Brookline High School - Murivian Yearbook (Brookline, MA)

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Miss Perkins Mr. Roman Miss Vanacore Miss Cooke Mr. Seamans Latin Department Veni, vidi, vici,” or I came, I saw, I conquered,” might well have been uttered by our Latin Department in a boisterous moment. Yearly this department aids students to enter college and successfully take the College Boards. Pre- paration in Caesar’s Gallic Wars, Cicero’s orations and Vir- gil ' s and Ovid’s works is offered. In the absence of Mr. Snow, Miss Jane Perkins runs this efficient department, aided by Mr. Benjamin Roman, Miss Caroline Cooke, Miss Con- getta Vanacore, Dr. Albert Shepard and Mr. Chester Sea- mans, a newcomer for 1939. Miss Perkins believes that a good Latin teacher is an English and Social Science teacher as well, and tries to make her aides and herself obey this precept, thus making Latin a more interesting and helpful course. The Latin Department has taken charge of one radio broadcast, as has every department, and put it over in fine style. Besides wishing to facilitate the students’ entrance into college, the department desires to circulate Roman and Greek culture among those students taking Latin. To this end there has been organized a Latin Life and Language class open to boys and girls who would not otherwise come into contact with the subject of Latin. Students in curricula other than the Latin may elect this interesting course. Last year there was one class organized and this year two more made up mainly of freshmen and sophomores. However, the subject is open to all desiring it. Thus an aid in English courses i; furnished for the asking to any and all B. H. S. students. The activities of the Latin Life and Language classes are varied projects which promote a cultural appreciation o: Latin. Indeed, a few of these may be, in the future, a par of every Latin class, college and secondary school. A stud on myths is included, and each pupil is required to make a notebook of pictures and facts on Roman life. Photographic slides are shown, and postcards and pictures are passed around whenever appropriate ones are to be had. Just re cently a kind of Information, Please” game has been startec with high marks as rewards. Each student was required to make a Christmas card with a Latin motto on it, and Latin mottoes about town are daily discussed and translated. In all, the Latin Life and Language classes afford a chance for a comprehensive, lucid insight on Roman and even Greek life and they enhance Latin as a subject greatly. For such occupations as nursing, which now requires two years of Latin, the Latin Life and Language course is ideal ; and for a general knowledge of Latin as an aid in English wore formation and comprehension it is of inestimable value It is a progressive course worthy of any time spent on it. So anyone in the high school who thirsts for knowledge of Latin other than that E pluribus unum means One from many” need not hesitate a moment in taking one o our Latin courses.

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Science Department New discoveries in scientific fields, progress in all branches : scientific thought and advances in teaching scientific sub- cts are the main objects, attained day by day, of the Science epartment, one of the foremost in B. H. S. Under the adership of Mr. Leland G. Hollingworth eleven able teach- s contribute to the knowledge of any students who spend least three-quarters of an hour each day in the well- juipped Packard Laboratories. Of the department in gen- al it may well be said that eager teachers with good tools id equally eager students add up to scientific intelligence. The Science Department is located on the third floor of ie north wing of the high school. Here it is that the Pasteurs : tomorrow apply themselves to Physics, Chemistry, General aence and Biology for our Science Department does not nit itself to any single subject. This department prepares udents for college in each of its courses and helps them to ive a better understanding of the world of science about iem. Just recently two new classes for non-college students ere inaugurated clearly showing that education in the aence Department is well-balanced for all. These were iology and Chemistry classes designed for senior students terested. Here the practical applications of the two courses e taught by trips to scientific points of interest and by the resentation of the chemistry of foods, industries, chemistry, ?alth protection and conservation of our natural resources. Thus B. H. S. students get a chance for a complete study in scientific subjects of material benefit and use. Another phase of the Science Department’s varied life is the promotion of extra-curricular activities. Two clubs, the Camera and Science Clubs are under its auspices. Also, in reference to extra-curricular activities, everything taught in the Science Departments is practically a come on” for every type of hobby. Photography, Amateur Radio and Chemistry itself are perhaps the most worthwhile. In the classroom and out every type of work under the Science Department is car- ried out with remarkable exactness and dispatch. Other things put on by this vigorous department are cor- ridor exhibits on such subjects as fluorescence, engines, radio eyes, telegraphy and mounted animals. In this manner an interest in science is created in every B. H. S. student includ- ing those who don’t have any scientific subject on their cur- riculum. Anyone in the school with the least desire for scientific knowledge should not hesitate to elect one of the Science De- partment’s courses. There is practically a guarantee that any student” will be transformed into an erudite scholar able to lecture on electronics, scientific phenomena, every type of machine or the structure of insects. Mr. Beck Mr. Holland Mr. Webber Mr. Cooper Mr. Lowe 19

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Miss Wood Spanish Department Though the beautiful country of Spain was torn this year by )u a devastating civil war, harmony reigned undisturbed in the e realm of the Brookline Spanish department. The true spirit of old Spain continues to permeate its work, which consists t) - not alone of teaching the Castilian tongue, but also of famili- arizing its students with the fundamentals of Spanish history and literature and of fostering a better understanding of the Spanish race. Classes followed with interest the progress of events in : the war-torn nation across the seas, with time being given • for instructive discussion on this topic. A more important s result of this current development was the turning of eyes I southward toward the Latin- American countries. Pupils showed a keen desire for knowledge concerning our Central and South American neighbors, which are fast becoming centers of Spanish culture. This is directly in line with the ( aims of the department, which tries to emphasize, even more than the grammar of the language, the art, music, customs and general life of these nations. Acknowledgment to Miss Lula Adams, head of the depart- ment until 1937, is ever present in the minds of those who work in this field. Thanks to her untiring efforts Brookline became one of the first high schools in Massachusetts to take deep interest in things Spanish. Since her retirement, Miss Rebekah Wood has headed the department in an equally able and competent fashion. Working with her are Miss Lenore Placido and Dr. Albert Shepard. Few courses give the student a wider background than those in Spanish. Throughout the entire course, from be- ginners to advanced, the works of many of the most famous Spanish authors are read and discussed, thus aiding the nov- ice to comprehend the style of the master. Through famili- arity with this foreign language, pupils are helped to under- stand the intricacies of English grammar and vocabulary and may better appreciate the literature and art of all lands. By their work with the history and geography of the Latin coun- tries they acquire a valuable supplement to work in social studies. The fire of two years back struck a heavy blow at the Spanish department. Much of value was lost, and the de- partment was forced to adjust itself in the rather inadequate quarters of the Manual Training Building. However, it has gradually gained or replaced most of its treasured possessions, aided greatly by the Pan-American Union in Washington, which has contributed posters, booklets, and pictures. This year, with the advent of the new building, the department has been located in the spacious and strikingly modern rooms of the central wing. The brightened atmosp here has given a new impetus for better work to teachers and students alike, and additional space is available for articles of interest. Lofty though the culture of Old Spain may be, it has certainly been done justice by its advocates at Brookline High. 21