Taft Union High School and Junior College - Derrick Yearbook (Taft, CA)

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SR luv- Q i efeff fo yOU Every year the prohlem oi nto whom shall we dedi- cate The Derrick? reappears, and with succeeding years the task hecomes more diilqicult. During the past three years the stail has avoided personal dedi- cations. iinding activities in the school or community worthy oi distinction. This year we decided to main- tain the policy of impersonal dedications, and since this hook is ahout our entire school life, it is quite logical tor the 1941 Derrick stall to dedicate this hook to the organizations of the campus. Not so many years ago, Nir. Hannah tells me, school organizations were actually suppressed, or at hest tolerated. Today our administration recognizes that they have positive educational value, that much oi the lite and sparkle ol- modern classroom pro- cedure was horrowed from extra-curricular groups. School cluius give actual experience in group life: VXVHERE THE fi..UBS Mt-Ili't'. Top init: The administrative huiid- ing is the setting for many organizational meetings. il-op right: Eloise Godlmey, lxiaxine Tennant, Betsy Simpson, Audrey l.etlow, Ruth Brandon don their lualry clothes lor the kid party. they train for ethical living, for leadership in school, and cooperative memhership at home. They help us make friends - worth while friends '-f and improve school discipline and school spirit. They teach par- liamentary procedure useiul in adult lite. They give actual experience in all iields-vocational. aesthetic. recreational, and civic. They provide room for ex- ploration oi interests and ambitions, release ado- lescent energy and emotions. and even have been known to improve scholarship. it is not surprising, therefore, that this Derrick should he dedicated to our organizational groups. Un this double page spread you will find pictures ol active organizations and the huildings where they usually meet. These are hut a iew ol our many groups in this exceptionally active extra-curricular year of 1940-41. Below lett: 'lille ylasquers meet in tile auditorium. Below right: iX!iI'lIll70l'S ot the ivlasquers participate in Uvvlrat a Litcwz Doris Flanagan and Herman Lippert. Page 8

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,gn 6124050 of AeakA!uf gain? Vve lilce to play: the proot ol this is that we lilce to play even when we're told tot Our physical education and health program-that outlined in our section, Rules ol the game -does not, however, as popularly sup- posed, emphasize the spectator type of interscholastic sports, Sure. itys lun to watch a football game, and such an event does much to build school, even com- munity, morale. But most of us who do not participate, hut simply watch and cheer, can hardly call this a part ol our physical education. even it we do develop our lungsl l have found that the aims ol physical education are not to huilct a good athlete or a good soldierg in tact they seem to he pretty much the aims ot general edu- cation. tt seems hard to realize it now, hut i lcnow l won't he dashing down a hoclcey field hanging up my shins when i reach the veneralole old age of thirty-tive. But right now i get more fun. and learn more about my friends, hoth hoys and girls. and get along with them .ir 1. - in a freer, easier way when we have a good hastcethall game than l do in any other way. And our instructors won't let us get sloppy playing hahitsg we reallyhave to learn the rules ot the games, and develop a pretty decent proticiency in all our competitive team sports. The older students who have derived satisfaction from successful team competition. who are hetter co- ordinated physically and less lilcely to fall over their own feet than l am, develop themselves under careful instruction in individual recreational sports'-tennis, golf, howling, and the lilce. This means forming hahits ot natural participation in play and sport which will remain through adult tile. Rules are part of all games. hy mutual consent. We gripe about authoritv and discipline in a classroom, hut there's plenty of it here-try common agreement. The hest lessons are those learned under emotional pressure, and it is here that we learn that democratic conduct is enjoyahle while anti-social conduct is not. ln Amer- ican school sports it's awfully hard to llind a dictator. At lirst sight it may appear strange to say that the physical education program is concerned with my intellectual development. Yet my gym instructor convinces me that l must lcnow how to live a healthful lite to talce my part in school and society, anct that sound physical condition is necessary to malce academic progress. To this end. the school equipment and supplies, playgrounds and recreational facilities. and conditions in the school contrihute to the health ol each student. Ultimately, my health and recreation halmits mean my capacity lor activity and service to mysell and my community. Alter talcing a good deal ol physical education and tallcing to instructors. all ot whom were seriously interested in their worli. l tound that the program is pretty much the same thing as my mother meant when she said, ulfeep healthy in mind and hodyf' That may sound a hit old-fashioned for a modern program, hut lilce much that is old-fashioned. it talces some ot us who are young quite a while laetore we realize how sensihle it is. tY Top picture: lxliss Denton talics ilu- roll in a girls' physical education class. Bottom picture: The lightwcights practice alter school, SR

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I A f- -yxk c,,g..Me1,1z4 ,,X, ::...--,M -W- ...anal Vve are fortunate here not onty because there are many activities which students may participate in hut taecause we have sponsors ot our organizations who are wide-awake, intettigent. and interested in students. t am pretty wett convinced, Pat, that a group ot students tett to themseives Witt he concerned oniy with ptay and pteasure and very tittte with the ettect oi that ptaying around on their devetopment. Good sponsorship and supervision is desirahte it spontaneity is not destroyed: more students Witt par- ticipate in a more democratic way under considerate guidance. And in Eugene Johnston, director of stu- dent activities. t am witting to insist we have such a man. Vve are indeed fortunate that our schoot is dis- posed to recognize extra-curricuiar activities as edu! cationat opportunities. Vvhen our high schoot stu- dent governing hoard proposed an activity period this year when organizations might meet, they were met with sympathy and toterance hy the adminis- tration. The harriers which separate curricutum trom extra-curricutum are disappearing in our schoot. NIENIBERS Niiflfl' IN YARIOVS BUILDINGS. Top If-tt: 'itu- shop huitding shi-ttf-rs the Ntctat Xxyoricersv ctuh. Top right: :ximia- hc-rs oi' tyietat Xvortcers' ctuh carry out inctivimtuat projects. tie-hm and that is hecause-as this hootc tetts you-We are concerned with a student's totai experiences. Vve no tonger worship suhject matter in itsett or measure education whotty in marics and credits: we no tonger heiieve that extra-curricutar activities should produce puhtic spectactes. VX7e are concerned more with the devetopment ot each student than we are in the domination oi hoth the curricutum and extra-curricutum hy the competitive principte. There is a democracy in schoot organizations: titce att education they are for att the chitdren ot ati the peopte. Xve encourage our friends to join from the freshman through the senior year. Vve keep expenses down to har no one: we otiter a wide variety: we per- mit student choice: we insist on democratic principtes in determining memhership. Xve are proud ot our student groups. and we are proud ot our dedication. And so we repeat that our dedication may he ctear-our 1941 Derrick is dedicated to ati the or- ganizations ot Tait Union High Schoot and Junior Cottegef-'to the memhers. advisors. and their pro- grams. tett: ilu- gym is ilu- tayorite haunt ot attlivtic organizations. Beton right: ti.A.A. initiates entertain admiring irowd. SR Page 9