Swanton High School - Pioneer Yearbook (Swanton, OH)

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SCIENCE A. CURTIS With the advent of World War II, the need for new and better weapons. medicines and transportation brought about a new flood of experimentation. This need was fulfilled and out of this came more wonderful discoveries than had ever been imagined. Science and scientists have truly proved their worth. Swanton High School offers a complete course in science. There is general science, which includes a smattering of everything from nature study to machin- ery. Next comes biology. the study of life, dealing with the lives of plants and animals. These two courses are under the instruction of Miss Curtis. For more advanced science we have Mr. Daniels teaching chemistry, the study of the ele- ments: and physics, the study of natural laws in their relation to mechanics. In 1900. the first year for science to be taught in S. H. S., physics was chosen. Catherine Hartley was instructor of this class which used textbooks, but they had to struggle along with no experimenting. because there was no equipment for such things. Later, botany was added to the curriculum and several graduates returned to learn of the flowers and weeds. Several students of forty years ago say they vividly remember physics class with genial Mr. Bates as the teacher demonstrat- ing the static elecricity machine and giving them thrills by having them clasp hands and sending a circuit of electricity through the chain. Mr. Bates called ins students Mr. and Miss. One favorite method of confusion was, Miss Smith, you must be exact and definite in science. You donit seem to be able to define the simplest, most commonfplace things. What is a chair? Next to be introduced was general science, which came about 1917. As time went by biology and chemistry came into demand and were added. Mr. L. A. W alker was our first biology teacher in 1923. At this time Mr. Vanorsdall was teacher of the other sciences. Following him up to the present time are Mr. Leroy demon- Scott, Mr. Earle Davidson. Mr. Karl Zartman, Mr. Howard ltogge. Mr. Daniels and Miss Curtis. The first room set aside for the teaching of science was room 333 on the g . upper floor of the old building. The teacher did the experimenting as siralions. Extra equipment was kept in the cloak room. In 1927 room 107 was equipped for a biology laboratory and room 11 for chemistry and physics. Since that time each student performs and tabulates the'results of his own experiments. flfij

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LANGUAGES M. L. HALL When the Swanton High School was first established. Latin was part of the schoofs curriculum. Une of the first foreign language teachers was fi. U. Castle. ln 1912 Margaret Biery' introduced a four year course of Latin. The first year was the study of grammar: second year. Caesarg third year. llicerog fourth year. Yirgil. Hope Curtis, another foreign language teacher. was the first alumna of this high school to return as one of its faculty. Following Miss Curtis, Miss Paige and Merah Gamble were instructors. ln l92l Mable Urennan changed the schtdule hy' teaching two years of French and two years of Latin. During the next years, Maretta jordan. Marguerite Williams. Mary iiaris and llelen Hennund were other teachers ot language. 4 llvelyn llahn. now Mrs. Edmund l'illiod. htld the magistrais rule for a period of six years. Her successor was Dorothy Harris Logan. now one of Holland High 5l'll0Ul1S faculty. Mary Louise Hall became a mcmlver of the faculty in I9-l-fl. She presides over a class of thirty freshmen and sixteen sophomores. 'fhe prestnt curriculum offers only' two years of Lating first year is grammar and second year. Caesar. The future aim of the de martment is to add S anish to the schoofs curriculum. 1'i 1 1 I 1 1 1 1 the students of Latin have completed several projects pertalnlng to the suhject. AIIIOIIU those were modcline' statues. coustructinf' notehooks and rosters of the ?-, rf 1 P v 1 1 Roman Gods and Uoddesses and studyinv models of weaions used llllfllll' this 1 1b C 4 r-l1 1 Q 1 ra period. the purpose of the projects IS to introduce the pupils to the religion and home life of the Romans. HU

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AGRICULTURE WILLIAM DANIELS The Agriculture Department of Swanton High School was introduced in the school in the year 1923. The first instructor was llay Spilker, a Smith-Hughes teacher, who worked the year round in this department. In the summer and vaca- tion days he would instruct interested boys in care of livestock and crops. He was right on the farm with them. It was called the Smith-Hughes Agriculture Course hecause the government paid half of the teacher's salary. Mr. Spilker was here tor three years. then his duties were taken over by James Byers who continued until l930. Mr. Stephen Molnar was the next agriculture teacher and he remained three years. Our next teacher. J. L. Barnhart. taught from 1933 to 1937. The next gentleman to step into the boots of farming was none other than Mr. William G. Daniels, who is our present agriculture teacher. Mr. Daniels taught six years ol' agriculture before coming to Swanton. He was principal of Milton Center School for tour years, and during this time taught some science. too. Mr. Daniels' aim in teaching agriculture is to get the boys to know the up- to-date methods and practical aspects in agriculture. He also stresses the idea ot' tretter livestock and better crops. and is interested in getting people to know hon important soil conservation is to us. Mr. Daniels has twenty six students in this years agriculture class. This course of study includes: Animal Huslrandry. Farm tfrops. llorticulturt' and Farm Mariagemcrit. HID