Rockford High School - RHS Yearbook (Rockford, IL)

Page 14 text:

Languages, English English, the basis of education, is a composite of many things at East High School: grammar, vocabu- lary, literature, and composition. Students strive to master all phases of this essential study, applying them in various competitive creative writing contests. Pupils who show an excellence in English and ob- tain the recommendation of their teachers are eligible for English IX and X, an accelerated and enriched course which provides the students with thought-pro- voking discussions and critical reading and writing. Along with their regular English course, juniors who take newswriting learn the fundamentals of jour- nalism and serve as reporters, preparing themselves for future positions on the publications staffs. Although East High offers a varied English cur- riculum, each class stresses the focal point of any English department-the development of the stu- dentls power to communicate ideas easily and clearly.

Page 13 text:

On the first day of school, students re- turned to East to be greeted by their old friends and to make new acquaintances. It was a time once again for walking down the halls, comparing schedules, and discovering who teachers and classmates would be. With a record enrollment of 2650 pupils packed into an already crowded building, everyone had to learn to adjust to the crowded halls and stairways, the two shifts, and the schedule changes. There were also 200 ad- ditional sophomores at Jefferson, who would begin commuting to East for participation in activities. For sophomores this day was the beginning of a new experience in education, for seniors, it was the ending. But the eagerness and an- ticipation at the prospects of the coming year were felt by everyone-it was good to be back again. After a seemingly short vacation, returning students once again began their everyday walks to school. Students Re-enter School Life Dave Hunter, Sherry Phelan, Bonnie Brauer, and Dave Carlson talk over sum- mer experiences at their lockers.

Page 15 text:

'ID Stress Speaking, Writing Skills Mr. Benno Treu locates Rome on the map for his third and fourth year Latin class. Speech students Tom Bloom and Sue Ruth present a lively demonstration to their tsli. ., classmates. Five foreign languages were taught at East this year: French, Spanish, Swedish, Latin, and German. The German classes, an addition to the foreign lan- guage department this year, had an enrollment of fifty students. Now under a new department head, Mr. John Thayer, the department is constantly incorporating new ideas and teaching techniques. One of the most interesting new methods used was the supplementing of the German textbook with a book that contained no English words but used stick figures to illustrate each new German word. The foreign language department, with an enroll- ment of 820 students this year, teaches grammar, literature, and the culture and customs of the various countries while drilling the students in accurately interpreting and speaking the languages- a valu- able background for any vocation.