E J Cooper High School - Talons Yearbook (New Hope, MN)

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To give oil students the opportunity to discuss group assignments or extra curricular activ: ties with their friends, a talking area was established in the cafeteria. The English Resource Center, which is part of the IMC, is used by students as a quiet study urea. English teachers are available as resource persons to help students. As the new school year at Cooper High begins to take effect, the staircase becomes a site for confusion as huddled students try to read their complex schedules. As Gail Christensen enters the cafeteria, Mr. Robert llraun checks her lunch pass. 16

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Assistant Principal George Scarbrough District 281 Promotes New Educational Ideas Principal Lyndon Ulrich Administrators of District 281 co-ordinated their educational ideas and established able leadership. Each day 2,450 students received an education at Cooper High School, one of twenty-four schools in the District. Because of expanding population, more educational facilities were needed. In November voters passed an 800,000 dollar bond that will provide funds for additions to two schools in the District. A new administration building, which will be completed Ijcforc the next school year, is being constructed. This central office will provide offices for the district administrators, subject matter consultants, and quarters for the school board. Always ready to advance the educational pattern in District 281, modular scheduling was instigated at Hosterman Junior and Cooper Senior High Schools, and plans were drawn for the construction of a new junior high school. 15

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Modular Scheduling Offers Unique Education Senior Donna Gunnerson diligently uses her knowledge of shorthand as she utilizes the dictaphone in a business listening laboratory during her unscheduled modules. To promote greater learning by the students, Cooper High School switched to the Stanford modular scheduling system this fall. This scheduling system abolished the traditional six hour-long classes a day. Instead, each day was divided into twenty-minute units of time called modules. This system will be employed at Cooper as a long-range experiment for three years. Afterwards a final evaluation will be made. Modular scheduling has better prepared the college-bound students and also those who are going directly into the working world. As a result of modular scheduling, eight resource aids were hired to handle materials in the Instructional Material Center and relieved teachers of extra paper work. One of the most important aspects of modular scheduling was it gave students a chance to work without constant adult supervision. With forty percent of time unscheduled, students had use of most facilities. While a student checks out a reserve paperback book in the English resource room in the Instructional Material Center, Mrs. Stella Aurola, aid, examines the overnight check-out card. This familiar scene is repeated throughout the entire IMC each day. 17