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

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The required five units of English emphasize a sound understanding of grammar and literature. Freshman, sophomore, and senior English classes study the plays of Shakespeare, and famous novels are reviewed in all classes. Senior classes added The Great Gatsby to their reading studies this year. Inno- vation and imaginative thinking are encouraged by writing courses. Sophomores and juniors are faced with a term paper, and students wishing to delve further into writing skills may take Advanced Com- position. Activities headed by English teachers won various honors this year. The debate team, sponsored by Ms. Linda Burks, placed second in the District Debate Tournament held at Lord Botetourt High School. The forensics team, sponsored by Mrs. Betty Little- ton, gathered one first-place award and two second- place awards at the District Forensic Meet. At the Region III Forensics Meet at Brookville, Kurt Jensen placed third in Boys ' Poetry, and Carolyn Switzer placed third in Girls ' Prose. The cast of Tad Mosel ' s Impromptu , directed by Mrs. Ruth Cvizic, re- ceived the only Superior rating in district and re- gional competition and went on to participate in the State Drama Festival in Charlottesville. SHOW AND TELL . . . Marty Montgomery describes a Mexican bull- fight for Mrs. Whiteside ' s English IV A class. ZOUNDS! . . . Macbeth (R. McFadden) finds an unexpected guest (M. Carter) at his banquet. Macbeth was part of the English V curriculum. A, B, C . . . Mary Drudy and Tony Nicely learn the deaf alphabet in Mrs. Stuart ' s class. 21

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English Encourages Innovation FORENSICS TEAM . . . Edward Plott; John Groome; Kurt Jensen, First Place in Boys ' Poetry; Carolyn Switzer, Second Place in Girls ' Prose; Mike Abbott, Second Place in Boys ' Original Oratory; (Absent: Lori Haywood, Anita Gill). DEBATE TEAM . . . Eric Grumblatt, Anita Gill, Anne Hillmer, Wayne Humphries. CAST OF IMPROMPTU . . . Anne Hillmer, Marty Montgomery, Kurt Jensen, and Anita Gill received a superior rating in district and re- gional competition of one-act plays. 20

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t Learning another culture ' s language is the begin- ning of understanding a way of life different from our own. This is the goal of the language depart- ment, as Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Plott attempt to build an appreciation of foreign languages at CHS. Their classes demand full participation from everybody and give students a solid background in the funda- mentals of the course they are taking. Spanish I, II, 111, and IV, taught by Mrs. Plott, stress the customs and way of life of the people studied, as well as a sound understanding of vocabulary and grammar. In French I and II, taught by Mrs. Harris, a historical background of the country is also empha- sized, along with the usual drills in conjugation and pronunciation. A listing center, which permitted several students to listen to the same record, proved to be a use- ful aid in the learning of phrases in both classes. During Mrs. Harris ' absence in mid-year, her classes were capably taken over by Mrs. Nichols. To show their appreciation, students treated Mrs. Harris to a going-away party and also to a welcome-back party. BONING UP . . . Mrs. Plott reads widely to keep up with her Span- ish classes. LISTEN IN ... A. Hillmer, T. St. Clair, W. Kayser, D. Cobbs, A. Gill, M. Tatum, and M. Warren learn French phrases with the help of the new listening center. Languages Build Understanding 22