McCluer North High School - Polaris Yearbook (Florissant, MO)

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A teacher's duties do not merely extend to conduct- ing classes. Sometimes they must patrol certain areas of the school. Linton Luetje, music depart- ment, stakes his post in the concourse. C OVC. = re F.Growing More special mplete ether RYN 146 Faculty Articles Good and decent individuals In the ten years that I have been on the staff of McCluer North, | have seen an idea, based on the goodness and decency that forms the core of most humans, ex- pressed in an educational system that has tried to place trust in and responsibility on students to help them grow as reliable and capable individuals. Students have been given many choices, tempered through the advisement sys-em, and have had the opportunity to develop highly in- dividualized academic programs ad- dressed to their needs and interests. While choice, freedom and trust have been characteristics of McCluer North, academic excellence has always been an essential ingredient of the system. I feel privileged to have been able to participate in the development and growth of this system, and I feel blessed in the warm, caring human relationships | have had with both students and other staff members. Joseph A. Nauman, Jr. Lunch time can someimes be a rowdy time, but Carl Jason, junior principal, and Lonnie Lockett, industri- al arts department, monitor students closely to make sure things do not get out of hand.

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in Education Michael Wagner: M.A. Education At 5:30 a.m. daily, the dreams of many McCluer North faculty members were shattered by the rude buzzing of an alarm clock. “Just ten more minutes,” they would plead as they dragged their weary bodies out of bed and got ready to take a nice, long, relaxing shower. They climbed in and turned on the water and their e yes bugged out the instant the freezing-cold water hit their backs. “Someday, I'll hit the showers before my Kids do,” they said uniformly. The day, for Mr. Linton Luetje, band di- rector, improved a great deal after he arrived at school and heard the soothing music pouring out of his students’ in- structments. “Mornings are absolutely great!” he said. His favorite part of work was teaching his Symphonic, Dixie Land, and Concert Lyle Thompson: Social Studies Department, B.S. Sandy Tompkins: Registrar Industrial Education, B.S. Drafting Technology, Teacher Certification Pete Waldo: Physical Education, B.S. Education, Richard Wallace: Industrial Education, B.S. in Education, M.S. Education Ron Webb: Business Department, B.S. Business Ed., M.A. Education Chuck Westover: Science Department, B.S. in Education, M.S. in Education Patricia Whitehead: Math Department, B.S. Busi- ness and Economics Mayetta Williams: Social Studies Department, B.A. Sociology, M.A.T. Education Janet Wilson: Business Department, B.S. Busi- ness Karen Wilson: Physical Education, B.S. in Educa- tion, M.A. Education Nancy Wolk: Math Department, B.A. English Shirley Wood: Secretary Carl Yochum: Art Departmen, B.S. Art, M.S. Art | Ten more minutes!!! Bands. Even when school was out, work still had to be done: grading papers, planning classes, and reading up on current issues were an important part of teaching. The only thing that beat mornings for Mr. Luetje was his four to five mile jog in the afternoon. The hectic day of Mr. Robert Chamber- lain, Social Studies Department Chairman, was a hard one to follow. He spent most of his first and sixth hour helping substi- tutes get their classes together, and the rest of the day teaching World Leaders and Advanced Seminar. Enjoying a break while working on papers, Stan Cox, Joan Avioli, Mile Thacker, and Joetta Alwood, Eng- lish Department, discuss the upcoming North Cen- tral evaluation. Faculty 145

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The third floor faculty lounge is the perfect place for Maisie Keeser and Peggy Gies, home economics department, and Sue Barry, foreign language de- partment, to socialize during their lunch hour. A system — very versatile Consider that a great American dream is to educate each citizen, thereby mak- ing equal opportunity for development available to all. Then, in the light of that dream, examine the course catalogue of McCluer North. Rich in variety yet dedi- cated to standards of high quality educa- tion, it reveals the extensive effort made at North to provide a challenging and stimulating program for each students. The changes made in the last decade re- flect the changes in our society and speak to the dedication of the McCluer North faculty to provide choice and qual- ity for all. Joan Avioli Preparing for a future In 1971, McCluer North opened with sev- en members in the Social Studies Depart- ment. Five of the original members are still teaching t McCluer North. Today, a staff of seventeen members continues to revise and update the curriculum in order to meet current needs and demands of all students, grades nine through twelve. Social studies teachers from schools throughout the nation have visited McCluer North and sought advice and counsel on curriculum development and innovation. As in the past, the social studies teach- ers of McCluer North endeavor to pre- pare students to meet their responsibil- ities as good citizens. It is now necessary to look to the future, the year 2000. The world of tomorrow demands that our young people be ready to meet the seri- ous social, political, ethical and moral problems that confront our nation and the world. The Social Studies Department accepts the task of developing a curricu- lum that meets the challenge of the 80's and the years thereafter. Move mover! We're growing! We're moving on to the future with optimism and hope. Robert Chamberlain Capturing student’s interest in social studies is not as easy as it looks. Lyle Thompson, social studies department, however, seems to manage quite well. We improve with our age When the school opened, both the fac- ulty and student body shared a commi- ment, | think, to what was then a new venture. The curriculum was unique - and advisement was, indeed, a brand-new concept. Teachers and principals at the new school had gone through an exten- sive in-service training program prior to opening day, and most of us shared a sense of pride in what we'd created, as well as the excitement of seeing some of our ideas put into practice. Those first students shared much of that pride and excitement. On the other hand, our original pro- gram was far from perfect. The advise- ment program, on the whole, seems more ‘effective to me now than it was when we began. We demand more of students now - the curriculum is “tougher” - than it was then, and | can’t say that I’m dissatisfied with that change. On the whole, despite declining enroll- ment, a continuing district financial crunch, substantial changes in the stu- dent body, and extensive turnover in the staff, | think wha t we’ve managed to do is, figuratively, keep our collective head above water. The school has not gone down the tubes. Considering the disas- ters that have occurred in other districts, both locally and nationally, that may well represent a major accomplishment. Ray Schoch Faculty Articles 147