Matawan High School - Pillar Yearbook (Matawan, NJ)

Page 24 text:

Harvey Epstein, Dept. Chairman Eugene Jaczynski John Poulos Louise Fitzpatrick Jane Neukomm Sondra Sen The Social Studies Department offers a large variety of electives. Early World History covers life from its beginnings, and Modern World continues where it leaves off. Latin-American History studies our southern neighbors, and Seminar is an honor course available to seniors. A special treat of this department is the annual History Club trip, with past visits to Mystic Seaport, Connecticut, and Sturbridge Village, Massachusetts. 20

Page 23 text:

math department William Lawlor Florence Manville For the third consecutive year, the Math Department has carried out its successful self study program in the Algebra II. classes, whereby the students work at their own speed. Among the school’s required Math courses are Algebra I., and Plane Geometry, in which the students annually create Geometrical figures to decorate the Christmas tree in the school lobby. Other courses include Calculus. Advanced Geometry, and a half-year course. Trigonometry. This year, many of the Math classes were fortunate to witness a computer demonstration, presented by Wang Laboratories. Nellie Noddings Elizabeth Roessner Catherine Stddons 19

Page 25 text:

art music Mr. E. Gordan Mr$, Joan Soderlund That Music is one of the most popular of all departments in M.R.H.S. is practically an understatement, especially if you take a look at the size of the classes. With almost 100 in Band, and practically 200 in Chorus, the Music Department is one of the school's most active. Always striving for perfection, the students work constantly to improve themselves, so that M.R.H.S. can boast of having some of its Music students members in the All-Shore. All-State, and even All-Eastern Bands and Choruses. And for students who are interested in Music's basics and background, there is Introduction to Music, an appreciation course which consists of learning about the different periods and styles in Music, as well as listening to the Music itself; and Theory and Harmony, where students learn the basics in music theory and how to write the music itself. Mr. Nicolas Dascoli. Chairman Mrs. Anne Hannah 21 The major objective of the M.R.H.S. Art Department, as stated- by Art teacher Mrs. Joan Soderland. is to remove misconception, misinformation, and complete fallacies about the subject. Art. By removing prejudice, and teaching the students to be as objective as possible, we force them to rediscover what are the essential and universal qualities of art.” The Art classes are not geared to make artists, but are geared to unteach wrong ideas rigidly held.” The students are led away from concepts like art is decorative and pretty,” and begin their work with rudiments — line, texture, structure, form — paying attention explicitly to these, and then take it from there. If the students can contrast and compare two such extremes as Picasso's 'Guernica' and Botticelli's •Primavirna.'” says Mrs. Soderland. “and understand where and how they differ and how they are the same, then they have learned a concept which will carry them far . . . ”