High School of Commerce - Caduceus Yearbook (Springfield, MA)

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Frolic to Fitness” is Physical Education Aim Health through fun is the motto of both the Boys and Girls Physical Education Departments at the High School of Commerce. Basketball, wrestling, swimming, track and field are only a few of the offerings for boys, while soccer funda- mentals, tumbling, lifesaving, badmin- ton, volleyball, golf, basketball are several others that are part of the extensive program. For the girls, folk and square danc- ing are offered, as are also softball. bowling, roller skating, ice-skating. Swimming, tennis, field hockey, basket- ball, and many others satisfy the desire for exercise and competition. Both departments also sponsor one of the finest Driver Education Courses in the state, with theoretical and be- hind-the-wheel training. (See page 111) Whenever there is sufficient interest in any new sport, Boys Physical Edu- cation Director Tom Collins and Girls Director Barbara Richardson and In- structor Lois Piper assist enthusiasts in obtaining equipment and getting competition underway. “Ll That’s not a grin — it’s a grimace as a determined freshman seizes his classmate in a hammerlock, as a wrestling tournament gets under way. These girls are the happy participants in the modern dance group of the Girls Physical Education Department. 7

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Home Economics Course Trains For Happy Living Attention, young women! Surveys show that the great majority of Com- merce girls marry soon after gradua- tion. This is an attractive idea, of course, and it indicates the reason that the Home Economics Department is so important. The Foods course teaches menu planning, budgeting, proper serv- ing, and the latest in cookery. The confidence that comes from having an excellent wardrobe and knowing how to dress properly often results from the Clothing and Dressmaking classes, while the Personality and Etiquette course helps students develop social poise and courtesy. When a young woman has completed work in this department, she will make any young man happy he chose a Com- merce graduate to be his life partner! Mmm .. . They’re piping hot, and they’re going to taste mighty delicious. It’s Miss Ruth Page’s Foods II class getting some practical training in the old motto, ‘‘The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.’’ And while the class is waiting for the rolls to bake, they can always pass the time studying that gallery of modern art that Miss Page carries around with her. Mathematics Helps College-Bound, Aids Future Designers There's an important angle — Get it? — to the study of Geometry and of Algebra too at the High School of Commerce. Sénd- ing many of its graduates to excellent colleges, Com- merce must meet the high standards of entrance. In the Mathematics department, such requirements are care- full» met. Fundamentals are intro- duced in the Algebra I course, with equations, eraphs, square root, and so forth. Algebra II goes into more advanced phases, in- cluding quadratic equations, logarithms, binomial the- orem, numerical trigonom- eLry:. Plane Geometry also has ee a practical value for the Student ponders, while Instructor Donald Hatch casts a critical eye on a Geometry problem. = s ot Ieee It’s easy to “construct a square equal to the sum of two given squares’’—when you know how. And future artist, designer, ma- you find out how in the Commerce Mathematics department. chinist, engineer, and archi- tect. 16

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Art Classes Instill Creative Ability in Color and Design The study of the sombre tones of Rembrandt and the dancing colors of Seurat, the design of posters and the proper interior decorating harmonies all have their place in the Commerce Art Department. These elements are found in the Com- mercial Art, General Art, and Applied Design courses taught by Miss Ruth Marsden. Under her competent direc- tion, students turn to those branches which most appeal to them: pen and ink drawing, montages, water colors, poster creation, dress design, and many others. Thus they find within themselves, outlets for hidden abilities often be- ginning the hard but fascinating path that leads to success as an ariist. ‘Whistle while you work’ could very well be the theme song for this creative group of art students, busy planning spring posters. Musicians Blend Sweet Voices, Bright Instruments Many a young man or woman has entered the High School of Commerce without knowing a whole note from a hemidemi- semiquaver and graduated a talented musician, due to his own efforts and the interest of Director Walter D. Nickerson. Here the student may find the joy of merging his voice in Gounod’s “Pilgrim’s Chorus” or blaring out a trumpet note or thumping the big bass drum as the band marches down the field. Like so many other Commerce scholastic activities, the Music Department offers to students a combination of fun and learning that is remembered by many as always enriching. es es ie ee acs These smiling choristers are in the midst of a rehearsal for the Music Festival. 18