Academy of Mount Saint Vincent - Chastellux Yearbook (Tuxedo Park, NY)

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MRS. ROSE CAMILLE KRAUS French Department To provide beginners with a workable vocabulary and the ability to express themselves in colloquial French has been the aim of SISTER THERESA GRAVINO in her teaching of French 1. Dramatization, poster making and other devices have made the introduction to a foreign language a pleasurable experience for beginners. The ability to interpret unfamiliar words through a knowledge of Latin, the enrichment that results from a knowledge of classic myths and literature, and the im- portance of Latin for any student planning a profes- sional career, are three incentives SISTER THERESA GRAVINO’s Latin students soon learn to appreciate. The Latin Convention at Mahwah Junior-Senior High School is an affair they enjoy each spring. There are translation contests, Olympic Games, and a Roman Cena” which they attend dressed in togas. MARY BURKE. '72. attended her sister's Christmas wedding in Rome and returned with firsthand information of places her class has been studying about. SISTER THERESA GRAVINO Latin and French Departments Shortly after ROSE CAMILLE GENTILE had come to the Mount in September 1968, she announced her engage ment. During the summer of 1969 she was married and now, as MRS. JOSEPH KRAUS, she has returned to con- tinue teaching French 2 and 3 at the Academy. In both of these courses she continues to stress French gram- mar and usage, to train her students to converse in French, and to give them a knowledge of French cus- toms, institutions, and artistic and literary master- pieces. MRS. KRAUS encourages her students to read French literature, and urges them not to limit them- selves to their textbooks alone. Among her innovations this year MRS. KRAUS has used more records — songs, poems, etc. — more visual aids, and has introduced Games-in-French, including BINGO! 25

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dHabla Usted Espanol? Si! Parlez-Vous Francais? Oui! Loquerisne Latinam? Sic! SISTER GERTRUDE MIRIAM Spanish Dpartment Her summer in Mexico on an N D E A grant through the University of Wichita, Kansas, and her weeks in Spam last spring nave given SISTER GERTRUDE MIRIAM firsthand experience of the social and cul- tural background of Spanish speaking countries. As a result her Spanish courses are an enriching experi ence for her students. Using the Language Labora tory two or three days each week, all students ac- quire the ability to communicate and converse in Spanish with confidence and many do so with fluency. This year. Seniors and Juniors are undertak- ing extensive readings of modern Spanish and His- panic writers. The National Spanish Honor Society has again proved an incentive to all Sister’s students to attain and maintain high scholastic ratings in Spanish. Below — This picture was taken at the Airport the evening SISTER GERTRUDE and a group of students and their friends flew to Spam last Spring. Besides the development of the ability to com- municate in a foreign language and the social understanding of the life of persons in other lands, the cultural and aesthetic appreciation for individual growth is an important aim of all three Language Departments — Spanish, French and Latin (which we might call the an- cient form of modern Italian). The fact that here at the Academy we have students from Mexico, Puerto Rico and Central America is an asset in many ways.

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New Courses And New Approaches Evident In The Social Studies Program The course in World Culture begins with a review of the techniques, topics and methods needed to study any culture intelligently. Islamic civilization has been used as a prototype because of its tremendous influence in Asia and Africa. A new course in European Culture was introduced this year in the 10th grade. Less and less does the American see Europe in terms of each individual na- tion as a separate entity. Therefore the student exam- ines those trends in European history that identify Western Civilization. This examination is historical, since it shows how certain aspects of society devel- oped. It is also interdisciplinary, with emphasis upon important political, economic and social concepts as well as those concepts drawn from the humanities. In organizing the examination of European cultural developments, a major theme has been the relation- ship between a society's need for cohesion and stabil- ity on the one hand, and the struggle for individual identity and self-fulfillment on the other. Besides the basic text and three books of readings, pages of mimeographed notes are used as a supple- ment. These readings include materials from news- papers, magazines, documents and diaries. To en- courage student participation, the basic form of in- struction will be discussion of assigned materials. To allow students to pursue advanced studies in Euro- pean History on the college level, a course is given which allows them to take the College Board Ad- vanced Placement Examination, and receive college credit if a satisfactory grade is achieved. The Course covers European History from 1500 to 1945 and students are required to have a detailed knowledge of the narrative of this period, plus specific and in- tensive knowledge of one period of her choice. SISTER KATHLEEN NORA CASSIDY Chairman of the Social Science Department 26