Kennedy High School - Profiles Yearbook (Bloomington, MN)

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Through Literature, Poetry and Grammar Mr. Bergan was all smiles when he had the attention of the entire class. A serious moment with Mary Pcldo and Claudia Bertramson— unusual for Mr. Lyons. Mr. Munneke's sophomore English class reviewed the main characters in To Kill A Mockingbird. English teachers: Mrs. Patricia Lciseth, Mr. Earl Lyons. Mr. Allen Munncke, Miss Sandra Solbcrg, Mrs. Betty Stainer, Miss Marion Van Haur. 21 Mrs. Daly led her class in a discussion of Our Town.

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English A Discovery of New Worlds • • • English teachers: Mr. Orrin Bergan, Mrs. Virginia Bowman. Mrs. Alma Jean Connell, Mrs. Brenda Daly. Miss Angela Dromctcr, Mr. Richard Halverson. Miss Genevieve Huber, Mrs. Maureen Ncrland 20 With themes to write, projects to complete, books to read and poetry to compose, English classes rarely left students with spare time. Sophomores became acquainted with anyone from King Arthur in ld)lls of the King to Emily Webb in Our Town. They were moved by Cry, the Beloved Country!, amused by Huckleberry Finn, and bored by Silas Marner. The)' saw injustice first-hand in To Kill a Mockingbird and Mutiny on the Bounty. They met contrasts in Cyrano de Bergerac and The Pearl. Bridge Over the River Ktvai and Lost Horizons were also on the list. Humanities films and the Hollywood version of Julius Caesar were shown in conjunction with Our Town and Julius Caesar. Writing was taken apart and put together in a study of poetry, themes and the short story. Classes delved into the types of propaganda, figures of speech and newspapers. English 11 was primarily a study of American literature. In the Matchmaker and Barefoot in Athens classes learned about contemporary drama. Periods and phases in American literature were brought out by a sampling of poetry and short stories. Witches were hanged in The Crucible; a boy became a man in The Red Badge of Courage; the Roaring 20’s were relived in The Great Gatsby; a man tortured himself to death in The Scarlet Letter; a whale lived to fight another day in Moby Dick. Students saw a performance of Macbeth while reading the play. Juniors wrote argumentative, persuasive and critical essays. They became less gullible through a study of logical fallacies. In the magazine unit the)1 saw a cross-section of the national periodicals. Senior English focused on English literature. In this connection students read Hamlet, Oedipus Rex, Antigone, A Doll’s House, Lord of the Flies, Lord Jim, and RUR, the Insect Play. Teachers tried to instill good taste and discrimination in television, movies and radio. An honors English course dealt with the humanities. Now, why couldn't I have said that in the first place ? Miss Van Haur's first-hour junior class finally broke down and got to work copying notes on Shakespeare from the board.

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Journalism teacher: Mr, George Pearson Speech teacher: Mr. Norman Leistikow Mamie Crackers (Stephanie Dittbrenncr) bandages Paw Hogwash’s (Tom Halvorson) wound. Students Learn to Communicate Wins and losses were recorded by Bob Severson and Mr. Norman Leistikow as Kennedy held its first Debate Round Robin. Resolved: That the federal government should adopt a program of compulsory arbitration in labor-management disputes in basic industries.” This was the resolution chosen by the National Forensic League for debate in schools throughout the country. Accordingly, the topic was the focal point of all activities during the year. Students did exhaustive research trying to make their cases air-tight. Lectures, learning debate fundamentals, and practice debates consumed class time. Looking ahead, the debaters coached freshmen, building the foundation for next year's team. To earn NFL points, they competed in round-robins at area high schools every Wednesday. Saturdays were devoted to statewide tournaments. Newly organized by Miss Angela Drometer, the drama class studied the structure and character development of specific plays. Speech fundamentals and the history of drama were also discussed. Theory was put to practical use when students presented one-act plays and pantomimes. Speech consisted of mastering the basic skills of speaking, story telling, discussion, serious interpretation, and one-act plays. Exposure to practical speaking situations was acquired. Journalism I taught students discrimination of mass communications and propaganda. By developing writing and editing skills, students were prepared for work on school publications. An in-depth examination of leading publications and journalists was conducted in Journalism II. More emphasis was placed on mass media. Writing was limited to polishing skills already learned. 22