Bellmont High School - Legend Yearbook (Decatur, IN)

Page 22 text:

A practical use of the languages was stressed as students gave impromptu speeches, read appropriate literature, and participated in discussion. Pro- nunciation was improved by tapes and records. Earphones enabled the instruc- tor to listen in and give individual attention. A novel and short story with a French background served as French III re- quirements. An important part of the learning was writing letters to French penpals. Introduced for the first time this year, students spoke no English in French and German III classes. Through term papers, students learned about German schools, universi- ties and several German scientists. A German newspaper, Der Blitz, was pub- lished and circulated by German III classes. Although Spanish was familiar to some Bellmont students, it was not a part of the curriculum until this year. Short talks and reports on Spain were given to increase fluency and confi- dence in the Spanish language. Latin was brought to life through the use of overlays, showing famous structures in Rome as they were at the time of the empire and as they are today. Speeches and term papers develop language fluency

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Business skills call for speed and accuracy Today there is hardly any human activity or enterprise in which business is not employed to its fullest extent. Stu- dents preparing for college or careers find typing, shorthand, and bookkeep- ing valuable assets in today ' s fast pace world. Typing students first learned finger positions, then they gradually progressed from one minute timed writings to five and ten minute writings. Caught up in the frenzy of competition, typing stu- dents increased their speed and ac- curacy with the use of electric type- writers. Becoming acquainted with many confusing symbols was the task of short- hand students. They had to understand the language of shorthand and be able to take dictation with speed and ac- curacy. Materials for a project on income tax, which was completed in January by bookkeeping classes, were furnished by the Internal Revenue Service. Students worked out tax forms, figured discounts, and added endless columns of numbers, slowly understand- ing the fundamentals of bookkeeping.

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Upper Left: French III student, Doreen Hirschy exchanges ideas, maps, and postcards with her French pen pal. Lower Left: Checking their vocabulary Racquel Canales and Marlene Straum listen to the phono- graph in Spanish class. Left: Ken Sauer improves his German by listening to himself in the tape recorder. Top Right: Demonstrating the use of earphones in language classes, Connie Durr receives the bene- fit of individual attention. Above: Deciding on what food to take, Latin students Eileen Eichhorn, Vicki Gehrig, and Ron Lehrman prepare to eat at the International dinner.