Highland Park High School - Little Giant Yearbook (Highland Park, IL)

Page 28 text:

During an October field trip, senior Stewart Peterson (below) waits for Mr. Eiscman to point out a bevy of ducks to an ecology class mate at Cook County's Palos Park Forest Preserves. Freshman Maranda Spencer (bottom) tests the thermal heat of liquid in Mod- ified Physical Science. Mr. Swanson (right) reviews the procedure for freshman Andy Cantin's next experiment, which gauges the gas given off by heated sulphur and copper. Freshman Mike Accllo (far right) and his lab partner are careful not to enlarge the burner's flame, which would cause their mixture to overheat. 24

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PROGRAM INNOVATIONS Elective Activities let girls design program Junior and senior girls were pleased to see long- awaited changes in their gym program this year. Each semester. Elective Activities allowed girls to choose their own curriculum from several different alterna- tives. Each contained activities ranging from individ- ual skills such as dance and gymnastics to team sports, including volleyball and field hockey. Also offered to girls were Advanced Dance and Ad- vanced Gymnastics. To qualify, girls first had to dem- onstrate mastery of basic techniques to their gym instructors. Classes were small, and students could concentrate on advanced skills with the advantage of greater individualized instruction. For the first time, girls were invited to participate in the Adaptive Physical Education course set up to aid students unable to participate in the regular gym classes. Students in this program were instructed in exercises and sports suited to their particular needs.

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PROGRAM INNOVATIONS Individual focus heart of new science course In an effort to individualize the science curriculum, teachers Ralph Cooksey and James Swanson initiated new classroom techniques in six Modified Physical Science classes this year. Following the normal Physi- cal Science curriculum, students in these classes were encouraged to work at their own speed, and learned the skills of self-pacing. Instead of the standard formal lectures, students listened to supplementary tapes which contained in- formation necessary for the completion of each exper- iment. Mr. Cooksey and Mr. Swanson constructed lis- tening carrels which helped to adapt one science room to the new program, enabling students to study quietly when not working on an experiment. Because class size was limited to twenty, teachers had time to spend with each student. In its second year, the ecology program gave inter- ested students a chance to study their environment through classroom labs and field trips. 25