Springfield Senior High School - Wildcat Yearbook (Springfield, OH)

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Collegeffnglish Those boys and girls who are going to college must have the proper background for their work. Therefore, the emphasis in college English is on the literary form-the novel, the short story, the essay, poetry. Form and theme are studied through the medium of English literature. Because the history of literature and the names of men and women who have left us so much literary gold will be part of their work for the next four years, prospective college students must gather in high school some of the richness of Shakespeare and of Scott, of Shelley and of Keats. Commercial English For those students who have decided to go directly into the business world, there must be another kind of training. A business vocabulary and the quick and accurate spell- ing of these words are absolute essentials. Letter writing and the filling out of forms will be part of their everyday work in a very An English faculty meeting can be very gay and yet get a great deal of work done. The members of our English department are Miss Gaumer, Mr. Racerg Miss Fay, Mrs. Noble, Mrs. Exlineg Miss short time, therefore they must practice until these jobs are routine. Because bookkeepers and secretaries have leisure time, Commercial English must also prepare a background for recreational read- ing. To that end in connection with their grammar and letter writing, students in this course do supplementary reading in fiction and in biography. General English There are, of course, many boys and girls in high school who are not interested in prepar- ation for college or for business. For them a general course keeps them in practice in the normal uses of written work-letters and informal notes-in conversational exper- iences, the conducting of meetings, and all those experiences that come with day to day living. Whatever the special course may be, the great hope is that Springfield High School will give her boys and girls the proper train- ing to help them to become well adjusted to the way of life they make for themselves. Raup, Miss Fitz, Miss Van Horn, Miss Ritchie, Mr. Milligan, Mr. Rolfesg Miss Neer, Mrs. Ladd, Miss Haeseler, Miss Ballinger, and Miss Rabcy.

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MR. MlLLIGAN'S ENGLISH CLASS FIND ESSAYS MOST INTERESTING AS THEY PREPARE OUTLINES FOR THEIR NOTEBOOKS. The King's English English is fun. In it is the background for all our good times. Do you like to read? The riches of the literary world are yours not just as a classroom chore but as a golden opportunity to live in ages that are past and in countries that you may never have the chance to visit. You may converse with the great minds of the ages. Men and women whom you could never expect to meet come into your home and tell you their stories. Do you like shows, the movies, the theater? Plays are as good reading as they are listen- ingg and somewhere through the years in one of your English classes you were taught how to appreciate a well built play. From Gammer Gurton's Needle through William Shakespeare to the latest movie-go to see a play and you're having fun in an English class. Or, do you just like to talk? Ah, conversa- tion is a great art, and the ability to express yourself intelligently is something that you can practice in any classroom. There is certainly no department where the 1949er can dig himself more gold and wash away more dross than in classes that teach him the use of his mother tongue. ln Springfield High School, as in any school that tries to keep abreast of the times, the keynote for the teaching of English is func- tional, Although we realize that there are definite standards of excellence both in usage and in literary appreciation, we know, too, that the emphasis must be different for those boys and girls who expect to spend four more years in college training from the needs of those who are going into industry or into homemaking. For that reason the work of the English department has three separate phases.

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Social Science Those subjects which we casually refer to as Social Science are much more numerous than We realize. When figuring our credits for graduation, we little conceive that a great part of our subjects come under this heading. Included under this title are history, soci- ology, psychology, business law, economics, and even driving. Each of these prepares us for better citizenship in our community. We can participate in the various civic affairs of our immediate community, and more clearly understand its problems after study- ing the history of the states and the nation as a whole. We can also vote more intelli- gently on state and national problems, for voting is explained thoroughly in history classes. A Mr. Matheny's world history class is instructed in how to use a voting machine by Mary Lois Hurch, Pat Joyce, Phyllis Martin, and Barbara Goheen. The Current Events section of the class Sociology is defined as a science of the origin and development of society, or of the forms, institutions, and functions of human groups. In this class we discuss problems of home and family relations, of church, school, and of the country. Law is technically defined as rules of conduct or actions which are prescribed by the supreme governing au- thority and enforced by a sanction. Literally speaking, we learn the fundamentals of the law practice and some of its technicalities. Through this course, we learn to appreciate the reason for many actions that seem un- reasonable to us on the surface. Economics, the science that investigates conditions and laws affecting our business, is another im- portant course of Social Science. A special group which benefits SHS students as well as radio listeners is the forum. This group presents pros and cons of important issues to the public. keeps the pupils up to the minute in affairs of the world, and the study from the text gives the background from the past. 22