Charter Oak High School - Shield Yearbook (Covina, CA)

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Teacher Receives Shield Dedication Mr. Boird explains the mood of a scene in Diary of Anne Frank Mr. Baird directs final stage positions, in a dress rehearsal of Diary of Anne Frank

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,„r ruvs THE THjj Beloved Drama Mr H. K. Baird has dedicated himself to producing a su- perior drama department at Charter Oak High School for the past three years. With each superb new production, his reputation as an excellent drama coach grew. His students respect him for his accurate and constructive criticism of their work. While always demanding perfection from his actors, he has presented a posi- tive attitude, encouraging them to do their utmost without cur- tailing their ambitions. He trusts the students he works with, and they, in turn, have placed their confidence in his experienced directing ability. Outstanding plays and musicals have become a treasured tradition at Charter Oak High School. Mr. Baird started with a handful of people and a play — a play different from the typical, run-of-the-mill, high school kind. His contagious enthusiasm and courage to try something new, has, always reached and en- veloped his actors and stage crew. The results have been com- pletely captivating productions that defy the limitations of the available facilities. In response to a demand made by Royal Oak High School stu- dents, Mr. Baird also taught a drama class there this year. These new actors participated in both of the plays and the musical at Charter Oak. In addition to drama, Mr. Baird also taught a speech class, in which current and controversial subjects were assigned for speeches and debates. He is open-minded and fair, and his stu- dents consider his classes stimulating and rewarding. To broaden his students ' scope of culture and enjoyment, Mr. Baird also planned after-school trips to movies and plays. Watching professional actors at work is not only fun, but is also a good training experience for aspiring actors.

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Our Administration has the responsibility of main- taining a high scholastic standard and making available an education that would prepare all of Charter Oak ' s students for college of careers. They went beyond simply doing jobs and spent extra hours of their time helping students grasp basic concepts and run student body organizations. There was no rest from papers and problems but it was worth it to the teachers to sharpen our quest for learning. Always busy with the responsibility of running the school, the principal and vice-principals patiently solved each minor crisis as it came along. They were always ready to give advice and solve problems with a smile. Also ready to help were the secretaries and librar- ians. Though burdened with much paper work and many responsibilities, the secretaries were never too busy to help locate a teacher or answer a question. The librarians always guided us to useful books and references. The counselors answered countless questions about job opportunities, higher education, and the armed forces. They helped seniors decide on colleges and scholarships, while encouraging under-classmen to do their best. Keeping pace with the changing times, the Board of Education has kept the quality of our courses above average. They formulated district policy and the district administrators carried it out. The dedication and plain hard work of our adminis- tration gave the students a greater understanding of life and the year closed with the feeling of a job well done.