William H Taft High School - Atinian Yearbook (Woodland Hills, CA)

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In fact, our English Department is so good that it is one of twenty selected nationwide to participate in the National Humanities Faculty's two-year Bi- centennial study of The American Covenant: The Moral Uses of Power. The 'coordinator at Taft is lVlr. Wheatley. A 540,000 grant for the study of our contemporary social malaise and the possibili- ties of reawakening and renewal of the American Dream, the key concepts of the study being the terms covenant, morality, and power, will be given in benefits and services provided by the NHF through visiting University faculty, profession- al men and women, and working artists . ln addition, several Taft teachers will be subsidized to attend two, three-week summer workshops for which gradu- ate credit may be received. Taft contributes a token amount of funding to the project, which may help revalidate a senior year program that is threatened by college encroachment and student apathy . One of the aspects of the plan is a separate school for ac- celerated students and high achievers that will com- bine several courses into an academic and practical exploration of the theme, with this school serving as a pilot for the evaluation and alteration of the senior year programs . 'P-'HJ in The gifted program is also quite important because a large number of students are involved in it. The Gifted Coordinator is lVlr. Jay. He handles the dis- position of the Gifted Funds that the school re- ceives for each student who qualifies for the pro- gram ,

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English One is stuck with taking English every year in high school, so the best thing to do is get used to that fact and get the best classes possible, However, not all stu- dents realize what a wide selection of English classes are available to them . Besides the required classes CEnglish 10, American Lit, and Senior Comp? there are language classes, literature classes, participation classes, and publication classes offered by the English Department. The language classes include Creative Writing, Journalism, Language Skills, Linguistics, Power Reading, and Reading lmprovement!Advanced, all of which study some aspect of the English language. The literature classes consist of English Lit, Existential Lit, Humanities, lVlinority Lit, lVlodern Lit, World Lit, Primitive Art and lVIythology, The Novel, and The Short Story. These examine certain portions of literature. The participation classes, wiich are all preprofessional in nature and also very popular are Drama, Play Pro- duction, Speech, and Cinema. The publi- cations are Tribune and, of course, Year- book, both which provide many opportuni- ties for enterprising students . 15 M me - L 5' +1-1 , 2125 gg, - F- fl'E:, i 'f'-ff., . 5 Q - Q Jia ,1f:jff:,, , A 2-Eg:-sf: 5 if ul 532424 5553154 L: fl ' ' lf? .:g?'g1iEf3f'?fF2 H' - -li f?i'!4 'X. 5 P fa.: 5. if 51.3 Z: ,, fi' ' -12 55,9 Iirbfawfi-E .,, f, -v-53 -I .19 1 rl l 1 'Ss 1 X .fu , 5 I ' . ' 4-., ' 4 x t. it ' Q , Q '. Y . v . , 1 5 fi p I . ,, I ' 8' 'Xl' 'Xi N A t ' 'ra -Q+3t:lv'-. ' ' D-H4 ll if

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who have participated in hola he National Forensic League in- ludes student speakers and de- C . Word of th Wcch nters strc speech and debate have earned a minimum of points for competitive speak speakers and debaters vvho completed all requirements in Speech A,B, and C classes. . Members of the NFL The Gavel Club includes stu- 'Many of our Gavel Club members are also 'in the NFL . Approxi- mately 75 students participated in forensic activities during 1 974-75 . Taft Varsity, J ,V ., and Novice C debate teams participated in tournaments held at Loyola University, Burbank High School, El Camino High School, Louisville High School and many others . ' I v -W A - t L- ., ..... . , T.. 'iff-I' K. National Forensic League and Gavel Club FRONT ROW: M. Reda, A. Fineman, G. Ostroff, J. Newman, B. Rose, M. Gaswirth SECOND ROW: B. Nliller, J. Kerrigan, M. Venolia, N. Wertlieb, B. Wilson, L. Mahshigian, F. Pomerantz. THIRD ROW: L. Weisman, E. Lockman, N. Alen, B. Goldstein, B. Leonard, K. Kramer. FOURTH ROW: D. Rubinstein, L. Teller, S. Zimmerman, J. Silber. BACK ROW: W. Oxx lSponsorl, R. Kassan. A i' V .4 ll, , - 1, ll- ' vi' , ' , NJ, i I', L. ii