Acalanes High School - Aklan Yearbook (Lafayette, CA)

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One voice. Alisa Wilson, Mike Cutter, Steve Kent, and Marvin Heileson sing of this class were talented and hard Lullay My Liking during their fifth working; they performed in numerous period Choral Ensemble class. Members jazz and classical concerts. Tuned in. During fourth period, Mr. Hernandez ' s Spanish III class listens to a dialogue. Headsets were used to a great extent in foreign language classes; the expensive equipment helped beginning and advanced students to improve their pronunciation. Communication Connection: Chopin to Shakespeare As the dial turns slowly, the sounds of talk shows, foreign languages and music stream from the speakers. Listening to the radio was one of the hun- dreds of ways people used the basic methods of communica- tion. Since Americans tend to be unilingual, English was the only language that students were required to take. Jim Ross commented, The English classes were the same for ev- eryone for the first three years, but, as a senior, I was able to choose my English class. In Shakespeare we got a chance to work on our writing and gram- mar while reading most of Shakespeare ' s classics. We also learned about the Elisabethan era in England. Although not required to take an English course, seniors found a fourth year very help- ful. The vocabulary and grammar we studied in College Comp. helped a lot on the Col- lege Board tests, said Jack Chauvin. While students rarely spoke them in daily life, foreign lan- guages were popular. My knowledge of Spanish was helpful. We have a Mexican maid, so my being able to (continued) COMMUNICATIONS

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Chalk it up. Students in Mr. answer workbook questions on the important concepts, and all language Hernandez ' s fifth period Spanish III class board. Written exercises reinforced teachers used them. Coming to terms. With 75 note cards due the next day, Tom Steuber searches for information on his term paper subject, Kurt Vonnegut. During their English classes, juniors were allowed to go to the library, where Mrs. Ford made a cart full of good sources available to all researchers. A flip through Webster ' s. Advanced on some of their finer points of writing. the definitions of their vocabulary Comp. gave seniors who were very good Gayle Parker and Meg O ' Dea search for words. English students an opportunity to work 10 COMMUNICATIONS

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Communication Connection: Chopin to Shakespeare speak Spanish allowed us to talk in two languages, men- tioned Jenny Miller. Since most students were raised in English speaking families, students ' first brushes with a foreign lan- guage could be quite puzzling. Chris Kirwin mentioned, When I began taking French, I was really confused. When I understood the language bet- ter, French no longer seemed harder than English, in fact, it is probably simpler. While English and other lan- guages were often considered the only means of expressing ideas, music, whether vocal or instrumental, was probably the most universal method of com- munication. In band we played in front of large audi- ences, and we tried to give them the feeling of the music. Playing in the band was also fun. We got to go to Disney- land and Marriot ' s, and we also played in competitions, said Charles Wait. Exposure to a variety of com- munications ' media in high school was helpful in day to day activities, whether you were listening to a student officer ' s speech at a public hearing, taking in a jazz con- cert in Golden Gate Park or reading a poem by Goethe for that first period German class. A last look. With time running out, Sophomore Tim O ' Dea checks his essay for obvious flaws. In English II, sophomores studied all major types of literature. Fa-la-la. During fifth period Choral Ensemble, Jeff Hyde and John Marlowe practice Deck the Halls for several upcoming Christmas concerts. The Choral Ensemble presented twelve Christmas concerts for various community clubs. 12 COMMUNICATIONS