Classical High School - Blue and White Yearbook (Springfield, MA)

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Wonder Workers lone in a rapidly darkening room, a dedicated teacher corrects papers, one cog in the huge machinery of Classi- cal High. He’s doing his part. A counselor slips off his glasses and rests for a moment after a morning rush of schedule- alterations. He’s doing his part. In the halls, the vice-principals patrol, to keep some sort of order. They’re doing their parts. And at the top of the ladder, Mr. Yesu tips back in his chair, making arrangements on the phone. He’s doing his part. So many people did their parts, but what about the less- recognized staff who did their parts too? For instance, the entire school population enjoyed a tidy, well-kept school, thanks to the janitors and matrons. Few, if any thought about the necessary job, yet it was so important! Most students viewed the janitors as the stoic-faced men who tended to the trash barrels at lunch, and i ala Home Ec. Miss Velma Jordan - ik English Miss Patricia Keenan - he Mr. Michael Kokonowski - Mr. John Krom - Science English 20 FACULTY never gave them a second thought. Yet, what a mess the cafete- ria would have been without them to care for it. Another group of less-recognized workers were the cooks. Each morning, they prepared a variety of meals for the students, served them under the pressure of the lunchtime rush, then spent the afternoon cleaning up and enjoying their own well-deserved lunch. Contributing to the organizing of the school was that much abused bunch — the office workers. Often harried, their once peaceful office overrun by students demanding slips for early dismissals, lunch tickets, passes and the morning paper, the office workers helped hold the school together. Without their organiza- tion, the school would have been at a loss. The work of these people often went unpublicized, but the results were always noticed. Three cheers for Classical’s wonder workers! Science Mr. Euclid Lague - Language Mr. Francis Lamoureux -

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Miss Marilyn Freedman - Math Mrs. Carol Hoffman - Social Foreign Tongues Parlez - vous francais? i Habla Vd. Espanol? =) { a student’s answer to these questions was yes, then 41 Classical’s foreign language program was designed for him. ) French, Spanish, and Latin, Classical had them all. With this extensive program students had many options in choosing which language to take and what level to work in. French classes offered students a wide range of levels beginning with French I and advancing as far as French VAP; an excelled course for those students who wished to have advanced placement credit for college. French was a greatly favored subject of many students and often prompted them to visit France on a special school trip during the April vacation. Mr. Francis Girr - English Mr. Richard Guzowski - Science - ™ | ; 4 | j Mr. Edward Hart - Math Mr. Armen Jermakian - Math Another of the languages that allowed students freedom of choice was Spanish. Spanish was popular with many students due to its increased use throughout the community and abroad. The sequence for Spanish went as follows: Spanish I, Spanish 2j, Span- ish 3X, and Spanish 4X. This year the Spanish 4X class was based on a newly formed curriculum centered around new texts and teaching material. The course not only allowed students to learn the Spanish language, but also to become acquainted with the geography and culture of Spanish speaking people. This year Latin was also popular with many students. It seemed to be one of the classic languages that met success in its attempted revival. It was especially liked by students planning to enter medi- cal fields of study in college along with those interested in its roots in modern day English. So, if foreign languages were a student’s interest, Classical was defintely the place to pursue the interest. FACULTY 19

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Mr. Stephen LeClair - Social Mr. Raymond Lussier - Language - Mr. Arnold Matz - Language The Way It Was =| lue and White interviewed a few teachers who were former graduates of Classical. The purpose was to find ¥ the differences at Classical then compared to now. The teachers interviewed were Dr. Donald D’Amato, Ms. Patri- cia Keenan, and Mr. Richard Pervonga. Each had different opin- ions on the changes but they did agree on one thing, that the discipline at Classical years ago was much stricter. Smoking was not permitted on school grounds at all. There was also a dress code where the girls had to wear dresses and skirts. Jeans and tee shirts could not be worn and sneakers could only be worn in gym class. Imagine not being able to wear Levis to school! If a student did not follow the dress code he was sent home. Mr. Richard Pervonga was sent home for wearing the red suspenders he had gotten for Christmas. ry rit Mr. Michael Ligarski - Math Mr. Edward Lundrigan - Science Clauces Mr. David Macomber - Language MELAAAL IV) ) = a) Mrs. Maria Mazzei - Language When asked if they thought there was more school spirit then or now, they differed in opinion. Ms. Keenan felt there is more school spirit now. Mr. Pervonga thought that students had more school spirit when he was in Classical because they were more proud of being Classical students. Dr. D’Amato believed that school spirit is about the same. However, he does think that Classical has more school spirit than the other high schools. One saw more students wearing Classical jackets outside of school than Commerce or Technical for example. When asked about the quality of education, Ms. Keenan said the quality of education is still very high but it seemed like there was more academic pressure and competition then. Dr. D’Amato however differed slightly by saying that the kids try just as hard as before and have maintained Classical’s tradition. He also said he enjoyed working with Classical students because they were well- mannered. FACULTY 21