Mount Penn Lower Alsace Joint High School - Penn Alma Yearbook (Reading, PA)

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Drama , ss ys, and ragment Mrs. Irene Keller 514 Byram Street Pennside, Pennsylvania B.S. in Ed. East Stroudsburg State College Subjects: English Service in Mt. Penn District-10 years Extra-Curricular Activities: Commencement Speeches and School Publicity Offices: Publicity-Mt. Penn Lower-Alsace Teachers Assn. Memberships: National Council of Teachers of Englishg Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of Englishg NEAQ and PSEA. Senior English is the place to put to use all the skills and techniques accumulated throughout the students? study of English. Without a doubt, Mrs. Keller has an im- portant role in developing the student for later life. Mrs. Keller introduces disciplined writing to many members of the class, shows them the way to incorporate 'Lburning words in their writing, and stresses the recognition of controllers in the numerous themes written during the course. The year begins with the study of essays written by the modern authors, basically to draw contrasts between the different periods in English literature. Then backtracking to early times, the seniors analyze Beowulf and, to exercise their imagination and knowledge, write epics in the Old English tradition. Later, they also attempt Middle English ballads. To show their appreciation of Chaucer, a few seniors dramatically portray the characters of the MCanterbury Talesi' in an unforgettable production. Mrs. Keller continually stresses the importance of relating the humanities to course content and encourages the keeping of a personal vocabulary list. She also helps the students to develop their speech habits by impromptu speaking, speaking on prepared topics, and persuading them to give special reports designed to add outside informa- tion to the current study. I think one of your burning words is on fire. -Mrs. Keller aids Susan French and Sally Gilbert with their beloved term papers.

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ENGLISH dverb , Mr. Robert G. Haag 205 W. 46th Street Green Tree Acres Reading, Pennsylvania Kutztown State College, B.S. Subjects: English Adviser Mt. Penn Education Assn. Mr. Robert G. Haag, adviser of the seventh grade, implants in his classes the need for English, not only as a prerequisite for a good education but also an instrument for communication. It is his job to carry on the basic fundamentals of the English language as well as to instill in the students a desire to read certain classics in their entirety and then discuss particular aspects, such as theme, plot, setting, and character relationships as they are related to one another in the stories, and, if possible, what similarities one classic may have to another regarding structure. During the period of intense study of one of the classics, the stu- dents are often divided into groups to work on particular projects relating the project to the classic, such as, crossword puzzles, classic bingo, character drawings or scale building models. Book reports are required-eight in 8th grade, and nine in 9th grade. The main purpose behind these reports is to have the stu- dent read various types of writing and to read for the sheer enjoyment of reading. This year, Mr. Haag experimented, on a limited basis, with the idea of the honor', system when administering quizzes and found this system satisfactory. It is a chance to show the students that they can be responsible individuals as well as trustworthy. Each student is required to keep a notebook and at various times he is given mimeographed notes which eliminate the time-consuming element of dictation. This notebook is a vital element to the stu- dent, and if studied properly and reviewed frequently, it will aid the student in his present English course as well as in future courses. Another innovation this year is the record chart. Each pupil main- tains his own graphic chart whereby he may keep his record which will indicate to his parents and to himself, the progress that he is making in English. a ICS, and Compo ition Service in Mt. Penn District-8 years Extra-Curricular Activities: Seventh Grade Memberships: PSEA5 NEAQ National Council oi Teachers of Englishg and Ivanhoe has various themes which are applicable to life today, Mr. Haag explains. Natalie Schwoyer ponders a literaturexassignment.

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ENGLISH talic Mrs. Dolores LaPorte 509 N. 25th Street, Pennside, Reading, Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania, B.A. Service in Mt. Penn-1 year. Subjects: 7th, 9th, and llth grade En- glish, Public Speaking Extra-Curricular Activities: Future Teach- ers of America, Debating Team Memberships: NEAQ PSEAg Mt. Penn- Lower Alsace Education Association rainmar, Heading , and Lisa Sargent and Marsha Roslin diligently work during a study hall. as No, James Joyce did not write The Odyssey. Mrs. LaPorte explains a fine point in American literature. 26 A basic understanding of English is essential in any high school curriculum. One of the many able teach- ers at Mt. Penn striving toward this goal is Mrs. Dolores l.aPorte. She is often to be found with a select group of students who form the Future Teach- ers of America of which she is adviser. Teaching sections of four different grades would present a multitude of problems to many teachers, but Mrs. LaPorte handles the situation quite well. The seventh grade is taught to appreciate literature and at the same time to delve into the difficult arts of speaking and writing. Creative projects assumed by the seventh grade includes plays, stories, and poems. The ninth grade already skilled in these arts, strives to improve the techniques involved in these areas. By now well versed in the 'written and spoken language, the eleventh grade tackles a new problem. This involves a study of theubusiness back- ground in relation to the English language. ln- cluded among the many facets of this course are reports on business and jobs, application proce- dures, personal interviews, and a study of the vo- cabulary, used, in the business world. The fourth course to be taught by Mrs. LaPorte is the art of speaking? This elective course is open to tenth and eleventh grades. The object of this course is the improvement of speaking with confidence and style. Such devices as records, tape recorders, and over- head projector are constantly made use of through- out these classes. The culmination of Mrs. LaPorte's efforts is a well-rounded background of English among all her students.