Fargo South High School - Bruin Yearbook (Fargo, ND)

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tremendous experience but for the poorer students, it encourages loafing . Mr. Raymond believes that the upperclassmen have to be given room to make decisions on their own because after leaving high school most students go out into the world alone. Whether going to college or starting in the business world, they have to depend upon their own decisions. Mr. Raymond believes in open campus whole-heartedly and he says that there rarely are problems with the juniors and seniors. In 1970, Mr. Bernhoft left South High and went to work in the District Office. He did not stay there long because he preferred working with young people. Today, he is the principal of McKinley Elementary School. When asked if he missed South, he replied that he did but that he finds the work at McKinley more satisfying. Mr. Bernhoft felt that his job at South was becoming too demanding. At McKinley, he finds his job very rewarding and he thinks that the younger children are so real and so very thankful for anything that they are given. In the fall of 1970, Mr. Raymond became the new principal of South. Mr. Raymond thinks that one of the biggest reasons for the decline in the enrollment in language classes is that many colleges no longer require the languages as part of sz i2.i E the entrance requirements. Many new classes have been added in the last ten years including the community service class which was added last year. The course gives credit to students- who are volunteer workers. Health careers, another new class, helps students get an idea of what a job in the health field is like. Modern Dance was added last year as another alternative for the regular gym classes. South is missing the boat, commented Mr. Raymond, because we have no classes in the area of mass media ftelevision and radiolf' He would like to see classes started in these areas because there are many jobs in these fields open to high school students, and he believes that South should be preparing students for these jobs. Over the past ten years South has made a great many changes in the academic areas. A great improvement has been made in the wide variety of new classes offered. The past ten years has brought many things, good and bad. What will the next ten years bring? The first change for the second decade will be a new principal for South High School. Mr. Raymond resigned the principalship to become the Director of Personnel Relations for the Fargo Public Schools. Mr. James Spence assumed the principal- ship July 1, 1977. .,,.:' Academics-nineteen

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Ever Changingg Always Striving To Improve Since its beginning, Fargo South High has been ever changing, always striving to improve what they already have. Ten years has brought about many changes here at South, not only in academics but in all the other areas. Like all schools just starting out, South had its complications. For the first four months of the first year, South was without a gymnasium. Not only was the gym uncompleted but the whole area beyond the present day gym doors was still under construction. This included the music rooms and home economics rooms. The gym classes spent a lot of time walking outdoors and when it rained they watched films. The music classes met in the basement where the ILC Klndependent Learning Centerl is now located. Other problems that confused the first year at South included uncompleted class rooms and the entrance of the freshmen into the high school. According to Mr. Otto Bernhoft, Southls first principal, the freshmen were resented', by the older students. Mr. Burnhoft was the principal at Central High School before it burned down and he remained principal at South until 1970. Many things were changed during those first years at South, including the shortening of the class periods from 55 minutes to 40 minutes. The chemistry classes were one of the biggest reasons for changing the class period length because 55 minutes was not enough time for a lab and a double period C80 minutesl was just the right length. eighteen-Academics One of the best changes made at South in th' last ten years was the addition of the vocationf wing and the journalism equipment. Anothf positive move had to do with the Music, Art an Phy. Ed. Departments. Before the change was made, the students did not receive any credit towards graduation for their work. In addition another chemistry class, Chem Study, and the early morning gym classes were added to the curriculum. Since South opened its doors ten years ago, there has been a decrease in the enrollment for advanced science and math courses. Mr. Ed Raymond, South's present principal, believes that this is one of the major reasons for the lower scores in the mass testing iScholastic Aptitude Tests and American College Testihg Programsl because the advanced classes teach the students to think in patterns. In the beginning, South had a dress code, but this caused a few problems and it was soon decided that the code was something that South didn't need. Mr. Bernhoft believes that the code was the major problem in the years that he was at South, however, there were never any major discipline problems. The open campus policy was started in l969. Mr. Bernhoft feels that for the good students it is a T ,-QSO!

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Nl A gyys VAI V i ' A ? 2 Ed Raymond Arnold Hermunslie Don Johnson John McDonald Principal Asst. Principal Asst. Principal Asst. Principal l ii Ed Raymond talks to Mr. Tom Manley at the coffee-hour presented in Raymond's honor, 'W r ev ,W Ed Raymond chuckles as he looks at the ulty meeting where the agree, no opinion, and Mrs. Lois Mayer donates blood at one of the opinion t-shirt and sign brought out at a fac- disagree methods are used by teachers. blood drives held each year by the Key Club. twenty