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

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Learning: without books There were very few classes at McCluer North where a student could get away without using a book. Take the physical education classes for example; the teacher could have handed out a book to the students and made them learn how to play a sport by reading and memoriz- ing a whole bunch of things. But the teachers felt it was much better to actu- ally show the student and let them try it out themselves. The students learned much more by actually “getting their hands dirty.” The same idea applied to industrial arts classes. The instructors could have made the students read about a tool or machine and then show them the final product, but much more was learned and more experience was gained if they took the tool and repaired, built, bent, shaped, or disassembled something on their own. This was not to say they didn’t have to learn some rules and regulations about the tool. There were always the safety rules, so a student wouldn’t cut his hand or perhaps injure himself more severely. The reasons for taking Industrial Arts classes were as varied as the projects themselves. ‘I think many students took industrial arts classes to get them out of the rut of the average, same old grind of school work,” commented Mr. Rich Wal- Working together to help Paul Obenhaus, sopho- more, finish his engine are Mark Shymos, junior, and Tom Boves, freshman. lace, Department Chairman. Another rea- son for taking these classes was to pre- pare for a job after graduation from high school. And some students just figured they could save themselves some money by learning how to repair things on their own. “No matter what reason they took the class, the student learned some very important skills,” said Mr. Wallace. The department offered many courses to fit the varying needs of the students. For the student who wished to gain a general working knowledge, there were the beginning level classes such as Wood- working, Metal Working and Drafting I. For those students who wished further “| enjoy taking Industrial Arts classes. It’s fun and a good way for me to get an A.”” — Wayne Hen- driks knowledge in a more specific field, there were the advanced classes: Furniture Construction, Electric Circuits, and Metal Machine. And, of course, for the really ambitious student, there were always the CPU classes. All in all it was a very good department, but Mr. Wallace had a comment. “I wish more girls would take the course. | some- times feel the girls can even do a better job than the boys because they are so willing to learn.” Practicing what the teacher taught in welding class is Keith Skubic, junior. Using a scratch awl to make measurement lines for his metal project is Tony Bowers, senior, as John Reinhardt, senior, works on his CPU project. Industrial Arts 207

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ustrial Arts After having made sure his piece has been properly aligned and fastened, Greg Martinelli, senior, turns on the drill press and begins drillin Putting the final touches on his drawing, Ira Moore, sophomore, gets ready to turn in his assignment for his mechanical drawing class. Making sure the piece of wood he sanded fits, Jack Causey, junior, pieces together the rest of his pro- ject in woodworking.

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After typing in the information, Kevin Kopp, junior, checks his program for errors. After giving an assignment, Kevin Carr, math teacher, gives a more precise explanation to Matt Hogan, Senior. New faces and new ideas “Math is my favorite subject, and | took four hours of it this quarter,” said Shawn McVey, senior, who took calculus, phys- ics, and two hours of computers. Shawn was the exception, because most stu- dents weren't entirely sure why they took math. “Il guess | took math because it’s a challenge, and it makes me think,” said Don McGowan, senior. “| like the challenge that | found in my geometry class this year.” — Donnie Jones When his opinion was requested, Mr. Paul Schroeder, Math Department Chairman, said, “I believe many of North’s students take math because many of the jobs in our area are highly technical. If they lived somewhere else, their interest might not be as great.” In 1982, the school started a math club, sponsored by Mrs. Diane Relleke. They entered the Mu Alpha Theta math contest sponsored by the National Honor Society and the Junior College Math Club. “Mem- bership is by invitation, and the club is designed to recognize excellence and to encourage exploration into mathematical fields,” said Mrs. Relleke. Club members gave presentations and had guest speak- ers who gave them ideas on fields of 208 Mathematics work for serious math students. Mr. Chip Day sponsored an after school workshop in conjunction with PROBE on computer programming. North’s Math Department also picked up five new members with the addition of the freshman class. They were Mrs. Car- rie Ditton, Mrs. Joanne Conger, Mrs. Pat Whitehead, Mr. Chip Day, and Mr. Dave Reindl. “I have really enjoyed teaching at McCluer North, and | think that the fresh- men are better off because the older kids are good examples to them,” said Mrs. Conger. Math wasn’t all hard work. The “Quote for the Day” was an interesting part of Mr. Schroeder’s third hour calculus class. “It’s fun trying to think of a better quote than anyone else,” said Tom Smith, sen- ior, ‘‘and it’s a welcome relief from the problems in the book.” “My geometry class was tough, but I had a good time and feel that | am a better person for the experience. It taught me a logical way of thinking which helps me in other sub- jects,” said Donnie Jones. With a prayer on their lips, calculus students feign sleep in an attempt to make Paul Schroeder, math teacher, change the subject.