Redondo Union High School - Pilot Yearbook (Redondo Beach, CA)

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THE PILOT tion are necessary to fit him for different positions in the different lines of business. Two years of Typing prepare the secretarial student for the position of typist. He should be able to write at the rate of sixty words a minute. Today the use of the typewriter is almost universal, therefore it is an advantage for every high school studen t to know how to type. During the two years of Shorthand work the student learns to take dictation at the rate of 100 to 125 words a minute and then transcribe her notes neatly and accurately. Together with one-half year of Business English, it enables her to write good business letters. Business English is simply learning to use good English. One year of Bookkeeping prepares the stenographer to keep a simple set of books, all she would be required to do in a small office as a private secretary. Commercial Law, one semester the Senior year, is a very practical subject. Every citizen should be familiar with the most important laws of the State in which he lives. Many mistakes are made and much money is often lost through ignorance of the laws of our land. For the Bookkeeping course only one year of Typing is required and no Shorthand. At the end of the first year the student writes about 40 words per minute which is all he will need in an office as a bookkeeper. Two years of Bookkeeping teach the student the fundamental principles of accounting, give him a great deal of actual practice work, training him to think through a business transaction before recording it neatly and accurately in his set of books. He gets some practical experience by working in the cafeteria as checker and cashier. Commercial Law and Business English are also required subjects for the Book- keeping students. After completing this course they should be able to go out and take a position as bookkeeper, starting, of course, in a small business using a simple set of books. But if they do not wish to be bookkeepers themselves they will have learned many things about business which every business man or woman needs to know. THE HOME ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT The Home Economics Department with its cources in Foods, Clothing, Dietetics, and Household Management, seeks to acquaint the girls with the economic and artis- tic aspects of the home with its possibility as a center of happy home life. Emphasis is placed upon the choice and preparation of simple foods needed by the body, the keeping of the family in abounding health, the construction of every day clothing with repairs and care, the knowledge of fabrics, welfare of children, the use of the income and wise shopping, the spending of leisure time, and beautifying the home. THE MANUAL ARTS DEPARTMENT The courses in the Manual Arts Department are designed to give to the student a broader vision of the field of industry, and thereby better educational and vocational information; to train him to do unspecialized activities about the home, shop or garage; to give technical instruction and general knowledge which will be of use to nim in life, or a higher institution; to aid in the choice of a life work; and to instill in him that spirit of cooperation which is so necessary to good ctizenship in a demo- cratic society. The department at present offers courses in woodworking, auto-mechanics, ma- chine shop, printing, and mechanical drawing, while present plans include, among other things, aeronautics, electricity, sheet-metal and welding. These, however, can- not be undertaken in our present plant. [21]

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THE PILOT those habits of thought and action which make these powers effective in the life of the individual. In order to carry out these purposes, five subjects are offered. They are: elemen- tary algebra, plane geometry, advanced algebra, solid geometry, and trigonometry. One year of mathematics is required of all students for graduation except commercial students, who take bookkeeping. All students going to college must take elementary algebra and plane geometry. Four years of mathematics are required of all engineer- ing and scientific students. If the student who omits the mathematical courses has need of them later, it is invariably more difficult, and it is frequently impossible, for him to obtain the train- ing in which he is deficient. Mathematics cannot be gained from reading but requires systematic work under a competent teacher to master properly the technique of the subject, and any break in the continuity is a handicap for which increased maturity rarely compensates. SCIENCE DEPARTMENT Each student in this high school has a choice of five science subjects. The part of science to be studied in each subject is graded to meet the needs of the students in each year of the high school curriculum. Science subjects are thought provoking and contribute to the thought creating attitudes of pupils. This age has been called the scientific age. Workers in industry, commerce, and the professions must possess an understanding of the appliances resulting from scientific knowledge. Inventions call for new understanding on the part of all who use them. The science subjects endeavor to meet the modern demand for science knowledge. The courses are so full of requirements that the cultural side of science study is too often curtailed. The training of the individual student for his part as a member of the community is within the scope and aim of science teaching. THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT R. U. H. S. offers courses in French, Latin, and Spanish for pupils who have in mind a college education especially. These courses are exceptionally good to train pupils in the discipline of logical thinking; to leave in their minds an enlightened appreciation of the merits of their native language ; to develop in them a practical and tolerant sense of justice towards other nations through better knowledge of their cul- ture and spirit. Foreign Lanugages are not considered as subjects claiming the privilege of directly teaching the student to make a living; but they certainly must be accepted among branches of learning which enrich the lives of students with substantial con- tributions; enabling them to approach in sympathetic understanding millions of human beings, who without the assistance of a common language would have been ignored; whose valuable teachings of high and solid culture would have been lost for them. The man or woman adequately trained in Foreign Lanugages, possesses an asset which the commercial, social, and political world will not easily overlook. COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT The aim of the commercial department of R. U. H. S. is to prepare a student to entfr the held of business in the capacity of a bookkeeper or prepare a foundation which will enable him to take up a secretarial course. Both these cources include a year of Junior Business Training and the student learns what qualities and prepara- [20]

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THE PILOT ART The aim of the art course is to develop the visual consciousness of the student, that he may be aware of the visible laws, thus giving him power to create, and a wider, freer expression. Drawing develops initiative, and independent thought. The student of drawing must make his own observation, and his own interpretations, and state his own vision. The art course is the fundamental training for talented students who will be painters, sculptors, architects, or designers ; the course develops, at the same time, skills needed in the equipment of every individual, such as: the ability to make sketches demonstrating ideas to be executed, the knowledge to combine colors and mix pigments, the ability to letter legibly, neatly, and quickly, and the expression of facts, in matters of the selection of dress and house decoration, developed in design and color. In addition to the regular class work in the third and fourth years, pictures and lives of artists are studied outside of class and reported on in class. MUSIC DEPARTMENT The music of our High School occupies an important place in the curriculum as it has recently been adopted by the State Board as a major, thus, classifying it with other subjects accepted for graduation. The course gives opportunity to specialize in music for extra cultural or voca- tional purposes, thereby preparing the student for entrance to colleges of music in higher institutions. The major subjects offered are Music Reading and Ear-training, Elementary Harmony, History of Music, Appreciation of Music, Junior Orchestra, Senior Or- chestra, Glee Club, and Pipe Organ. PHYSICAL EDUCATION It is the purpose of this department to enable every boy and girl enrolled a reasonable amount of exercise each day. The amount depends upon the physical make-up of each student. The normal bov possessing a certain degree of ruggedness and a desire for keen competition may take part in the Inter-Scholastic games. Those who do not care for the keen competition are required to take part in the same games in the gym classes. Those who are not physically normal are given special work. Some formal work is given but it is believed that games, because of their varying degrees of competition which will keep the student interested, are more beneficial to the st udents. There is no inter-scholastic competition for girls with neighboring schools. [22]