Proviso East High School - Provi Yearbook (Maywood, IL)

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even then they did not entirely meet the demand made by increasing war production. By July 1, 1942, daily classes were begun, running from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. These were of two types- pre-employment and supplementary. The pre- employment courses were designed to give instruc- tion in some particular branch of work to those who had no previous shop experience. The supplementary courses were given to those who had had shop train- ing, to renew and improve their techniques in several types of work. Trainees were taught the fine points of using micrometers, and such machine tools as lathes, milling machines, and precision grinders. HE American Torpedo company opened an addi- tional course in both Proviso's shops and the N Y A shop on Madison street. Those who took the course were paid apprentices of the Amertorp, the course lasted twelve weeks, classes running from noon to 8:50 p.m. daily. In September, the opening of school interrupted the summer daytime program, so all apprentice classes were scheduled nights, since the shops were used by Proviso's students during the day. Because of this arrangement, the shops were in use twenty-four hours each school day, and five addi- tional hours on Saturdays. More than fifteen hundred applications have been made since the classes were opened. Seventy-five per cent of the applicants have attended classes, a majority of them have completed the training. As a result, nearly all of the war plants in this area have employed men and women trained in Proviso's shops. Because of the reputation it had attained for this type of training, Proviso had the honor of being one of forty-five schools in fifteen states chosen for a federal survey of the national pro- gram. When modifications were made in the Selective Service Act, it became apparent that many of Pro- viso's boys would be called into the armed services soon after school closed. Immediately the adminis- tration took steps to prepare students for their com- ing problems. In order to provide both boys and girls with a knowledge of essential technical subjects, 14000- many new courses were added to the curriculum. The mathematics department already had a full program of regulation high school courses, but it added a second semester class in trigonometry and a course in basic or refresher mathematics. Trigonometry was in demand since it is the basis of navigation, and urefresheru mathematics gave students a clearer grasp on the fundamentals of the number system. The science department had opened classes in aero- nautics in September, and added courses in radio, both code practice and theory. Provisions were made to handle more students in physics, and chemistry was streamlined so as to be put to practical uses. The industrial arts department, already a large contributor, emphasized drafting, and added blue- print reading. It had established courses in wood working, machine shop, auto theory, auto mechanics, and electricity, all important war training. HEN the Army and the Navy issued a call for airplane models to be used for identifica- tion purposes, the industrial arts department took up the idea by having students in wood working shops make the models, which were built to a scale of one inch to six feet from plans issued by the government. Constructed of materials that could not be broken easily, they were painted black and had no wheels or propellers, since these are not visible when military planes are in flight. The commercial department shaped its program to meet the increased demand for typists, stenog- raphers, and other office workers, and added a spe- cial new course in calculating machines. A noticeable trend in Proviso was the swing toward foreign languages, which fitted in with America's good neighbor policyf' Enrollment in Spanish classes alone numbered four hundred, more than one tenth of all the students in the school. A class in third- year Spanish was offered for the first time in Proviso. Students also increased the enrollment in other languages. The English department pointed out that good speech was necessary to understanding orders, and stressed the technique of oral and written communi-

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The Wm in77' B y DONALD FLETCHER The War college, affiliated with the University of Illinois, was part of a nation-wide project spon- sored by the United States Office of Education with an allotment of 350,000,000 At the present time, Illinois has trained more than 17,000 people outside of Chicago under this program. There were no tuition charges made, students had only their text- books to pay for. Proviso's college was under the direction of E. W. Stubbs, head of the social studies department. It offered an extensive curriculum under three general headings-science, engineering, and industrial management. It contained the following subjects: inorganic chemistry, beginning and ad- vanced radio, engineering foundations, engineering mathematics, elements of electricity, time and motion study, tool designing, beginning and advanced engi- neering drafting, production engineering, safety engineering, general and cost accounting, personnel and industrial relations, supervisory training, and foremanship training. The college could, therefore, prepare a number of persons to serve as engineers, scientists, or supervisors, all needed in the war effort. Most of the courses lasted sixteen weeksg classes generally convened for about three hours on Mon- day and Thursday nights. Enrollment was 410 for the first term, and 279 for the second. Certificates of completion were issued through the University of Illinois. Although the work was of college grade, and high school graduation, or its equivalent, was a pre-requisite, college credit could not be given because the instructors were not university professors. Teachers were chosen from the leaders in the field of work which they taught, and were well qualified to give such instruction as to make the work adequate and profitable. Courses in beginning and advanced typing, beginning and advanced stenography, office practice, and calculating machines were offered on a tuition basis for those who had need of these skills. HE second of Proviso's major accomplishments was the maintenance of shop classes to train workers for essential war industries. This was one of the very first projects to be undertaken, since classes were begun in November, 1941, a month before the japanese made their infamous stab-in-the-back at Pearl Harbor. The project was under the direction of C. H. Bergstrom, head of the industrial arts de- partment. Similar to the War college, it was carried on with federal funds. Courses were offered in drafting, blue-print reading, and shop practice, run- ning from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. daily. These classes were maintained all through the winter of 1941-42, but OOO-'I3

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cation as essential to the war effort. The social studies department rounded its program to emphasize political science and current events more than the regular textbook history. In many cases, students were allowed to drop one or two of the courses they had taken the first semester in order to take one of the pre-induction courses. Boys who wanted to get into the air corps were encouraged to study aeronautics, physics, and mathematics. Others who had a natural tendency toward mechanics were trained in machine shop classes for war industries. In this way, every one was given a chance to study the subjects he was best suited to. HE school increased its outstanding work in the physical education department. The first semes- ter had harly begun before L. W. Remley announced that senior boys would take two hours of First Aid classes per week in addition to the regular two hours of gym. Girls were also given First Aid classes at the same time, so that each student would know what to do and how to do it in case of emergencies. At the beginning of the second semester all senior boys were required to take gym work live hours per week. The purpose of this arrangement was to prepare boys for the tremendous physical requirements of modern war. Wrestling was given emphasis, so that prospective soldiers might be versed in the fundamentals of hand-to-hand combat. They were not taught any trick holds or commando tactics, since the Army would teach these, and the school could not be re- sponsible for accidents. Calisthenics, such as the arm- tiring push-up, were utilized to bring all the muscles of the body into action. The most difficult part of the training was the obstacle course, similar to the ones in use in Army and Marine camps. It involved a series of hurdles, parallel bars, and ladders. One obstacle consisted of climbing hand over hand up a rope and then swinging along a series of bars, parallel to the ground, and some twelve feet above it. At another place boys had to scale a smooth, eight-foot wall with only the use of hands and feet. Any one who has run the course will testify as to the amount of energy it requires. At the beginning of the second semester, classes in home nursing were offered to senior girls. In response, some one hundred seventy girls enrolled. Classes were held during school two days a week, no school credit was given for taking the course. It was taught by registered nurses, and girls learned how to prevent and treat diseases, and how to avoid accidents. N addition to all of the new courses offered, Proviso went even farther in helping those stu- dents who faced induction. All of the bulletins issued by the Army, Navy, Marine corps, and Air corps were posted on bulletin boards, Students were given help in deciding which branch of the service they wanted to enter by information obtained from the members of the faculty. On April 2, 1945, special examina- tions were given in Proviso to determine what boys should be sent to colleges for special training. One of the hrst of Proviso's war activities was the promotion of weekly sales of War bonds and stamps. This was begun in the spring of 1942, and although interrupted by summer vacation, has con- tinued since that time. The work was done mainly by the members of the Student Council, who took orders, collected the money, and made deliveries in the homerooms. By their untiring efforts to increase the amount of purchases from one week to the next, they set the pace for the rest of the school. The first week's sales for this school year on September 29 amounted to 3420, purchases increased steadily until the weekly average bordered on the 351,000 mark. The numbers of homerooms having the highest sales for a week were posted on the bulletin board outside of the main office, and those homerooms were given a banner which they held until the sales in another homeroom surpassed those in their own. Near the office there was also a sales thermometer, its red tube indicated what percentage of students had purchased stamps. Special recognition was also made to home- rooms having one hundred per cent sales. Additional purchases could be made after school. A second cooperative effort was made in the scrap salvage drive to help relieve the shortage of critical OOO-15