Aquinas High School - Aquinian Yearbook (Augusta, GA)

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SCIENCE Satisfies Natural Curiosity Human curiosity drives men to probe the vast reaches of the universe. Science courses allow the student to explore his surroundings and inquire into the nature of what he sees. A “new approach” now permits the student to experience through experimentation prior to discussion. Now the student is truly a minia- ture scientist who comes from the lab to ex- plain the data he has collected, not, as in the past, as one who goes to the lab to prove facts already learned. The natural sciences provide many and varied experiences: biology, the makeup of living things; chemistry, physical and chemi- cal changes with all the concomitant effects; and physics, the mechanics of heat, sound, light, electricity, and magnetism. Thus science satisfies natural curiosity while it gives the student a better understanding of the world and leads him to the Source of all. 23

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MATHEMATICS Provides Groundwork for Progress Mathematics, the basis of all sciences, holds an important position in the curricu- lum. The Mathematics Department offers courses in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and advanced senior mathematics to all students possessing curiosity, reasoning, and determination. The Mathematics Program challenges students to think logically and to calculate accurately. The modern approach in mathematics stresses not only the “how” but also the “why” of a problem. Thus the knowledge of mathematics can be applied to any field students pursue. 22

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LANGUAGE Fosters international Understanding The Department of Foreign Languages provides two years of study in each of Latin, French, and Spanish. The study of these languages builds vocabulary and enriches the students’ knowledge of the history and culture of the countries. In the Modern Languages enjoyment and personal satis- faction are further developed through the oral method. When- ever feasible, the student is trained to understand the spoken language, to speak it himself, to read it, and to write it. In this way the language student is the center of the scene, as- similating the behavior patterns of the culture, and the class- room becomes identified with the cultural environment of the spoken language. All of these factors tend to encourage the student to reach for international understanding of other cultures. 24