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

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ENGLISH PERVADES ALL PHASES OF LIFE The scene pictured here is the famil- iar setting of one of Mr. Grant's senior English classes. Mr. Grant, as he presents a favorite poem, captures his student’s avid interest. Listening intentively are the following: First Row: Carol Gordon, Rosemarie Ca- sali, and Nancy Spagnoli. Second Row: Martha Dzuira, Geraldine Cul- len, and Beverly Vaz. Third Row: Joanne Lyman and Carolyn Agen. Fourth Row: Barbara White, Ruth Therrien, and Ruth Sterner. The English Department is the largest in the school, since English is used in all phases of life. We are fortunate to have outstanding teachers in this field who make our classes interesting and enjoyable. The Commerce course includes grammatical work, the study of literature, and vocabulary. Many other English courses are offered in addition to the regular required course. Speech, Journalism, 27 Enjoyment Reading, and Modern Literature are some of the electives. There are also special col- lege preparatory courses offered to those who plan on continuing their education. When we think of what our knowledge of Eng- lish will mean to us in the future years and the direct bearing it will have on our ability to suc- ceed, we readily give the English Department and its teachers our thanks for a job well done. This scene took place in Miss Rankin’s junior class of college preparatory Eng- lish. In connection with the current Broad- way hit play, The Miracle Worker, James Yvon is discussing illustrative material on the life of Helen Keller. Looking on with interest are Eleanor Komar, Michael Rick- son, Eloise Berg, and Virginia Slater.

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SOCIAL STUDIES GIVE AWARENESS OF HERITAGE At Commerce we have a fine opportunity to learn about the world we live in through the courses which are offered to us for social studies. Geography, modern and American history, civics, and economics are the chief courses in the very complete program. With the understanding they gain, students are able to apply their knowledge of past happenings to our present day situations. For instance, civics offers the student a better understanding on how In a junior American History class, Mr. Alminas is pointing out to Judith Keefe, Carol Murphy, and Faith Gladden the progress of the Western expansion. 26 In a simulated election, Mr. Finnegan and Carol Ottoson are observing Joanne Lyman, Carl Greene, Rose- marie Borowik, and Gene Spencer in a senior civics class as they stress the importance of voting. the various branches of our government perform their numerous duties and how they solve their problems. Economics is an important subject in the world today. It deals with the satisfaction of human needs and political economy. Economics is essential to successful living and good citizenship. American history, modern history, and geography present to the student our own heritage and the many different types of people in this world and their customs.

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SCIENCES, BUSINESS MATH, LANGUAGES, ART Many interesting experiments are done in Mr. Wilder’s chemistry class. For example, the students in this picture are producing hydrogen. While in the foreground Evelyn Han- son works at the lab bench, she is watched by Pam Butler, Geraldine Cullen, Gary Small, and Dan Martin. n¢ at Biology, the study of life in all forms, is sug- gested to most freshmen. Interested students find themselves captivated by the many realms of the animal and plant kingdoms. Origins, reproduc- tion, and basic structures of life are studied in detail. Chemistry is the interesting study of the ele- ments, such as oxygen, nitrogen and other matter which makes up our earth. It deals with the characteristics of substances and their be- havior under various conditions. This subject is ideal for senior girls interested in nursing or students preparing for college. Physics, the study of energy, is offered to both juniors and seniors. Pupils taking this course delve into the fascinating world of atoms and mole- cules. The fields of mechanics, light, heat, sound, and electricity are all touched upon during the year. Business Mathematics, required of all freshmen, lays a strong foundation for those students who plan to take the clerical or bookkeeping course. The entire course is an intense review of the principles of math learned in previous years. It is a preparation for the more difficult work which lies ahead in junior and senior years. Taking inventory in an office-supply house is only one of the problems which these Business Math students encounter. Pupils in this picture are in Mr. Della Giustina’s Business Mathe- matics class. Shown pointing out the supplies in- ventory is Linda Mason, under the watchful eyes of Mr. Della-Giustina, while Nancy Alexander (standing), Virginia Albano, Sharon Wilmot, Bar- bara Montanaro, and Alene Alpert (seated) look on. 28