Magnificat High School - Magnifier Yearbook (Rocky River, OH)

Page 89 text:

With Honors World Lit class goes poetry, as senior Jenny Stringer dis¬ covers. After learning about lyrics, each student was required to write an original poem and share it with the class. Photo by A. Sheridan. “Each day is exciting because of the insights each student brings,” ex¬ plains Sr. Helen Jean Novy. Sr. Helen Jean taught Lit classes as well as Micro Magic, and was director of curriculum also. Photo by A. Sheri¬ dan. HONORS CLASSES 85

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For a mad scientist, a chemistry lab might turn into an explosive situa¬ tion but for sophomore Michelle Lamb it is routine. Labs gave stu¬ dents the opportunity to put their many hours of studying into use. Photo by T. Pietromica. An Honors Geometry class sets the scene as sophomore Patty Pahl tries to find the area of a square in¬ scribed in a circle. The Honors Ge¬ ometry class was a sequel to Honors Algebra freshman year. Photo by Dawn Tarka. Honors classes A mind-expanding experience! She has a permanent carrel in the R.C. furnished to her decorating tastes where she spends all her free time, including lunch mods, essentially a home-away- from-home. She sits pol¬ ishing her lat¬ est assign¬ ment to per¬ fection. This exaggerated illustration of an honors student triggers ques¬ tions in the minds of many. Why do students submit themselves to such rigorous classes? Are they truly worth the effort? Students have several reasons for being in the honors college preparatory program. “I took honors courses because 1 felt that it was an opportunity for challenge, a chance to go into more depth in certain subjects,” explains junior Catherine Kreiser. The honors program is very fulfilling for some students. “I think an honors class is worthwhile because it motivates me to work harder. It also gives me a sense of satisfaction because I have done my best,” she continues. Magnificat’s honors courses not only develop good study habits but also foster analytical thinking because of the depth at which the subject is taken. New addi¬ tions such as Advanced Place¬ ment French, AP Spanish and honors computer math offer a challenge to the student and the opportunity to test her potential. The honors program prepares students to take the advanced placement examinations in areas such as literature, foreign lan¬ guage, math and science. Accord¬ ing to Mr. David Stoffer, senior guidance counselor, “Eighty-five percent of the seniors who took the 1983 examinations received a three or better, the accepted grade for advanced placement.” A ranking of three enabled a student to receive college credit or exemption from a particular class. Courses in the honors program are not sim¬ ply academi¬ cally more difficult ver¬ sions of their regular coun¬ terparts. Hon¬ ors students may begin an honors program in the ninth grade with math by taking honors algebra, for example, which cul¬ minates with calculus in senior year. States Sr. Helen Jean Novy, director of curriculum, “Honors challenges are also presented as semester college courses, such as Chemistry II and Biology II. An¬ nually, every course at Magnificat is evaluated by the appropriate department in light of student needs and readiness, and depart¬ mental goals. An option for hon¬ ors is not just a choice for the present; it is an investment for the future.”® —Joy Gorecki “Honors classes are worthwhile as long as the student realizes the time and effort that must be put forth in order to make the most of her learning.” — Sara Schoek ’84 84 HONORS CLASSES

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If As Michael Jackson swept the Grammys, and Hill Street Blues swept the Emmys, Magnificat did a little sweeping of its own. Of course, one could never have guessed the way the day started. The day being, of course, Febru¬ ary 25—the day of the Diocesan Foreign Language Contest. The cast of a Spanish III skit had a particularly rough time of it. “Karen Heppler et al” as the en¬ try read, played the parts of mod¬ els in a fashion show. The script included descriptions of beautiful blouses, colorful skirts and dazzling earrings. The only problem came when Kathy Heppler ’85 lost one of the earrings. After a frantic search of pockets, purses, duffel bags, and garbage cans, the deci¬ sion was made to go on with only one earring and hope the judges didn’t notice. The judges did notice a dazzling performance and the group placed third out of the nine entries. Mrs. Karen Motz, with students in first, second, and fourth year French competition, had her hands full as it was. But also added to that load were the responsibilities of the vice-president of the Dioce¬ “It was fun, but also a good learning experience because we were able to put something we learned to use.” —Sue Stefonsky san Foreign Language Association. The nine hour contest was the cul¬ mination of weeks of preparation with her students and with the DFLA. By Saturday afternoon, her two roles crossed paths as she was able to personally congratulate Magnificat students as she handed them their awards. It took until Saturday afternoon for the cast of a Spanish II skit to arrive at Cleveland Central Catholic’s Forman Campus. The sophomores got a beautiful tour of Cleveland before finally arriv¬ ing at their destination. That was partly due to the fact that they went to Central Catholic’s other two campuses before finally figur- ing out where the contest was being held. By then they were too late for the scheduled Span¬ ish II competi¬ tion. However, after pleas with the judges, the girls were allowed to perform after the Spanish III skits were completed. Only the judges for¬ got to judge “Mary Beth Heller et al” on the second year level. So the girls got third place rib¬ bons in Spanish III competition. One facet of the contest that has gained increasing importance (continued on page 88) “One word in Spanish is worth ten in English.’’, reads the banner behind Susan Witalis ’84. The banners, posters and flags were on display at Cleveland Central Catholic High School for visitors to see. Photo by D. Zelesnik. Congratulations to sophomore Marilyn Cahill on grabbing first place in oral recitation of poetry and in banners. Her awards, added to the others, helped Magnificat hold first place. Photo by A. Sheridan. Foreign Language Students Do the Sweeping Up i I 86 DIOCESAN FOREIGN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION CONTEST