Wyomissing Area High School - Colophon Yearbook (Wyomissing, PA)

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MATHEMATICS WITH THE war creating a demand for more people skilled in mathematics, many more students than usual studied advanced mathe- matics. This increased need for mathematics is easily understood. The necessity for mathe- matics in the various phases of engineering is obvious. Any scientific field requires a working knowledge of higher mathematics. The great majority of vocations require a person to handle some form of math whether he has to add a column of figures or calculate the power delivered by a dynamo. This sci- ence is then, a very important branch of high school education. Today mathematics is adjudged by the leaders of the army and navy to be the most Miss A. M. BIEIIL, MR. H. Y. Bkuis.-xKraR essential part of the High School curricula. Strong insistence is placed upon the absolute inclusion of these subjects in all pre-induction work given in secondary education. The fu- ture outlook, in this field of study, leads one, safely, to predict that the future will see a greater revision in the direction of practical application of the material studied. 33 Q .vzesizesqzsatm Mit. VV. N. MARTIN, MR. C. F. Fnmzn. SCIENCE THE BASIC, down-to-earth principles of the science department have been, in the past year as well as in the years before, to develop the students' comprehension of simple scien- tific facts and help him to make a practical application of them to his own life. The sci- ence courses also teach a pupil to reason sci- entifically, to observe facts, to study them, and to draw a conclusion from them. These quali- fications are, of course, important in a mod- ern world, especially, a war world. The gen- eral sciences, learned in high school, form the foundation for all technical fields. To this end, the science department has made every effort to awaken the desire in its students to observe and classify the amazing everyday phenomena, to seek a logical and satisfactory explanation of them, and to learn the simple mathematical relations upon which this sci- ence is based. The teaching of the sciences is divided be- tween two people, Mr. Calvin Fencil and Mr. William Martin. Mr. Fencil teaches the im- portant elementary sciences plus chemistry, while Mr. Martin teaches general science, biology, physics and pre-fiight courses. Nizzeleen

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asia SCQHILQSQCHEGSQT Mus. L. L. Mieviaus, MR. E, H, BRININGER, MR. A. W. RANK HISTORY Now Morne than ever, History has become of singular importance. The History of the past' is reviewed intensely so that a proper knowl- edge of the progress made today can be un- derstood by all. Students in the Iunior High School are under the supervision of Mrs. Meyers. The seventh and eighth grades pre- pare for more thorough courses in the Senior High School. Projects in the classes are erect- ed so that the student may better understand actual life in the era studied. In the Senior High School, the ninth and tenth grades are taught by Mr. Brininger. The Freshmen learn the workings of Democracy and make a study of etiquette and successful living. The Sophomores study ancient and modern European history at the same time keeping up world affairs as is shown by posters and charts seen throughout the school on bulle- tin boards. The topic of war is covered in the Iunior Class by Mr. Rank. The Seniors discuss the ever-changing economic world of today, this being of importance in that it presents a realization of what problems do exist today and will certainly exist increas- ingly in the future. ENGLISH LANGUAGE as a means of communication fol- lows the intricate social patterns of a people. lt is significant in our modern world that today, as always, the English language is slowly adapting itself to social and economic changes. The distinctive contribution of our country to civilization has led naturally to the development of distinctive forms of expres- sion. No great surprise, then, should be the recent recognition and approval of eminent scholars of what is probably one of the most interesting phenomena of the twentieth cen- tury-the rise of American English. Free self-expression in oral and written lanvua e integration of the student and his CJ g 5 D life and reHection of American expression MR. R. T. MILFORD, MR. R. G. Moluus and culture would constitute an excellent appraisal of American English. English is a tool by means of which the pupil can understand what others have thought, felt, and done and can in his turn use to express himself clearly, effectively and arrestingly. Eiglzirrn

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,ESQ 32655165 CIJIMQT MR. E. R. HAAG, MRS. E. B. Douos LANGUAGES BECAUSE our world is shrinking, and all peo- ples are coming closer together due to faster modes of travel and communication, lan- guages play an ever present and increasingly important part. Language is a means of expressing thought. By studying foreign languages, students have not only the opportunity of mastering the speaking, reading, and Writing of the lan- guage itself but they may also read exten- sively on the literature and history of the people Whose language they are studying and so by the study of these peoples' thoughts learn to be more tolerant and understanding of their actions. Representative of the many important lan- guages are Latin, French, and Spanish which are taught senior high school pupils. Out of one-hundred sixty-three students in the Wyomissing High School, eighty-five pu- pils are investing their time in languages. In schools like Wyomissing, where a large per- centage of pupils attend college, languages are an essential preparation. Latin is a basis for all other languages and furnishes a back- ground of methods for language study. French and Spanish, tyvo romance languages provide opportunities for further perusal. Twenty LIBRARY BooKs ARE the chief weapons of the library in peacetime and Wartime. This year the school library has had to provide for contemporary thinking and planning of pressing problems in order to provide adequately for the new needs and services involved in the Wartime emergency. The present world conflict has introduced into the curriculum such studies as pre-flight training, an inter-American pro- gram, nutrition, and world peace problems. Books on the home frontf' including civilian defense, first aid, victory gardens, nutrition and democracy as well as books for recrea- MRS. K. L. BRININGER tional needs and morale have been stressed and brought to the foreground. Meanwhile the basic curriculum needs have been carried on and emphasized. It has been the aim of the library to continue to improve the read- ing habits and skills of pupils in all grades and to bring to their attention necessary tools available for their studies. Thus the library is striving to provide a means for the stu- dents who soon may be fighting this war, to inform students what they can do to Win the war, and how they can prepare to live in a post-War world.