Frank W Cox High School - Talon Yearbook (Virginia Beach, VA)

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(Hath Department features Updated Teaching Techniques Mr. Barba ' s algebra students learn the basic fundamentals in preparation for more specialized math courses. Both Mr. Barba ' s and his students ' daily routine included a trip to the stadium classrooms, even in bad weather conditions. The two factors on the academic scene which were found to vary most from year to year were the math curriculum and the new teaching tech- niques used with this new material: sets, modern algebra, graphs, and curves. Keeping pace with the new developments in this field, the math department added several new courses and updated many others. Algebra I and II were taught according to a new method based on sets: Algebra III pursued the basic material of lower algebra. Unified geometry combined plane, solid and coordinate geometry into a single unit, while solid geometry was the more specialized study. Analytic geometry, an introduction to calculus, was offered for the first time this year. Mr. Martin Mulderrig, department head, pa- tiently explains, time and time again, the more difficult mathematical problems to his classes. 21

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dew Wives Supplement English Curriculum From sentence structure to Shakespeare, rudiments of grammar to Romanticism and paraphrasing to Paradise Lost, English students have gained a better understanding and appreciation of our language. Among the special features included in the English department were those subjects emphasizing the arts of communication and self-expression — speech, drama, advanced composition, and world literature. Also, the study of grammar and English and American literature was taught on three experimental levels: regular, accelerated, and honors. A new addition to the academic curriculum was the combination class of English 1 1 and American history. Instructors of this ex- perimental program were Miss Samford, Miss Hopkins, Mrs. Davis, and Miss Woodward. As well as instructing three senior accelerated classes and one honors group, Mrs. Jeonette Loy headed the English department and sponsored the National Honor Society. 20

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English find Social Studies Unite forces In Team Teaching Mr. Lumpkin teaches his senior government classes the basis and foundation of American democracy. Government studies ranged from the Presidential election to the pros and cons of Federalism. Juniors pay rapt attention to Miss Wood- ward ' s American history lectures, of which the topics varied from current events to pre- historic civilization. Her daily agenda also included an opportunity for comment on the craziest new fad or the latest school event. 22 The quests for knowledge and understanding form the meeting place of all ages, times, and peoples. The study of the past must precede the study of the present day, since today is but a mirror of the events of yesterday. First Stop — the world. The different races and cultures just didn ' t happen in a certain place at a certain time; they grew out of the circumstances of environment — the terrain, rainfall, location, vegetation, temperatures, general climate — or geography of the earth ' s surface. When these early civilizations did emerge, their peculiarities of temperament, religion, organization, and customs formed the nations in Europe, Asia, and Africa, and the conflicts, empires, governments, and systems which made up old world history. With this background came a more complete comprehension of the problems, alliances, and enmities which are the basis of today ' s international relations, our American history, and our government . . . and this all formed the social studies curriculum at Cox. Mr. Alfred Bulla, department chairman, ex- plains time zones to his social studies classes with the aid of new, up-to-date maps.