Abraham Lincoln High School - Railsplitter Yearbook (Des Moines, IA)

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Castle Builders 21

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English classes more elective each year Lincoln ' s English department went through changes this year. The sopho- more English students got the chance to move directly into the 20 English electives this year due to tests which exempted them from taking the stand- ard English program. Approximately 34 students qualified to move directly into elective courses, according to de- partment head Lillian Hildreth. Other Lincoln students were put in classes on the basis of their tests scores, stressing usage or regular Eng- lish fundamentals. A second test was held to see if more students could pass out of the second semester where they could move directly to the elective program. Lincoln is fortunate to be the only high school with such an English pro- gram. English electives include: Cre- ative Writing 1,11; Drama I, II ; Journ- alism I, II, III ; American Novel; Writ- ing Survey; Expository Writing I, II; Speech Survey; Individualized Read- ing; and Short Story.

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Languages communicate The Foreign Language department of- fered French, Russian, Latin, and Spanish this year. Not only do the students learn to better understand the people that speak the language they are studying, but by using tapes, films, and records they also learn to read and speak each language. The culture and custom of the particular country is also studied. Each language department has a club with student offi- cers which have activities throughout the year. The foreign Language department is convinced that every well educated person must be familiar with the language and culture of a country other than his own. If a student continues his education in college he will realize that the most com- mon degrees such as a Bachelor of Arts continue to have foreign language as a requirement, states Erna Bevington, de- partment head. 22 0 flf Maria Creagh (above right) explains Spanish term to Gloria Bernal. Kathryn Kirkhoff (middle right) listens as Diane Baker translates. Saskia Post (above) asks a question in French. Erna Bevington (right) interprets a French reading to the class. 22