Baltimore Polytechnic Institute - Cracker Yearbook (Baltimore, MD)

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AQUARIA CLUB gl? The aim of the Aquaria Club is to breed rare tropical fish and study their habits. At present the club has fish of many types, from goldfish to guppies and even an occasional tadpole. Club members take turns in caring for the fish - feeding and changing water. Peri- odic contests are held to determine which mem- ber can raise the rarest tropical fish and the lar- gest number. At the meetings the members are given lectures and view slides and movies per- taining to tropical fish. Various trips have been planned, one to the aquarium at the Baltimore Zoo and another to the Fish and Reptile House at the VVashington Zoo. ln the future the club hopes to expand with the purchase of some larger tanks, better equipment and a greater variety of specimens. CAMERA CL UB IEE! ..,,. ,,, Under the leadership of Mr. Sauer, adviser, the Camera Club has accomplished a great deal this year. First of all, a new darkroom was constructed which included workbenches, cabinets and ample storing space for photographic supplies. The darkroom contains the latest type facilities for the developing and enlarging of photographs, etc. The members took two trips: one to the Pennsylvania Railroad and the other to the Bethlehem Dry- docks. The latter trip afforded great opportunity for the taking of pictures of the U.S.S. Constitution. As has been done in recent years, the more advanced members of the club gave lectures pertaining to the various aspects of photography. The last major activity of the year was a contest in which the members com- peted for cash prizes. The pictures were judged by the Lensmen, a photographic organization in Baltimore. 26

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WUUDCAR VING CLUB The Woodcarving Club was recently organized for the purpose of providing those students at Poly who are interested in woodcarving with the means of broadening their knowledge and experience in the art of woodcarving. The members work with various woodcarving tools, such as: wood chisels, gouges, X-acto wood- carving sets, electric powered handgrinders, and even the ordinary pocketknife. Instruction is given by the adviser on the proper useage of the bandsaw, circular saw, and grinding wheels. The club hopes to purchase an engraving set which will be used for the carving of bone material. During the year, new books on the subject of carving were reviewed and discussed by members of the club. Projects so far included the building of bookend-s, salad sets, wall plaques, neckerchief slides, and an- imal carvings. LIBRAR Y CLUB The Library Club is a service organization under the guidance of the librarian, Mrs. Atwood. The club performs many duties which affect the success of the library. The main purpose of the club is to stimulate interest and offer assistance to the student body in the use of the library. The members of the club take charge of desk work, circulation, fines, shelving, the maintenance of displays, and other general library duties. Po1y's library club is a member of the Maryland Council of State Library Clubs, and a member of the club holds the office of treasurer of the council. Besides keeping the library in top shape, the club also attends social functions. Members of the club make trips to other school libraries and sponsor an annual Christmas Party for several other school libraries in Baltimore City and the surrounding counties. 25

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RUCKET CLUB The Rocket and Guided Missile Research So- ciety of Poly is one of the newer clubs, being formed in the fall of 1952. This society, how- ever, came to be one of the most active clubs in the school. In the past year and a half the club and its activities has been growing steadily. Lately, these activities have taken in the new and extensive field of liquid fuel pro- pulsion systems. The two major tests that have been held were two tests in the field of rocketry using solid propellants. By the time vou read this article several more tests will have taken place. The society looks forward next year mostly to static testing of motors. The society is nationally recognized and it hopes to be more successful in the years to come. METALCRAFT CLUB The Metalcraft Club has become one of the largest and most active clubs at Poly by developing creativeness and skill in working with the semi-precious metals. The mode ern shop of Mr. Longley, adviser to the club, enables the boys to pursue their in- terests in metalcraft and to learn the many operations of the metalsmith. Members of the club are gaining practical experience by constructing mechanical apparatus, such as. the steam boiler, which entailed much ingenuity to build. The club has been presenting, at its meetings, instruction in the fundamentals of metalcraft. 27