts, G. Arthur Smith. SECOND ROW: Granger Green, John VanEenwyck. Clayton Collins. .....our schools function as they do because their direction is the kind it is--of the people, by the people, and for the people, like our government itself... This Was The Year Thai... IVE classrooms were opened in the new north wing. Mr. Scurrah and Mr. McGowan moved into rooms with windows! But soon Mr. Scurrah went back to the store room as... School population hit a new high of 1,415 pupils. New organizations were born: three bowling teams, the Junior Future Nurses Club, Drama-Arts, the Dance Band. The Class of 1954 won over 512,000 in scholar- ships. All high school students could choose their per- sonal advisors from among the faculty. The Junior High Basketball Team played ten games with other schools. We acquired two new busses, and two station wa- gons. We added a fifth first grade. Graduation was held on Saturday for the first time. Mr. Stelianou was Sodus' ambassador to Turkey for the summerg we exchanged students and teachers with Smiths Falls,Ontario, Canada, for four days. Our advertisers became patrons. We purchased a lovely silver tea service for the Homemaking Department. The adult education program was enlarged to in- clude drama fMr. Cooper, and 1ayman's law fGeorge Parsons., The Parent-Teachers Association became a well- established, constructively helpful organization in our' school. Coach McGinn ended his distinguished and impres- sive career as varsity basketball coach. His inspira- tional and untiring devotion to his teams has resulted in atradition ofgood basketball at Sodus. Since he will continue to teach physical education, none of the qual- ities of his fine stewardship will be lost to us.

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attempting to set up a developmental writing program. This program will provide for more consis- tence in drill, practice, and method. The com- mittee will work on such problems as how to hold a pencil, where should cursive writing be- gin, how can we help the left-handed child, etc. Class Activities Revised In an attempt to simplify and make more effective the class activities program in the high school, a committee chairmanned by Mr. Dority and composed of several class and or- ganization advisors, formulatedanew plan for carrying on such activities. Each year several faculty members act as advisors to Mr. Hungerford. This year Mr. Erwin, Miss Welch, Mr. Shaver, Mrs. Cornish, and Mr. Ketcham are serving. This group forms an effective liaison between the admin- istration and the faculty. The work of the Salary Committee of the Faculty Club fMr. Shaver, Mr. Smith, Miss Doyle, and Mr. Dorityl was culminated in an agreement between the committee and the Board of Education in regard to a new salary schedule for teachers. New Teachers and Cadets Arrive The school year brought several new teach- ers to Sodus: Mr. Henri, Mrs. Clark, Miss Van- Aken, Miss Bush, Miss McAvoy, Mrs. Blaisdell, Mrs. Pittman, and Mrs. Ryerson. Miss Doyle, Mr. Cooper, Mrs. Burcroff, Mrs. Aumann, and Mr. Bellinger helped cadet teachers from near-by colleges and universities become initiated into the profession. Adult Education Expands Several members of the faculty participated in the enlarged adult education program. Instruc- tors and their courses were: Bellinger...woodworking and welding Welch...basic sewing Fletcher...bookkeeping and typing Dority...current problems Raethka...art VanAken...shorthand DeVal1...driver training Bush...women's physical education Teachers Study for Advanced Degrees Not only did teachers take courses from other teachers, but they traveled extensively evenings and Saturdays, studying for advanced degrees. FIRST ROW: Ann VanAkeI'I, COMMERCIAL, Dorothy Welch, HOME- MAKING. SECOND ROW: Gertrude Doyle, ENGLISIIQ John Dority, SOCIAL STUDIES, Evelyn Fletcher, COMMERCIAL: MenelSte1ianou, MATHEMATICS. FIRST ROW: John Erwin, SOCIAL STUDIESg Nancy Bush, PHYSICAL EDUCATION. SECOND ROW: Beulah Lawrence, MATHEMATICS: Anthony Mastroleo, BANDg Alice Ingison, MUSIC.