Perry Meridian High School - Passages Yearbook (Indianapolis, IN)

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Life Is a Seieuee The second year of teaching at Perry rolled around for Mr. Brett An- drews, biology teacher. He com- mented hghtly, I thought this was the best science department that this school had. Seriously, I thought that it was an excellent department because everybody helped one another and me as a rookie. I was very blessed to be here. On the sub- ject of leaf collections, he said, We classified the kinds of leaves and became familiar with their natural surroundings. Mr. Andrews then commented humorously again about the new equipment that was acquired in the science department, I received new cotton balls, toothpicks, straws, seating charts, and paper clips. I think some benefits from taking science courses were that one would have acquired a solid base of educa- tion for future scientific courses and everything in life, knowledge of how one functioned, and a basis about life, nature, weather, math, and history. Mr. Andrews concluded by saying that for every type of science, there was a good sized following of students. Mr. Greg Harveth, biology and earth science teacher, stated, We were able to get most of the things that we requested like microscopes and other materials. We have been able to keep all of the science classes in one area of the school. I thought that we were a very close-knit depart- ment and had the ability to share equipment with other teachers. In physics, they used a laser which was a piece of new equipment acquired. We thought about starting projects that dealt with the space shuttle and other space projects. Mr. Harveth continued by saying that science courses helped college bound students and almost anyone who had a job. I thought that biology was the most popular course in this depart- ment because college bound freshmen liked to explore this type of science. Mr. David Gerkensmeyer, depart- ment chairman and biology teacher, said, The enrollment of the science department stayed the same, but, because of the new state law which said that two years of science were required in high school, the popula- tion of the science department will rise. Science played a constant increas- ing role in students ' lives. It forced many decisions about curriculum upon society. It required a population well-informed about science and the methods of science. The science department covered many areas with its curriculum, offered general science courses, and prepared students for a science incorporated world. Some teachers commented about some of the improvements, activities of the classroom, and new projects. Mr. Gary Brendel, biology teacher, voiced his opinion, I thought there was an overall improvement in students ' academic interest and par- ticipation. The department had a greater awareness of gifted and talented students through the assistance of the guidance depart- ment. We would like to have been more informative about environmen- tal issues, and to have had more input from our community since it offered the science department a lot. One project my biology classes par- ticipated in was dissection. In previous years, we used a fetal pig to dissect, but because of costs and other figures, we switched to the mature frog. The structure was more developed in an adult frog than in a fetal pig. At least a third of the year was spent in lab experiences. The science department had Dr. Rhine come in and talk to science and in- terested students about genetics and genetic defects. We also tried to get other speakers to speak to us. Mr. Brendel thought many students realized a science education is not a guarantee to a good job, but it in- creases the chances for one. We pur- chased new glass displays which showed the relationship among animals and the objects that they camouflage. I added to my room an aquarium and some plants to show varieties of plant life and to add hominess to the classroom. I received microscope slides to examine specimen, plastamounts, and skulls of the human. Mr. James Nichols, planetarium ad- 160 SCIENCE

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They were good for posture. The previous chairs were just broken down and worn outll Some new microphones, called pzm ' s (pressure zone microphones) were bought to aid the department in musicals because they were more powerful and picked up more of the voices. They made it louder so that everyone, even people in the back, could get nice, loud, and clear sound. Department chairman Miss Lissa Fleming quoted, A Capella choir got new concert attire. The girls got lavender gowns, and the guys got grey tuxes. The Symphonic Band and Orchestra band got new attire. One might have wondered how the department gave semester tests in vocal courses. Miss Fleming stated, We gave semester tests for the first time. They were written tests on counting measures and music theory. Three-year Then and Now member, Michelle Moye ' 84, talked about her experiences and likings in vocal music, In Then and Now, we performed in the community and visited some nice places. My favorite performance was with a senior citizens ' group downtown because they totally loved us and applauded very appreciatively. We got them to join in and sing ' Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer ' , ' Joy to the World ' , and ' Silent Night. ' I thought they really liked us because they felt they were involved in the performance and were temporarily reliving childhood with us. In the Homecoming Concert and Extravaganza, I sang the theme of Flashdance . . . Oh What A FeelingI while other couples did a choreographed dance to the music. I enjoyed singing because it got feelings deep inside to come out. Sometimes a song said what I wanted to say, so I sang it to say what I couldn ' t put in words. I liked to be in front of an audience and share myself with them in the form of song. For me, it was always easier to sing in front of people than to talk or give a speech. She concluded by stating that music was a beautiful way to express oneself. Tim Amdt ' 84 commented, I like singing jazz music because it was more fun. I thought jazz had more difficult rhythms which made it more of a challenge than some of the other Pam Bolton ' 85 and Karen Wllbvirn ' 85 sing Christmas Is in ensemble in choir. kinds of music. He added that he liked practices, rehearsals, and especially musicals. I also enjoyed going down to the music department and helping out the freshmen. It made it easier for them to understand various facts and subjects about music if someone nearer their own age explained it. I did a quartet with MarshaU Moon ' 84, Jeff Koenig ' 84, and Alan Lapp ' 85, and we did ' Lida Rose ' from the musical Music Man. Most people did ' Coney Island Babe ' , we wanted to be different. Tim said finally that one could express oneself more creatively with his voice. One could do more with the voice than he could with an instnmient. I really liked entertaining people with my voice. Jenny Schmalfeldt ' 84 stated, It was my first year ip Then and Now. We went to many places and sang various kinds of music. We were always doing something. Once, we sang Christmas carols in a portable wood building which had a window so people could see in, and microphones were on the inside with speakers on the outside so they could hear. We went to an Old Folk ' s home and sang for some senior citizens. We also went to the Hyatt and put on some shows for the passers-by and to Riley Children ' s Hospital to sing at a Christmes party put on by the employees there. To get into Then and Now, Jenny said that she auditioned by doing a duet with Tim Amdt. The music department gave a Marshall Moon ' 84 breathes deeply. music letter award to students who accxunulated the required nimiber of points. The department had set a minimum number of points to get a letter in areas of band, orchestra, choir, Falconettes, and Rifle Corps. To maintain points toward a letter, students were expected to attend all rehearsals, concerts, and other performances required by that activity. Miss Fleming stated that a vocal class was different from most other classes in that students were more active in it. She concluded, Music was a sharing experience. We, as teachers, helped to share our knowledge of music. VOCAL MUSIC 159

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viser and biology teacher, took charge of the planetarium. He replied to some questions about it. The planetariimi was used to present pro- grams about all aspects of astronomy to every age level kindergarten to senior citizens. It v?as used to teach concepts of astronomy and supple- ment classroom instruction. It could be utilized by almost any class science, foreign language, English, etc. The planetarium originally cost 315,000 which only included the planetarium projector and dome ceil- ing, not the room. Most of the time, the planetarium was filled with elementary schools, parochial schools, scouting groups, and other schools outside of Perry Township. Mr. Nichols taught an evening astronomy class in connection with lUPUI in which the planetarittm was used. The planetariiim was valuable not only for its cost, but for all the knowledge learned. David Wright ' 83, the 1983 science department award winner, had to say some things about his award. First, I was going into the field of chemical engineering because I had a great in- terest in it. I was honored to receive the award because I have always worked hard in my science classes and to be considered the best science student during the last four years. David finished by saying that if one wanted to get a good science educa- tion, he could have gotten as good an education as in most science depart- ments in the area. The science department held its first aimual fair. It was a chance for Perry students to exhibit scientific skills, let the school see their crea- tions, and win prizes for their crea- tions. First prize was a home com- puter, second prize was a pro- gramable calculator, and third was an AM FM stereo with headphones. It was designed to get students in- terested in science and to pursue it. Duane Miner ' 86 said, Earth science was not an ordinary class. We did all kinds of experiments and did not sit around all of the time. We did experiments on temperature, weather and climate, and the metric system. The new science fair, the gradua- tion requirements, and the every-year things raised questions about many areas in the science department from the earth to the universe and life itself. All of this proved Ufe really was a science in the science department. SCIENCE 161 m