Valdosta High School - Sandspur Yearbook (Valdosta, GA)

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Science Channels Curiosity Since primitive times, curiosity has spurred man on to a greater understanding of his universe. This thirst for knowledge was a prevailing force in the discoveries, of Pasteur, of Bacon, and of Pierre and Madame Curie. Because of his inquisitiveness, Francis Bacon dis- covered the preservative qualities of ice; Pasteur wondered about possible immunization for rabies and discovered a cure for hydrophobia; and Pierre and Marie Curie, while investigating the properties of ura- nium and its ores, discovered radium. Science teachers try to channel curiosity as a learn- ing tool 'for their students through projects and out- side research. Projects, which must be turned in at the end of the first semester, range from the simple— to the complex. While some boys and girls work on elementary problems such as the effect of detergents on plants, others, more ambitious, delve into the effects of alco- hol and sulphur on the internal organs and mentality of white mice. These problems require students to question theories and use intelligence in forming con- clusions. Four science courses offered at VHS include general biology, college biology, physics, and chemistry. MRS. GRADY MASSEY Poor little frog gives his all for science! David Bennett, junior, demonstrates correct dissecting procedure while sopho- more Sally Garner watches. 20

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Before the tardy bell rings, Greg Wolinski, senior, stops in Mrs. Charles Worstall’s room for help in solving a Math V problem. Mrs. Florence McMahon, student teacher, uses the blackboard to emphasize her explanation. Squares, Rectangles, Cones, Parabolas Give Reality to Math Study How exciting is a shadow? To the »o- mantically inclined, it may suggest a moonlit night. But to the mathematically minded, a shadow is shape, form, distance, a measuring point. All math classes at VHS familiarize stu- dents with the significance of certain forms. General math courses—Algebra I, Algebra II, plane geometry, and business math—introduce interesting shapes such as cones. In the advanced math classes, Algebra III and trigonometry, and Math V, students work with more intricate shapes, the hyperbola, parabola and ellipse. They relate these unfa- miliar words with the familiar curve of a baseball and the arc of a rocket. By learning to measure and recognize va- ried shapes, students develop an increased awareness of the world about them and strengthen their reasoning powers. Amelia Castrinos, sophomore, and Laura Cole, junior, put the fin- ishing touches to a bulletin boqrd for Mrs. W. R. McClure's plane geometry class.

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Mr. Johnny B. Roland, general biology teacher, adjusts the purifier on his aquarium. MR. JULIAN LeFILES Chemistry students Norman Sainz, Kenny Norton, and Sally Shingler prepare an apparatus to determine centri- fugal force. 21