West High School - EOS Yearbook (Aurora, IL)

Page 12 text:

. . cfeleqalecf aaoffzofaiiy . . WesT l-ligh School musT noT Tail To do all wiThin iTs power To so gear iTselT To The war eTTorT ThaT Those who leave iTs porTals Tor service To Their counTry will bring crediT To Themselves and Their Alma MaTer, sTaTed Mr. Ross lvl. Bergman, principal oT VV'esT l-ligh Tor The lasT Three years. In The hecric school year iusT compleTed The 900 sTudenTs oT WesT l-ligh have seen Their school change in iTs eTTorT To adiusT iTselT as The whole counTry has had To change To meeT warTime demands. IT is The iob oT The adminisTraTion To revamp The school, iTs ideals and aims, iTs curriculum, and iTs ouTlook, so ThaT iT may oTTer The besT possible Training opporTunif Ties Tor sTudenTs desTined To Take Their places in uniiorm or on The home TronT. AlThough many changes were made by The admin- isTraTion This year, The democraTic principles and ideals, The TradiTions and academic sTandards were noT TorgoTTen in The eTTorT To prepare sTudenTs Technically Tor The world- wide sTruggle. These were even sTrengThened, wiTh an eye Toward preparing The sTudenTs oT Today To help win The peace oT Tomor- row. An air oT expecTancy and un- easiness was evidenT in The sTu- denTs' aTTiTude Tor The TirsT Tew weeks in SepTember. l-lowever, as They sTarTed down To work ree alizing The imporTance oT being well prepared To Take Their places in The all ouT eTTorT , Their un- cerTainTy vanished and They soon assumed a business as usual aTTiTude. The TirsT TesT oT The valid- iTy of The school's war-Time eTTorT ThroughouT The year will be in The hands oT The l90 graduaTing seniors. Because The armed Torces and indusTry are boTh demanding Technically Trained men, some changes were made in The curriculum and some new courses were added To The curriculum This year. AdiusTmenTs in The maThemaTics and science deparTmenTs were Caiherine Kelly Principal Ross M. Bergman mainfains a comprehensive undersfanding and confrol of all phases of high school life. He adds and revises courses T prepare sTudenTs for Their war-Time dufies while yeT refaining provisions for a liberal educafion. made TogeTher wiTh The addiTion oi courses in pre-TlighT aeronauTics, airplane mechanics, pre- inducTion radio, elecTriciTy, and machines. To prepare girls lor home-TronT service in TacTories a special course in mechanical drawing was or- ganized Tor a class oT eighTeen girls. BoTh boys and girls beneliTed Trom a sTepped up physical educaTion program which included a Torm oT commando Training Tor boys. Evi- dence oT This change was Tound in The new TiTle ol The annual Gym Circus, VicTory Through Physical FiTness . AlThough Tour boys were draTTed Trom classes inTo uniiorm, many have been deferred To Tinish The year Through The cooperaTion oT The SelecT- ive Service Boards and The adminisTraTion. Boys of draTT age were given inTormaTion abouT The services, colleges, and reserve enlisTmenTs aT a