Mount Pleasant High School - Netop Yearbook (Providence, RI)

Page 20 text:

locial cience The Social Science Department is one of the high schools most important departments. Along with learning about historic characters and events in Amer- ican history. and Federal, State, and City govern- ment in civics, students learn to acquire improved habits in work and industry so necessary in later life These include accuracy, neatness, promptness, hon- esty, courtesy. and cooperation. Many assignments in the Social Science Department require reference work which gains for one the ability to obtain information quickly through the use of reference books, encyclo- pedias. and dictionaries. The principal objectives of the department are to afford an understanding of the evolution of our government from its European beginnings up to the present time. and to broaden appreciation for the historical opinions of different authors. You seldom read an editorial without finding some reference to or comparison with a historical event. ln order to understand the political and social problems of today and tomorrow. you must know something of the political and social problems of yesterday. French. Spanish, Italian hold the attention of this trio t ev efllg an QB C06 Forei Il Language Every day, several hundred pupils of Mount Pleasant set out for foreign lands. ln small bands. they tour with their guides - the tive teachers in the department of modern languages. Some go to Spain. or to the Central and South American countries: still others to sunny Italy: the rest to La Belle France. Their purpose is primarily to learn the language of the country: principally to read the language easily and with this key ever after their possession. to un- lock a wealth of literature and culture in the original form. And to a somewhat lesser degree. perhaps. and depending on individual talent and application. they learn to express themselves in the foreign tongue and to attain the spoken word, They come to know the physical face of the land: its rivers and mountains. its cities and villages. its monuments. its treasures of cathedral and palace. They come to know its human values: its people and their history, their customs, and costumes. and characteristics. And so, they should return day by day. advanced in their skillg inspired by contact with a rich and ancient civilization as well as with its current aspect: pro- vided with an outlook and understanding so vital in our contracting world.

Page 19 text:

Calculating machines class at work Mathematics Since the use of mathematics in business. industry. and the sciences is on the increase, an effort is being made to provide for the needs of the pupils in later life. The aim of our Math Department can be accomplished by making certain that pupils have solid examples of the uses that math will be to them. Here at Mount Pleasant there are seven different types of mathematics which are taught to the students. These forms are algebra. plane geometry. solid geometry, trigonometry, review alge- bra. review geometry and basic math. The total number of students taking any one of these subjects is 858. We must be sure th-at the interest and the value of mathematics in education does not fall to the low level it had reached just before our entrance into World War ll. This subject, which played such a large part in the war. is now taking an important role in the post-war period in big business. taxation. and the manufacture of precision instruments. The Mathematics Department of this school is working hard to keep its subject on the high plane it deserves. ap- mv' .AK I i0llllllC.l'Ci2:ll During the term ending February. 1948. of the I577 students enrolled in Mount Pleasant. l438 took some commercial subject. This fact certainly proves that the commercial courses lead in popularity. No matter what type of course a student is taking. she is always strongly advised to take some subject such as typing or filing which will enable her to get an ofhce job if her other plans fail. There are three commercial courses: general, book- keeping. and secretarial. Each of these courses. if followed through. equips the student with all the training and experience required for the respective positions. No further schooling is necessary and on graduating. students who desire positions are helped in finding them. I.ast term all those who wanted positions. except two, were placed. Four rooms of typewritets. one of calculating machines. one of bookkeeping machines. and one of duplicating machines make up the very expensive equipment used by the Commercial Department. As you walk along the first floor corridor you can hear the girls fand boys. tool typing their way to future jobs. '77 0,7 fl of 11 jo-QQ.

Page 21 text:

Science The Science Department of Mount Pleasant is a trifle more complex than other departments in that there are several sub-divisions. The course in Radio is offered by the school to aid students in acquiring a foundation in the funda- mental principles of radio as a basis for further study or for immediate practical use. The technique of sending and receiving radio code is studied by the students one period each week. Students from the tenth through the twelfth grades are allowed to study Electricity. The chief aim of the course is to give an understanding of the fundamentals of electricity. Students learn how it is made, how it is put to work, how it is measured, and how to employ electricity safely and efficiently in everyday life. Because it is a living subject and because it has a definite relationship between the student and his com- munity life, Biology has a place in every school cur- riculum. Students who elect 'biology learn to estab- lish habits of healthful living. gain a vital knowledge of life processes, and develop a respect for the cone tributions of men eminent because of their biological research and service. Included in the Science Department is a science for today's Machine Age, Physics. Boys and girls learn to think logically and to attack problems with zestful economy of physique in classes of this important division, A grounding in physics is required by members of professions such as nursing and engi- neering and is advantageous to those who are factory workers and snow shovelers. The physics classes can accommodate many more registrations. This branch of the Science Department is one which should be taken advantage of by Mount Pleasant students. Miss Brennan's class in Physics II sighting images in plane mirrors Another physics class determines wave length of sound by resonance at Burton Hallberg explains various kinds of algae if 17 130'-