Valparaiso High School - Valenian Yearbook (Valparaiso, IN)

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library contained a ‘‘pretty broad spectrum of periodi- cals,” including material on students varied interests, such as sports and photography. Ms. Liz Brown, Media Specialist, stated that the cen- ter was used most often by the English and Social Studies Departments. She added, however, that each department worked in direct contact with the Learning Center. According to Brown and Gerber, the Learning Center had a budget of $1 1 per student, coupled with several federal grants to purchase the expensive video equip- ment and microcomputers to further aid students in their research. Brown stated that because the library used no fining system for overdue books, a problem developed with books being turned in late. “We usually got the books back at the end of a grading period, when the kids wanted their report cards,” she explained. Another major problem for the Learning Center staff was simply the lack of time. There is just not enough time in the day to accomplish everything we would like to,” stated Gerber. The routine things take up a lot of the day, he added. Gerber felt that without the Learning Center, VHS would not be as effective in learning as it was. Much of our curriculum is based on learning how to think and process those thoughts, explained Gerber. Learning is not an end of itself. It is an ongoing pro- cess, and we ' d lik e to develop a learning society, not a learned one,” he noted. — Kimberly Page FACTS ON FILE is one of the many research tools that senior Term Paper student, Greg Lafferty finds helpful while writing his paper. Much of the research for Term Paper classes is done in the Learning Center. TESTING OUT A new piece of educational software, Learning Center Director and Media Specialist Dean Gerber, makes sure everything is in proper working order. The LC purchased three new Apple II com- puters to give students more access to computers. MEDIA SPECIALIST, LIZ BROWN takes time out to talk with Mr. Dale Ciciora’s Exploratory Teaching class about the most effective proce- dures in using the Learning Center. Other classes, such as Term Paper and history courses often found this talk helpful in aiding them in research and overall library utilization. WORKING ON A research paper, Roger Boling checks back issues of The Chicago Tribune on the Learning Center ' s microfilm machine. Advanced equipment like this viewer allows research students to utilize a wide variety of sources. A RELAXED ATMOSPHERE makes the Learning Center a good place for senior Jeff Rose to catch up on some homework, while listening to some taped music he brought in. Students and teachers often found the library to be a quiet escaping place during lunch or before and after school. 43 Learning Center Feature

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Learning Center: more than just walls filled with books It was more than just a place to go when classes required a little research, and it offered more than just walls filled with books. It offered students a quiet place to do last minute studying during half hour lunch breaks and before school. It was not just a library, it was a Learning Center, with a relaxed atmosphere and big, comfortable chairs that students could sink into, while their minds sank into pre-cal or physics. It proved that students need not be in a classroom to really learn, and that many students would rather study a little longer, or read a good book than go to lunch. According to Learning Center Director and Media Specialist Dean Gerber, the center is heavily used be- fore school and during lunch hours for leisure reading and last minute reference.” Gerber added that the 42 Learning Center Feature

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Seek and ye shall find Scholars become new world explorers Just as the astronauts were given the chance to explore another world, VHS students were offered three classes in which they could discover themselves and their interests. Quest: Skills for Living was one of those classes. According to teacher Mary Kay Stephan, the class had two main purposes: “Quest was designed to give students the opportunity to dis- cuss every day problems faced by teen-agers and to help them develop a better attitude about themselves and others.” Other topics covered in Quest includ- ed giving students the opportunity to determine personal values, gaining skills in decision making, and acquiring basic skills in problem solving, commu- nication and conflict resolution. Another class which offered students the chance to develop was Health Oc- cupations. This class was created for the students who were interested in a health-related field, said Mrs. Doris Hil- dreth, school nurse and instructor. The success of the class, according to Hil- dreth, was attributed to the actual working experience the students were given. “Students received on-the-job training which allowed them to have a first-hand view of what the job actually entailed. This helped them to decide if they wished to continue in this field as a career.” For those who wished to pursue a teaching career, Exploratory Teaching was offered. “Any senior who had a reasonable academic record and a sin- cere interest in teaching was eligible for the class, explained teacher Dale Ciciora. Exploratory Teaching was a semes- ter long class divided into two parts. For the first nine weeks the students saw filmstrips, had class discussions, researched their particular field of teaching, and presented to others in the class what they had discovered. During the second nine weeks the stu- dents were given a chance to teach. Ciciora stated, “Students were as- signed to a teacher in their field for a two hour block every day. This gave the students the opportunity to actual- ly teach a lesson they had prepared and become familiar with what teach- ing is all about.” — Suzie Nagel MAKING A POINT, Quest student Danielle Urs- chel analyzes personal issues with other stu- dents during a daily discussion. DURING THEIR WORK PERIOD, Health Occupa- tions students Lynn Woodrick and Michelle Keen practice taking blood pressure. 44 Special Studies