St Ignatius College Prepatory - Ignatian Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

Page 25 text:

MR. J. SPECHT, S.J. MR. M. PATTERSON Math 1, 2, 3; Frosh-Soph Math. 3. Football; Sodality; Chess Club. The teachers and students of mathematics at S.I. are aware of the changes that have taken place in the field of mathematics, because of the new and differ- ent textbooks now in use. As the student begins to clothe his mind with a knowledge of mathematics dating back thousands of years; he must, at the same time, with the help of his teacher, adjust to the flood of new ideas and fresh viewpoints. In short, the stu- dent today must learn of the past and learn of the present — no small task to challenge the mind of a high school boy. And learn or not, the automated- orientated needs of a present and future world so- ciety are waiting to be filled. Purposes and goals? To give the student both a practical knowledge of mathematics, be it in solving problems of insurance or linear programming, and a speculative knowledge with its abstract reasoning and joy of discovery — these are but some of the goals we have set before our students in this age of major reforms. Fr. Jacobs' lecture on Pythagorean theorem sinks-in. MR. W. LAMON Math. 2, 4. Absolute-value explained in extra-curricular session by Fr. Morgan.

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FR. P. JACOBS. S.J. Math 2, 4; Library. FR. D. MORGAN, S.J. Math 1, 3; Track, Math Club. ... encounter Geometry ... ... encounter Mr. Spinetta. Sophomores — Math— adaptability in a growing field.

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MR. r. McCurdy, s.j. Dramatics, Publicity. MR. R. FRATINI, S.J. Soccer, Frosh-Soph Baseball. mm ■• . ' $1 English, facility In our age of communication, power lies in the hands of those who are able to communi- cate with facility, with a flair. Such a facility means money. Lots of it. But it means much more. It means freedom and slavery, hope and fear, life and death. That’s why there’s so much emphasis at S.I. on language, particularly our own language. Facility comes only from practice. And that means a lot of reading — accurate reading — to find out what and how the best communi- cators do it. And a lot of writing — clear, sharp, trenchant prose. That’s the why of .the reading lists. Lists that include the best (even if sometimes boring) books. That is the purpose of the weekly (and oftener) writing assignments. And it all adds up to facility. Better-than- average ability to find out what others are really saying. Better than just-run-of-the-mill ease in saying exactly what needs to be said, to produce just precisely the effect intended. The world S.I.’s graduates walk into needs to know the truth S.I. students should have found in class and extra-curriculars and chapel. To understand the need, to communicate the needed answer clearly, with force — this is why facility in communication is a must. For, if the S.I. graduate cannot communicate the truth his generation needs, who will?