Sayreville War Memorial High School - Quo Vadis Yearbook (Parlin, NJ)

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Dr. Marie Parnell Mr. Edward Weber MR. HENRY COUNSMAN. MA Superintendent of Schools Board of Education THOMAS J. STRUGALA President EDWARD J. NEMINSKI Vice President ROBERT J. FLEMING Secretary EDWIN S. SMITH Assistant Secretary CASPER P. BOEHM Attorney ANNETTE L. ZEISLER Transportation Coordinator BARBARA A. ANDERSON Member DOUGLAS A. COWAN Member TOM DECARO Member DANNY DI POALO Member GERTRUDE G. GOLDKOPF Member GERALD A. PONDO Member ADELINE R. WRANOVICS Member Administration DR. MARIE PARNELL. D.Ed. Principal, Assistant Superintendent MR. HOMER DILL, MA Vice Principal MR. EDWARD WEBER. JR.. M.Ed. Vice Principal MISS ANNETTE SOWA, M.Ed. Administrative Assistant 19

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Education Under Fire Unlike the old saying, 1977-78 was not a vintage year for education. Complaints in the media of a faltering public educational system rose to a peak. Newsweek and Time were among the magazines which published report after report of states that had instituted proficiency testing and continually featured columns written by concerned educators. Due to a number of factors including location and what Mr. Counsman feels is a “strong faculty and an extremely cooperative Board of Educa- tion,” Sayreville was immune to the brunt of the nation's problems. However. Sayreville adminis- trators, along with other educators across the country were faced with “apathetic student atti- tudes towards attendance and academic work.” New Jersey's answer to the ailing educational system was the T E program, which was man- dated in 1976. After the completion of its first phase, has it significantly changed Sayreville sec- ondary education? Dr. Parnell, who serves as the coordinator on the T E Committee, explained that “the Sayre- ville High School approach to T E has been to take the process and bring it into the school for positive outcomes. We seek to fulfill the state requirements.” Although Dr. Parnell “has not found it uncomfortable working within the guide- lines of T E. she concedes that it is “time consum- ing with an emphasis on the process.” Dr. Parnell was frank in stating that she was more concerned with the results. In the words of Mr. Counsman, continuing “to give students the best possible education” and as Dr. Parnell adds, “to try to interest those who don't want it,” was the prime concern of the 1977- 78 school year. Mr. Henry Counsman Top: Robert J. Fleming. Edwin S. Smith. Danny DiPoalo. Douglas A. Cowan. Gerald A. Pondo. Bottom: Barbara A. Anderson. Adeline R. Wranovics. Thomas J. Strugala. Ger- trude G. Goldkopf.

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From Colonialism to Newscasting Aside from the usual classroom lectures, Ameri- can History Through Arts and Crafts gave stu- dents the chance to relive some of the experiences of the early Americans. Students constructed chairs, weather vanes, and stools, often with the aid of early-Ainerican style tools. They experi- mented with quill pens and found writing with them more difficult than they had expected. Although this course no longer fulfilled the junior history requirement, students still enjoyed the per- sonal contact with history that the course offered. While those in the Arts and Crafts course expe- rienced early American History, students in Mr. Boardman's Critical Issues class experienced the problems of modern newscasting. The class was divided into two teams, both responsible for pres- enting a newscast centered on a certain topic. The news teams not only learned about the material they researched, they also gained experience in interviewing, copy writing, and reporting. These, along with the many other History elec- tives were designed to meet a wide range of stu- dent interests, from art to debating, while still teaching the basic ideals of past, as well as modern history. Above: After posing a difficult question, Mr. Boardman waits for his class' response. Above Right: Amused by the comments of his students, Mr. Doll con- siders a retort. Right: During his History class, Rickie Jones jots down an impor- tant point. 20