Central High School - Blackhawk Yearbook (Davenport, IA)

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While giving an oral class report, sophomore Linda Poterson holds up a picture which she has drawn. Soph English Combines Literature, Grammar All Central sophomores must learn their verb tenses, and Mrs. Shirloy Looney's class is no exception. Don't be alarmed if you happen to see a Roman official walking through the halls. It's probably a dis- guised sophomore ready to enact Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Students completed many oral, visual, and written projects in studying Shakespeare. Other literary studies included comparisons of George Eliot's novel Silas Marner and John Steinbeck's The Pearl. Themes were also written expressing the stu- dents' ideas of the books' symbolism. Modern plays and biographies of literary personalities were read by many classes. Several students did re- search on favorite authors and compiled notebooks. Although literature was studied, sophomore English was still based on grammar and composition. Sentence structure, spelling, and vocabulary were stressed. Miss Marilyn Kelsey's sophomore students kept per- sonal folders for grammatical aid. Each notebook in- cluded. among other things, a list of composition errors, helpful rules for writing, and an accumulative spelling list of difficult words. 30

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Vlath, APP Courses The class was conducted on the basis of a college honors course. Thus, the ten senior boys who were en- rolled in the class had to accept more responsibilities than they had been accustomed to in high school. Another college-level course to make its debut at Central this year was Advanced Placement English, taught by Miss Hortense Finch. Students were sent recommended study material for use over the summer prior to their actual contact with the course. The class, which concentrated on the study of litera- ture. was highlighted by individual conferences and informal class discussions. An automatic wire-feed welder—one of the few in operation in the United States—aided the students en- rolled in Central's welding class in becoming better acquainted with this skill. Both theory and practical application were incorporated in the welding program taught by Mr. Willard Branch. Six phases of welding—including arc. fuel-phase, helie- arc. oxyacetylene. and spot welding—were taught in the study. Although welding was not taught as a vocational subject, Mr. Branch feels those having completed the course should be considered qualified to hold a posi- tion in the welding field. Using the oxyecetylene welding process, being taught for the first time this year. Bob Smith practices making a butt-weld. 29

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Great National Literature Taught to Juniors Juniors gain background in their country's culture and also learn writing techniques as they study American literature and composition, a required English course at Central. Much of the year, the course is devoted to reading modern and classical poetry, short stories, essays, novels, and biographies. The classes also dabbled in some drama and public speaking. In addition to literature, a study of grammar is added to broaden the students' understanding of English. Oral and written book reports, vocabulary, and sentence structure are all a part of this study. Students in Mrs. Mae Elma Tornquist's class tackled a unique assignment as they composed complete maga- zines. After studying magazines such as the New Yorker, Atlantic, and Harpers, they wrote articles, laid out advertisements, and put together all the necessary parts of their magazines. Appreciation of good poetry was gained by students who made poetry notebooks. The works of Frost, Sand- burg, Poe. and other American poets were included in these notebooks. John Kehoo, Andy MacMillan and Carol Haloy ''star in a presentation of Our Town. as the play is acted out in one of Mrs. Mae Elma Tornquist's American literature classes. Sue Scholer. Penny Franklin, and Carlene Kuntz load a discussion on poetry in Mrs. Harriet Kipling's American literature class. 31