St Rita of Cascia High School - Cascian Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

Page 29 text:

, xl , ..- ,: iw--' ssss of s.. Pat Murphy returned to St. Rita alter an eight year absence to teach junior and senior Theology. Fr. William Neis, a newcomer to Rita, holds an M.A. holds a M. Div. degree from the Catholical Theological Union. He moderates the Father's Club from Notre Dame and is the head disciplinarian. He mod- in his spare time enjoys travel and golf. erates the ski and camping clubs. Fr. Murphy lends Ralph Florio a helping hand alter the distribution of ashes. Br Thomas Griffin has B Bs. from Depaul and coaches the golf team.

Page 28 text:

Theology Reorganization To Continue Under the direction of first year Chairman Br. Timo- thy Deeter, the Theology Department has been reorga- nized and has placed a new emphasis on the fact that the primary purpose of the Theology classes at St. Rita is to call the students to faith in God and His message of truth. Br. Tim has outlined in his department syllabus what the students should be taught in the four year Theology program. The freshmen are taught the Bible, the Life of Christ. and adolescent adjustment. The sophomores are taught world religions and the sacraments. The juniors are taught morality and the seniors learn about mar- riage. According to Br. Tim, With this year by year breakdown a student is sure to get the proper Theologi- cal education that a Catholic school should offer. Students are not only being offered a more formal curriculum under Br. Tim's leadership V they are also finding changes in the amount of time Theology class is required. Beginning in the 1980-81 school year, fresh- men will be required to take a full year of Theology instead of the one semester now offered. Brother also plans to require a comprehensive exam that each senior will take to insure that the material the department offers has been absorbed. The personnel of the Theology Department has also been changed. 'Gln the two and a half years that l have been here, said Br. Tim, uthe entire staff has changed. But the change is a good one. The new teachers are younger men who have been trained according to the guidelines of the Second Vatican Councilf, Next year the department will include four more teachers, three of whom will be Augustinians. The fact that we will not only be working together but also living together will benefit the department greatly, he continued. Br. Tim has asked all of his department members to emphasize homework, text readings, and class discussions, and to use film strips and movies to better help students comprehend the material of the department. Bros. Mike and Tim supply music for the Ash Wednesday service. Br. Tim Deeter holds a M. Div. degree and began teaching here in 1978 Br. Charles Prevender is in his second year at St. Rita and teaches Theology

Page 30 text:

New Teachers Busy nglish Chairman Mr. Donald Racky, Chairman of the English Depart- Q ment, was faced with the important task of breaking in new teachers who were added to the staff this year. The new teachers were needed because of the increased enrollment and because one teacher. Mr. Steve Appleb- aum, resigned after the first semester. Luckily Mr. Riley and Mr. Kisicki were able to take over Mr. Applebaum's classes and maintain a standard of quality that we may have lost if we had hired a new teacher at mid-semesterfi said Mr. Racky. i This constant hiring of new teachers prevents the T department from having innovative changes. Thus, we devote all of our time and energy to the breaking in process instead of breaking ground for fresher, newer ideas of teaching, he said. One advantage that arose from the new teachers was that the Speech!Drama course is being revived under the direction of Ms. Sally Jo Zcpeda. a first year fresh- man and sophomore teacher. The course will be offered as an elective outside of the required four years of Eng- i lish. I was glad to see that the students are showing an interest in English beyond their regular classes. I think the course will be a very popular one in the future, said Mr. Racky. Aside from working with the new teachers and plan- ning the Speech!Drama Course. Mr. Racky. in conjunc- tion with the other English teachers. is constantly striv- ing to improve the choices on the outside reading list. Sometimes students and teachers find a book too diffi- cult or too easy. and we'll make a change, hopefully for the better, to satisfy everyone. As a part of the English program, students write com- A positions about the outside readings and on poetry and short stories. However. Mr. Rackyis long range goal is to spell out a good four-year sequence in composition Mr. Donald Racky has a Ph.D. from Loyola and moderates the Ritan andthe skills for the department which will increase our stu- dents' ability to write well.'i i 4-K iff if 4 5 . . . --1? , .ss fi . N, .V Mr. Edward Dudek has been at St. Rita for thirteen years. He holds an M.A. Mr. Dennis Murawski has been at St. Rita for two years. He holds from DePaul University and teaches English and Film Study. He is also the from DePaul and a Reading Specialist Degree from Chicago Circle President of the Teachers Association. He moderates the Freshman Class and enjoys reading.