Myrtle Point High School - Bobcat Yearbook (Myrtle Point, OR)

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SENIOR, JUDY LaSUEUR, takes time from her studies to lend a helping hand to freshman, Ron Gray, in working out a difficult equation. MRS. ELSIE DOWNING MR. WOODSON LASUEUR Math IV, V, VI Math III, Physics MR. GENE COLEMAN Math I. II 19

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Math Students Meet Challenge of ’New’ Math Since when has the mathematical equation, one plus one, equaled ten? Since modern math has come to Myrtle Point High. Teachers stressed the principles of Modern Math in all classes of high school math in an effort to keep pace with the tremendous advances being made in that field. A required one year course, math, when offered as an elective, attracted many students looking for a solid math background required for college. Two hundred and fifty students, approximately one half of the student body, were enrolled in six different classes, ranging from basic math to advanced trigonmetry. Instructors, Elsie Downing, Gene Coleman, and Woodson LaSueur, made a special effort to explain the why as well as the how in both the new and the old' math. Basic math students under Coleman strove to gain a fundamental understanding of math with much of the year being spent in building up each student’s weak area. General math students continued to build solid foundations in math. Pupils reviewed and built speed in working with equations, graphs and positive and negative numbers. Algebra students learned to work out difficult equations in order to find the unknown quantity. Solving this type of equation is felt to be an excellent preparation for dealing with problems in other areas. Elsie Downing taught her geometry classes the theories of nature and how they can be applied to math. Students also learned to use the slide rule in working out difficult computations. Math V dealt primarily with the use of logarithims and advanced theorems, while Math VI, or calculus students spent the year with the algebra of vectors and functions in preparation for college math. ’’I’D SURE LIKE TO thank the guy who invented this slide rule,” thinds Math VI student Irvin King as he works out a momentum problem. 18

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BECKY KARVONEN AND LELA PAULLUS conduct an experiment in Hall Thomas chemistry class to determine the molecular weight of carbon dioxide. Science Stresses Experimentation, Participation With the theories and principles of science forever changing, the Myrtle Point science department determined to make an all out effort to impress upon students the importance of learning through observation participation. In striving to reach this goal, the teachers encouraged their students to find the answers to questions through the process of deductive reasoning. General science students, under the direction of Robert Brietkreitz and Hall Thomas, studied the fundamentals of biology, chemistry, and physical science. As the year progressed, themes and projects were utilized to provide a deeper acquain- tance with the material presented in the book. In the course, students dealt with material ranging from finding the focal point of an image to solving work efficiency problems. Tracing the hereditary characteristics of the fruit fly was only one of the interesting aspects of life which Jack Reeves’ sophomore biology students encountered during the course of the year. It is doubtful that students will ever forget their experiences in dissecting. Beginning with the ordinary earthworm, they proceeded on to dissect crawfish, clams, frogs, fish eels, and sharks. 20