McKinley High School - Nugget Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

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may lsjgi--. THE CARNATION THE ART DEPARTMENT STRANGER, traversing our halls, will surely notice that Rooms 307, 308 and 309 present a somewhat different appearance from the average classrooms. No wonder! They are the studios of the McKinley's artists. They are the workshops of Miss Barbee, Miss Place and Miss Brown, all of whom are graduates of Pratt lnstitute of New York. There are two general art courses, the household art course and the commercial art course. The two courses have subjects in common, but the main difference is that the household arts course includes problems which correlate with domestic science, while the problems of commercial art generally pertain to art as a whole and all its troubles. However, nearly everything given in the household art course is given in the regular art course, except a few things that apply directly to dressmaking and similar subjects. Pose drawing, lettering, still life in water color, and out-of-door sketching are some of the things done only in the regular art course. ln the last terms both courses offer textile de- signing, book making and art history. The regular art course fcommercialj is a four-year course with double periods daily. Those who cannot take all four years of it have the opportunity of electing a substitute the first four terms and taking this work in the last two years of the general course. This interests girls especially, who intend to become teachers, since the first two years of art lay a general foundation for all the principles. The household arts course alternates cooking and sewing with art and emphasizes block printing, botik, pottery, and stencil. The Art Department has a splendid all around equipment in- cluding a collection of very interesting pottery, from all parts of the world. COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT T ' HE. Commercial branch in McKinley courses is primarily l 'nie .- for those students wishing training in practical business affairs. The subjects offered in this department are all extremely practical and are usually taken by students who expect to enter the business world upon leaving high school. Pupils are constantly leaving McKinley well trained to take their places in the business life of our city. The following subjects, some of those offered in the Commer- cial Department, furnish a varied course of training: Typewriting, office practice, arithmetic, penmanship, spelling, bookkeeping, salesmanship and advertising, business administration, stenog- raphy and accounting. These along with other subjects in other departments fit a student for life in the business world. It is needless to state the great importance of the Commer- cial Department. lts advantages are apparent and its results justify its importance. Too much stress cannot be laid upon the importance of practical studies, such as those offered in the Com- mercial Department. ENGLISH DEPARTMENT the many subjects offered by McKinley High School, from chemistry and trigonometry to arithmetic and book- keeping, there is one with which every pupil is familiar, and that subject is the study of the English language. Six terms of this work are required for graduation in any four-year course. The benefits of an extensive knowledge of our tongue are manifold. Good English is not only essential for the tenure of a really high-class position, but also is an indication of good breed- ing, ancl adds in no small measure to the enjoyment of life. Any successful engineer is able to make an intelligent report in good

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THE CAURNATION 431719 , I WOOD-TURNING SHOP

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THE GARNATIQN 4119134-. English of his work, just as the letters dictated by a high execu- tive are free from mistakes in grammar. For that matter, no one who had but a limited knowledge of English would be able to prepare for such a position. My second assertion is not likely to be questioned. As for the third, there are only a few of us who do not derive great pleasure from reading, and it is certainly impossible to enjoy good books without the ability, afforded by English, to understand them. The courses in this subject offered at our school meet all the requirements mentioned above. English one and two, as the study during the first and second terms is popularly called, are practical in nature. One's knowledge of grade school grammar is reviewed and increased. Certain books are also studied. English three is entirely devoted to composition work in descrip- tion, narration and exposition. English four consists of the study of literature, The Merchant of Venice and The Ancient Mariner being read. ln English five one continues the work of English three. Everyone must participate in a debate. After the short story has been studied extensively, each pupil must write one of these, strictly original, of course. Burke's Speech and Macbeth are not likely to be forgotten by those who have completed their sixth term in English, another literature course. English seven and eight are given over to the study of English literature from the Twelfth Century to the present time. They are not compulsory, and are purely cultural. There are two other features met with in every term of English. Each pupil must read at least two books and report upon' them. The authors are selected, consequently one is re- stricted in his reading, which must be done outside of class. The other feature is the memorizing of not less than one hundred lines of poetry, likewise by selected writers, each semester. A course in public speaking is also offered. This training is, of course, invaluable to certain pupils, and it will be a great benefit to anyone. It will be seen that the courses in English afforded us are valuable, supplying knowledge which is certainly exceedingly useful in later life as well as at the present time. FOREIGN LANGUAGES KgAQt!, have offered to us at McKinley courses in Spanish, Latin, French and German. These languages can be taken from two to four years, but you will probably not be satisfied with only two years of any of these languages. It is at the end of this time that you begin to enjoy the subject. The first year you are introduced to the languageg the second year you become acquainted with itg the third year you become friendlier, and the fourth year you become true pals. The pupils who take a language for two years miss the best part of it. lt takes at least two years to get a general idea of the vocabulary and grammar of the language, but, after having it, you cannot help but enjoy the work. The third and fourth years you read stories and poems, with a little grammar in be- tween, but on the whole your lessons are like social recitations. Everyone enjoys listening to a book report in an English class, and this is the same kind of work. You learn the ways and customs of the people, their manners and their government and their life in general. To tell you about the foreign language department, and not to tell you about the advantages you receive, for, after all, that's what interests you, is unfair. D6 you realize that the language taken at McKinley is going to help you advance more rapidly in the business world? Do you know that foreign languages help you, not only to speak English better, but to speak it with more ease and grace? The world of today needs men and women who speak a foreign language more than ever. We are trading with Mexico, which means that Spanish speaking people