John Wesley North High School - Aurora Yearbook (Riverside, CA)

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Languages Reach New Dimension - Sprechen die Deutsch? Parlez-vous francais? Habla usted espanol? Lo- quiminine Latinam? Do you know any of these languages? For students inter- ested in learning a new tongue, North had a wide variety to choose from. Not only did it ofier the traditional spoken languages such as French, German, Spanish, and Latin, but the modern computer languages such as BASIC and PASCAL. Students took languages for many reasons, but most agreed that language is the key that opens the door to better career opportunities. As a future international affairs major. my career almost entirely depends on language, stated Grace Ruben. Many students took foreign language not only to meet graduation requirements but to broaden their knowledge about cultures other than their own. I ' m tak- mg Spanish because it ' s important in communication with the large popula- tion in this area, commented Nicky Singer. Those that have an interest m commu- nication and a passion for machines found BASIC and PASCAL to be the languages for them. BASIC, just as its name signifies, is a remedial computer language and is not used as much as PASCAL. PASCAL was offered as a class for the first time in 1984. It gives you a great opportunity to learn more about computers and expand your knowledge, stated John CuUum. Re- gardless of which language they pur- sued, spoken or written, students shared similar goals to broaden their horizons culturally and further their ca- reer opportunities. .V Murmuring in her concentration, Julie Stewart finishes her Latin exercises. Exercises played an es- sential role in learning Latin. Awaiting her signal to begin, Pam Stocks stands patiently in front of the class to deliver her Spanish oral report. Such reports were common assignments in foreign language classes to encourage speaking skills. languages-foreign, computer 207

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Imperfect? Present? Present Perfect? Paul Bradford looks tense as he fights to stay awake dur- ing his grammar lesson. Trying to figure out how to debug his program, Anthony Knight stares moodily at the computer screen. Programs were an important part of Mr. Ni- cholls ' PASCAL class. 206 academics

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Students Build Futures -1 W ondering what to do with your lite? Remember the Boy Scouts ' Motto: Be Prepared ? For many North Students, this meant taking a career class. Those choosing this route found many new and different opportunities open to them in the career classes. CAREER CLASSES The typing classes fi- nally bought some new textbooks to re- place the old decrepit ones. I like the new books better because the exercises and timed writings are more relevant to typ- ing, said Pam Watts. The old books had us type completely irrele- vant sentences. Students felt that all this helped them to type faster. Be- sides, one had to be able to type at least 40 words per minute to get into Mrs. Flowers ' ROP Word Process- ing class. , There was a new room where the computer literacy classroom had previously been. ROP supplied over $30,OCX3 to refit the new Word Pro- cessing Business Computers room to resemble a high-tech office. The room contained 20 computers, print- ers, new lights, an anti-static carpet and a copy machine. The class was so popular that students from other high schools, such as Moreno Val- ley, went out of their way to get in. Why? Many colleges re- quire entrants to have word processing skills. I can use the computers to do my school work, and the class will help in get- ting a job later, said — ' Vicki Stokes. For on-the-job training, however, many students chose work exper- ience. In addition to earning credits for graduation, students also earned money by working during their spare time. Mr. CoUopy graded stu- dent by worksheets completed in class and by verbal and written eval- uations of their work by their em- ployers. Said Bill Nehring, It ' s great being able to earn credits and get- ting paid for it. »., Because of their speed and efficiency, I many students used the computers for work from other classes. Stephanie Gammon refers to her English assignment as she types. Taking a breather, Robert Hudock glances around the career center before resuming work on a worksheet. Students working past 10 p.m. were re- quired to lake Work Experience. Frowning with concentration, Angie Lasaler finishes up a class assignment. The ROP computer classes required much typing. » mmmm 208 academics