Oceanside High School - Spindrift Yearbook (Oceanside, NY)

Page 31 text:

THE LIBERAL ARTS SCIENCES Ruth shows then how in Latin III class minus Mrs. Short. The great war from which we are emerging was not caused by a lack of scientific facts, or lack of production or men to produce, or to poor workmen in the various occupations. It was due to the lack of understanding in mankind of the basic principles of life. What makes life worthwhile? Individuals have found the answer thousands of times in every century, in lands all over the world, but so far we have not been able to unify our thinking sufficiently to form policies to determine action. We need to continue our search for the unity of idea and action that will make possible the good life for all. We must return with renewed vigor to the study of LIFE through the medium of literature--our own and others; through the study of events of our own times and other times. Fecause we and our institutions are the result of all that has gone before, we cannot solve our problems or prevent future disasters without a knowledge and understanding of actions and events long since passed. To sweep aside the confusions of the present day, we must remove, at least partially, the barriers of language. Words are but symbols of ideas and we must delve beneath the surface of meaning. We must not fear other men or other nations, because we do not understand the words they use. Miss Moe ler settles s problem in senior history 19

Page 30 text:

Research Department Oliver Wendell Holmes once said that the human mind is like a checking account. As long as you keep putting money in the bank, your checkbook is the most wonderful book in the world. Dip your pen in the ink, make a few flourishes, and you may have all that your heart desires. Rut once you stop making deposits the magic evaporates. Education is the guarantee against intellectual bankruptcy. Ideas rule the world or lead it to chaos. The good life makes tremendous demands upon the world supply of trained minds, soOceanside continues her oldest business, Education. Our scientific world of today requires many people who understand the composition of the earth, the air, and the water. They must know first, how to analyze and second, how to synthesize the abundant materials that make up our physical nd atmospheric environment. Whether we are to become professional mathematicians and scientists or not, we all live in an age in which a certain amount of this information is necessary. To safe-guard our lives we have to be familiar with the physical laws that govern electricity, certain protective devices to check common-occurrence mishaps, general nutrient information which will make our food habits healthy ones, and finally, we must have that certain degree of scientific knowledge which will enable us to better perform our daily work, for science enters into all phases of living. In the past, men of science did not always have to possess the knowledge that they so earnestly desired. However, we of today find the door to scientific knowledge left wide open, and here in Ocean-side, as well, we need only the desire in order to enter. Our Oceanside Plant provides us with laboratories, equipment, and tool subjects needed to acquire scientific knowledge essential to life today. Waiting for the result in a physic experiment. Ge ot%t 18

Page 32 text:

Be p I class experimenting with prespectiwe. SKILLED ARTISANS Our Plant is concerned, too, with those attributes of the spirit which lend grace and beauty to life. It is concerned with our creative impulses, and consequently with those arts through which we coimrunicate our truest insights , our deepest experiences, our better selves. Each one of us has within himself a feeling for beauty that may be expressed in any one of many ways. In our Art Department, talented young men and women create drawings in pen, pencil, and charcoal. Others paint, in water and in oils, thus depicting their dreams and ideals through the medium of artistic expression. Creative impulses are nurtured in interior decorating classes, where pupiIs study furniture styles and room setting, and then model their own original ideas. Our emotions find another outlet through the Music Department. Our musicians find that there is music to fit their every mood. They get a lot of enjoyment from playing or singing the music of classical composers, and naturally they all enjoy a popular number here and there. This group includes the orchestra, the band, and the glee club. The Masque Society presents excellent young troupers in its varied productions. Would-be authors and poets are encouraged in the English and speech classes and in the school publications. Seeing their work in nationally circulated publications enthuses the students, moving them to continue in their literary exploits. Thus our Plant does not feel that its job is complete when it has satisfied only the mechanics of education. It seeks to fan into flame the sparks of creativeness found in students when they began their high school careers.