Mont Pleasant High School - Montaneer Yearbook (Schenectady, NY)

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Mr. Edward Sherley Mr. Belford Perkins. Math and Technical Departments Mr. George Van Husen Suprunowicz Cheryl McDougall presents the proof of a geometric theorem as Mr. Caldaro supervises her work. Math: The Basis for Advancement. Mathematics, known as the Language of Science, is the most vital of all sciences. With- out knowledge of this seemingly complex sub- ject, little or no scientific progress would have been made since the time of the Egyptians. Of course, the mathematics offered at Mont Pleasant is much more advanced than any- thing the Egyptians ever used. A wide variety of courses, ranging from general math to cal- culus, are offered to the students according to their desires and abilities. Through the excellent staff of teachers in the Mathematics Depart- ment, fundamentals and concepts are conveyed to the young men and women which will aid them in their later life. Mont Pleasant has kept up with the chang- ing events in the field of mathematics by provid- ing an accelerated course which begins in the stu- dents' sophomore year. These students remain to- gether for their three years here and are taught by the same teacher each year. By the termina- tion of their senior year, they have completed all courses from geometry to calculus. Assisting Glenn Juckett in demonstrating one of the varied uses of the compass are Tina Harper and Richard Santelli. 20

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 o A A ) Chairman— Mr. Anthony Mrs. Jacqueline Mr. Gerald Mr. Robert Ludwig Coppola Lefkowitz Goldstein Language: Journey to a Foreign Land Those 575' pupils presently enrolled in the foreign language classes at Mont Pleasant are being taught with the aid of modern methods and facilities. This new approach to language, called audio-lingual, attempts to make the language come alive for the students. Most of the emphasis through the four years is on speaking and understanding the spoken word. To facilitate prac- tice in both of these phases, the students have labora- tory periods and access to phonograph records which may be taken home. In addition, those pupils taking either Spanish, French, or German have available to them literature from their respective countries. Other language classes available include Russian and Latin. Any of these languages are offered to any student who wishes to pursue them. This year there has been an increase of nearly a hundred pupils; and as a result, three new teachers have been added to the department staff. Mr. Coppola looks on as Raymond Sefcovic, Paul Kuta. and Al Gallo concentrate in language lab. Mrs. Toby Clyman Mrs. Charlotte Koblenz Mrs. Ruth Family Joe Massaroni. Isabella Miceli. and Mrs. Lefkowitz work on Spanish nouns.

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Music: Unity Through Music The Mont Pleasant Music Department offers all interested students an opportunity to become skillfully versed in the wide-ranging field of music. As a very popular component of this department, the choir offers all participants a chance to develop an interest in various phases of choral singing and a better understanding of vocal composition. Each year the group sings at many school assemblies, puts on a winter concert, and performs with other choirs in the annual Music for Unity program. Two parallel branches of our Music Department are the orchestra and the band. The orchestra consists of those students whose talents are put to work by their playing of fine music. Exposed to a wider field of study, the members of the band explore a course ranging from classical compositions to semi-popular productions. An outdoor concert each spring displays the outstanding capabilities of the band. Participation in the winter concert and the home football games in the fall are also on this group's agenda. An outside activity supervised by the Music De- partment is the Symphonic Singers. This activity is com- posed of students participating in at least one of the many available music courses and whose singing abilities are far above mediocrity. Their performances include a variety of difficult compositions extending from Negro spirituals to those pertaining to Broadway shows. Thanks to the highly devoted faculty and the fine equipment used in the department, education in the field of music is forever advancing. In accordance with this, the performances provided for us by our fellow students are continually enlarging the cultural enjoy- ments available in Mont Pleasant. Mr. Theodore Takaroff Mr. John Adams Mr. Cleveland Howard Student teacher. Mr. Caltebiano. instructs Linda Hoffman on the correct assembly of the clarinet. Michele Lozzori. Linda Whitbeck, Marie Donodio. Virginia Rossetti and Sandra Branic sing the folk song Great God Almighty during choir class. 21