Safety Harbor Middle School - Reflections Yearbook (Safety Harbor, FL)

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62 w Mathamatics SHMS offers the stu- dents a diversified math program. Once the stu- dents' math capabilities are tested, they are placed in a math class that will meet their needs. The math classes that are offered are: basic geometry, pre-algebra, al- gebra, general math, and compensatory math. Mrs. Davis, the depart- ment chairman has been teaching math at Safety Harbor for twenty three years and has seen a lot of In math classes IT ALL ADDS UP changes take place. One major change has been the size of the classes. Each year the classes seem to get larger and larger and she would like to have less students per class so she could spend more time working with individuals. She chose to teach math because it was her favorite subject in school, and because there was a large demand for women math teachers at the time. Students who score poorly on the CTBS, which is given in the spring, must take com- pensatory math which i basic adding, subtracting, multiplying, division, decimals, fractions, writ- ten problems, percents and measurement. Students in math fin that their classes add u in helping with life skill such as banking, housing; transportation, and em- ployment.

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Students at SHMS are MAKIN G THE GRADE In most students minds, aca- demics is one area that is low on their priority list, but not so at SHMS. Academics are very im- portant at our school, and our students have proven that hard work and dedication do pay off. Although there are many re- wards for those who make honor grades, the self satisfaction of earning an A on the re- port card seems to be the greatest reward of all. From math to home eco- nomics, SHMS students excell in all academic areas. When students hear the word Math they seem to associate it with death or some haunting presence, however, there is a large percentage of students who say math is their favorite subject. Math department head, Mrs. Davis said, HWe do very well in math. We have very intelligent students score high on state tests. Those scores speak for them- selves. Science is a course where learning and the absorption of in- formation becomes more critical. The students interest and knowledge is quite apparent in the science fair projects. In sci- ence students explore life and earth in a way they have never done before. The social studies classes also study the earth, but from the per- spective of maps, globes, and his- torical events. Every- thing from agriculture to World War II is taught and analyzed through social studies. Language Arts teach- ers teach basic writing skills, grammar, cre- ative writing and com- position. By using the five steps of the writ- ing process, students become proficient writers by the time they reach high school. Electives are classes that the student chooses himself, and they contribute a great deal to the academic excellence achieved by SHMS students. These classes are often referred to as specialized, because they help each student with their career decisions. Academics t 61

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Mrs. Caldwell uses her planning period to grade tests. Above: Mrs. Davis helps Benny Luke with a math problem while Ethel Mae Jones waits her turn. Left: Brad Davis takes a breather from his math work. Mathamatics 63