West Mecklenburg High School - Tomahawk Yearbook (Charlotte, NC)

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Classes Study Past, Keep Abreast of Current Events Striving to instill in students a greater knowledge of past events and heritages and to investigate the phenomena of consciousness and behavior, our social studies department covers a vast area. Two history courses, United States history and world his- tory, which are required for graduation, and psy- chology constitute this particular field of study. Psychology is the study of human behavior. Methods of study include the use of case studies, tests, and evaluations of results in the study of individual human differences. Affording students a comprehensive study of the varied heritage of our country is accomplished by our United States history course. Major phases of study include the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Reconstruction, and the world wars. On the other hand, world history acquainted stu- dents with civilizations in all parts of the world. The Egyptian, Greek, and Roman civilizations; the Middle Ages; the Renaissance; and the world wars are among the areas of study. David Beatty and Betty Joy find the locations on the map of Europe that they are studying in their world history class. ot eee Stimulating a desire to learn more about the heritage and history of America, U. S. history, required subject for graduation, is the conversation between Ray Armstrong and Sandra Abernathy. subject of World geography student Benny Gurley locates the cities and countries that are currently of importance in the news. Page 27

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Drivers Gain Experience in Drivers Education In co-ordination with their physical education course, students, primarily sophomores, attended drivers’ education class for the first six weeks of school and then transferred to a physical education class. The students participated in physical educa- tion the remainder of the year except for two weeks of behind-the-wheel training. The classwork of drivers’ education teaches the student the rules of the road. The purpose of this segment of the course is to give the student an understanding of a car and the factors that govern his driving it. The purpose of the whole course is to instill in the student a desire to drive carefully and sensibly. The road work allows students supervised Practice in using the knowledge acquired in class. runny RUS e Qscnnot RHS @ SCHOOL BUS s i ae act Embarking on an adventure into the exciting world of motorists are Mr. Keeter, the drivers’ education teacher, and two students. PE Classes Participate in Variety of Sports Physical education is an integral part of the schedule at West. A student is required to take one year of physical education before graduation. The course extends throughout the school year and in- cludes the in-season sports plus a variety of lesser known, but sometimes more enjoyable, games. At the beginning of the year, the boys play touch football and progress through such sports as bas- ketball, volleyball, table tennis, and wrestling, just Crab soccer is one of the many activities and sports in which the boys’ physical education classes participate. Page 26 to mention a few. Each activity is intended to teach the rules and basic movements of a sport and to instill enjoyment and insight into the sport, Starting with speedball and progressing through modern dance, basketball, and softball, the girls at West are given the opportunity to learn and par- ticipate in many games and activities with which they might otherwise be unfamiliar. Another sophomore drives for the basket and for two points in Mrs. Miller’s physical education class.

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English Prepares for Accurate Communication Communicating accurately one’s thoughts to an- other person requires mastery of his native tongue. Functions of substantives, punctuation, agreement, reference, diction—these and other phases of gram- mar are presented in our English courses because they contain the rules governing the English lan- guage. In English II intensive work on sentence structure, punctuation, and vocabulary prepares the student for the writing which he will be required to do. Sophomores write short compositions at the be- ginning of the year and longer ones during the latter part of the year. English Il emphasizes types of world literature. Such works as Silas Marner, Idylls of the King, and Julius Caesar are read. Sophomore English student Phyllis Warren explains various grammar functions and sentence structures. Jimmy Ashe and Vicky Johnston study Greek mythology, a memorable part of senior English. | J Page 28 Junior English continues intensive study in gram- mar, punctuation and vocabulary. Juniors study the development of literature in America. Beginning with colonial writers, students trace the progress of American literature in relation to the changes that took place as America passed through the phases of its history. Finally, they sample more modern works such as The Red Badge of Courage, Our Town, and In the Zone. Research projects in Greek drama and Greek mythology are undertaken by seniors. In addition, they delve into English literature with emphasis placed on the works of Shakespeare, Milton, and Chaucer. They continue to work with a detailed course of grammar and they write at least one term paper. Miss Browder, a student teacher in Mr. Pearson’s English III class, checks Sandra Teague’s test.