Covington High School - Puffs and Patches Yearbook (Covington, VA)

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TEACHERS SPARK INTEREST IN CONTEMPORARY MATH That Two and two are not necessarily four, is but one startling concept in the entirely new approach to math which was introduced at Covington High School this year. In order to meet this challenge to mathema- tical thinking, it was necessary to adopt new text- books and to revise teaching methods. This revision of teacher-approach meant many extra hours of prepa- ration for the math teachers. Students also have been required to adapt to these innovations as ' the theories of set notation and inequal- ities were introduced. The modern discovery method is emphasized, and, often for the first time, students are not only concerned with the Why? , but also with the why-behind-the-why. Kim Brooks graphs a circle os Mrs. Curfmon keeps on eye on the class. Miss Mahaney points out to an erring trig student, “There are a lot of people pushing up daisies just because they failed to ob- serve a sign. 29

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Maude E. Mahoney, B.A., West- hampton College, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Univer- sity; Head of the department; Plane and Solid Geometry, Ad- vanced Algebra, Trigonometry; Cafeteria Manager. Mrs. Edna A. Friel, B.A., Bridge- water College, University of Vir- ginia; Math I, II; Freshman Spon- sor. Mrs. Louise V. Curfman, B.S., Longwood College, University of Florida; Algebra I, II; Future Teachers of America; Senior Sponsor. Mrs. Margaret F. Ives, A.B., Lynchburg College, Richmond Professional Institute; Mathema- tics I. Mrs. Edith W. Noel, B.A., Mary Washington College; Algebra I, Commercial Arithmetic; Sopho- more Sponsor. For a class demonstration Miss Jones has Marion Paxton and Gary Stone explain a commer- cial arithmetic problem. i I I 28

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SCIENTIFIC PROCEDURES APPEAL TO ALERT MINDS Ranging from eighth grade science through physics, the extensive science curriculum provides a different course of study for each year of high school. Miss Hepler ' s classes study the universe and touch on rudi- mentary astronomy. The ninth-graders ' course contin- ues the study of the basic scientific laws and offers an introduction to chemistry and biology. During the following school year, the sophomores dissect earth- worms, grasshoppers and frogs in Mrs. Pitman ' s biology classes. Scientifically-inclined juniors may elect chem- istry and they usually take physics as a sequel in their senior year. Both of these courses are taught by Mr. Metz. Any student who graduates from Covington High School, having completed both the required and the elective classes, may feel well prepared for any college science program. Miss Hepler carefully examines a plant speciment braught in by Maureen Breeden for the botany segment of general science class. The human ear is more easily understood when Mrs. Pitman ex- plains each part, using a model for demonstration. 30