Wellesley High School - Wellesleyan Yearbook (Wellesley, MA)

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PRACTICALJOKER: Mr. Hcrlin By Popular Student Vote, These Teachers Were Chosen for Faculty Superlatives TASKMASTER: Mr. Palumbo TEACHER OFTHE YEAR: Dr Fischer MALE CHAUVINIST Mr Burgess MOST LIBERATED WOMAN Ms Reardon MOTHER HEN: Miss Mulry BEST DRESSED: Mr. Connors and Miss Moore

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If teachers seemed to smile more and give less home¬ work during the last week in October, it was probably because they were huping for their students ' votes to be Teacher of the Year’ Students had the chance to vote all week long on the mezzanine for the teachers or administra¬ tors they thought most deserved each of fourteen different titles. The results, when tallied, were kept secret. And now, from Wellesley High’s Hall of Fame, we present the win¬ ners of the 1977 Faculty Superlatives’ MOST ENTHUSIASTIC Mrs Plati MOST SCHOOL SPIRIT: Mr. Tiberio ABSENT MINDED PROFESSOR: Mr Frick MOST UNDERSTANDING Mrs Miller 28

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TEACHERS LEARNED DURING SABBATICAL LEAVES In 1975, the third floor was unusually quite; Mr. Burgess was on sabbatical in England and Scot¬ land. His objective was to see historical sites and to develop an understanding of the economic and political problems facing the British people today. Mr. Burgess’ open manner and down-to-earth style allowed him to make many new friends dur ing his stay. He was amazed at the basic optimism of the people. It’s unbelievable the way the British manage to cope with the economic problems they face today,” he said. They are suffering from far more serious inflation rates than we are, and they are getting paid less. Mr. Burgess wonders, What right do WE have to complain In addition, Mr. Burgess saw a great deal of the country. He visited such places as Stonehenge, Blackpool, London, Runneymead, the JFK Memorial, Culloden Moor, Killycrankie, Glencoe, St. Andrew’s, Windsor, Hampton Court, and many more. He saw his father’s birthplace in Montrose, journeyed to the Holy Island, and explored Edinburgh Castle. In conclusion, Mr. Burgess said of the people and the land, Fantastic’” We were glad to welcome back Mr. Burgess with his new understanding of Great Britain. Mr. Burgess of the Social Studies Department. Last January, Mrs. Fitzpatrick left WHS for a one semester multi-faceted sabbatical. With the solid background she had already acquired in Career Education, she hoped to help develop Wellesley’s Career Education program further. Her goals also included writing a report on the quality of the English used by working students, evaluating the English skills of these students, and suggesting guidelines for meeting their edu¬ cational needs. As if that weren’t enough to keep her busy, Mrs. Fitzpatrick hoped, in addition to her other aims, to write a grammar book to meet new challenges in practical English and to plan for the establishment of an inter-departmental skills center in occupational training. Mrs. Fitzpatrick of the English department Mr. Barr took advantage of the first break in his thirteen-year teaching career at Wellesley to attend a variety of classes at Northeastern University, beginning in January of 1977. For the six months of his educational leave, he added to his already extensive knowledge of math with courses in computer pro¬ gramming, analysis, and probability. Discussing his plans before leaving on sabbatical, Mr. Barr reveal ed an interesting sidelight: My wife is a faculty member at Northeastern, so I may sit in on her class occa¬ sionally and see what kind of teacher she is!” Mr. Barr of the Math department Three years ago, all but seven of the 1200 members on the National Humanities Faculty were college or university professors. Of those seven, only one waj a public school teacher. That one was Mr. Gerald Murphy, on a year’s sabbatical from WHS. During his year with the NHF, an organization established to improve the humanities and related subjects in secondary schools, Mr. Murphy served first as Director of Research and then as Associate Director of the Faculty. He traveled all across the country, visiting schools and working personally with teachers and stu¬ dents to help them set up and run their humanities programs. In addition to this work, Mr. Murphy did fund-raising and handled all public speaking for the NHF. His sabbatical took him from urban Minneapolis to a Hopi reservation in Arizona, from conventions in New Orleans and Chicago to McDonald’s and Quaker Oats companies (where he solicited funds for the NHF). In all, his work took him to twenty-seven states. And the airlines lost my luggage only once!” he added with a smile. Mr. Murphy got much more from his year on sabbatical than the 120-page report he wrote or the seven boxes full of curriculum materials that he accumulated in his garage. He has seen much of the country, has gained a feeling for the humanities on a national scope, and has made lasting friendships with the many prominent profes¬ sors with whom he worked. It was a magnificent experience,” he said enthusiastic¬ ally, . . . exhilarating, expanding, and freeing.” Mr. Murphy has continued his involvement with the NHF as a consultant and project coordinator. Mr. Murphy of the Social Studies department. 30