Tokay High School - Tokay Yearbook (Lodi, CA)

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I. Senior Dennis Stock checks the environment of his pond water sample under the microscope. ' 2. Writing down his findings from his lab experiment is ,rv unior Michael Rich j . 3. The effects of mixing heat and gas are discovered by juniors Shawn Martinez and Wyman Jeung. u- NL--W Q. 9 -v--M-...M -I -7-....,,,.., in rw - 'f w 4 W,,,,i W. A 4,, Z I me '-

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Math switches primary focus Reorganization was on the agenda for the math department. Tokay's entire math program was rewritten in hopes of fitting new state guide- lines and giving students more of an education We haven't been teaching students to think, said Gary Haas, math department chairperson. We've just assumed they could, According to Mr. Haas, university professors have reported receiving students in their classes who did not know how to work out problems, The students aren't able to reason, to think, explained Mr, Haas, They know the rules but can't apply them So we tried to incorporate more problemsolving and manipulative activities, Instead of saying. 'Here's a rule, use it,' we are trying to teach for understanding. The attempt to teach lor understanding em- ployed the use uf materials like blocks and paper, is work groups rather than individual learning, and team teaching to give students more personal instruction. Also, teachers attended conferences to update their skills. Mr. Haas proposed a S35,000 program to the Lodi Unified School District superintendant that would improve math instruction by in-servicing Lodi teachers, some of whom aren't math majors. Preparing students to take the Scholastic Apti- tude Test was another focus of the math depart- ment. Students practiced problems during class and study sessions were set up schoolwide after school, A new math class was added to the curriculum. Transitional College Math was established for students who did not feel ready to go on to Algebra ll or college math. The course stressed problem solving, linear progression, and patterns. by Helen Schorr photos by Matthew Silber X fffTX s 5.551 gl 4. Praying for some added guidance, senior Hong Ha tackles the task ol computer programming. 5 Senior Shannon Duley explains the principles of Algebra ll to junior Steven Payne. Mathematics 105

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Science seeks additional space Closer professional relationships, a new biology program, and the enjoyment of having the first student teachers in 10 years, were noted improve- ments in the Science Department. Although improvements had surfaced, there were always things that could still be taken care of. With 16 people employed in the Science Depart- ment and approximately 35-40 students per class, more class space was needed. Large classes and over use of facilities were two of the biggest problems, said Barry Marson, Science Department chairperson. Teachers, es- pecially those in Science, needed a stable class- room, so classes could be more organized. Although saying that facilities were improving may be contradictory, Mr. Marson, along with the other teachers, agreed that the new Science office was an improvement for the better. There was a place for storage of materials shared by teachers and a refuge from a tough day of teaching, said Mr. Marson. '-in r l 1' Being head of the Science Department was an invisible job, with many responsibilities. Maintain- ing a budget and watching out for the good of the entire department were just two of the responsibili- ties Mr. Marson had to deal with. Basically I acted as a liason between the science teachers and the administration. l tried to stay out of the way and let the people teach, and also offered encouragement, said Mr. Marson. New to Tokay's Science Department were Mark Samuelson and Debbie Defenbaugh, student teachers for Courtney Porter and Susan Heberle. Also added to the Science curriculum was the new biology program. The new program was organized so that every Biology teacher was teaching the same lesson, to make it easier for students to transfer from class to class. by Andy Andris photos by Eric Johnston 4. Disgust sweeps over the lace ol junior Keith Williams as he smells the sample of pond water. 5. While checking the environment of her sample of pond water, senior Amy Straub discovers a living world. Science I -2?-