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

Page 207 text:

Viva Espana! Mrs. Benchoff grades a student ' s oral report as she leans against a colorful wall of Spanish posters. In her classroom, many such posters could be seen around the room as con- stant reminders of S panish culture. Waiting to be called on, Jeff Brown patiently Sitting on a desk, Frau Kaus patiently awaits a raises his hand. German II students were ex- student s answer. Kaus frequently required pected to answer questions quickly after a student participation in her German and Latin brief period of book study. classes. L a n g u a g e foreign language 203

Page 206 text:

Language Offers New Challenge ' J love teaching, sai lid Car- men Benchoff referring to her AP Spanish class. I ' m ex- tremely proud of my students. For the first time, North intro- duced an AP class in the foreign language department, making it the only high school in the dis- trict to teach an AP language course. Taking AP is no easy task, stated Mrs. Benchoff. Students take a special test at the end of the year and therefore must have the ability to understand spoken and written language and be able to write an essay on any given topic. Benchoff stressed a wide range of vocabulary along with a working knowledge of grammar as minimum require- ments for her AP class. I really feel that I could speak with con- fidence if I had to, stated Lynne Westafer. Uma Rao said, We had to carry on simple conversa- tions and understand conven- tional phrases so that we would be able to survive in Spain. When asked about what she thought about the AP Spanish class, Benchoff stated, These people are terrific! More classes like these are needed to chal- lenge top students. ' v Clenching his fist for emphasis, Toni -Rossi stresses a point during his oral Spanish presentation. Oral presentations were coramon assignments in the lan- guage classes to ensure a better com- mand of the language. I 202 academics

Page 208 text:

E n g 1 i s Writing Stressed Wp hen asked about the ulti- mate goal of a writer, Ernest Hemmingway once replied, It is always to write truly, and hav- ing found what is true, to project it in such a way that it becomes part of the experience of the per- son who reads it. Not necessarily expecting writ- ing of Hemmingway ' s caliber, but striving for improvement, the English department under- went a reemphasis on writing. A fulltime substitute was hired, who alternated between classes, freeing up time so that teachers could help students with their writing. The department also re- ceived a grant for approximately twelve thousand dollars with which additional computers and instructional software could be purchased. The social studies department was marked by changes as well. For the first time, two AP Mod- ern European History classes were offered. In addition, the de- partment managed to acquire some new video equipment. Social studies English teacher Chuck Libolt seemed to best en- capsulate the goals and chal- lenges of the department, say- ing, We ' re working on the fast- break, but it ' s our inside game that ' s giving us the victories, and our big man at the high post whom we can always count on in the clutch. 204 academics