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

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VA U TIO Unique to the year 1957 was the evaluation which VVyomissing High School underwent on March 5, 6, and 7. The meaning of this program is often misconstruedg therefore, the following passage is devoted to clarification of the background and pur- poses of the evaluating committee. In 1893, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, there was founded the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, which is one of six such regional associations. A further development in this organization occurred in 1920 when it established the Commission on Secondary Schools, designed to eval- uate and accredit the schools who became members of the association. A similar commission was set up for the evaluation and accrediting of member colleges. Today, more than eight hundred twenty- five secondary schools and two hundred thirty col- leges are members. To belong to the Middle States Association, a school must apply for membership and must be eval- uated. Few realize the work this entails, for the whole process involves a year at minimum. The school staff meets and goes over its complete program of courses. The Commission then sets a date for the visit of a committee which is composed of faculty members from other schools. After it has made its survey, the committee makes an oral report to the faculty and writes a written report to be sent to the Commission and to the school applying for member- ship. If the school has met the standards required by the Association, it becomes a member. The standards which determine accrediting of a high school were set up in 1940 and revised in 1950. They compose a book called Evaluatiue Cri- teria. The theory of the Association is that the Mr. Wertz, Mr. Rank, Mrs. Wagner, Mr. Reitz Evaluating Committee committees are to help schools to raise their own standards. Thus accent is placed upon help rather than inspection. When membership has been obtained, a high school must pay a fee and file a record every year. It must renew its approval at the end of five years at which time the Commission has the prerogative of demanding a longer report or another evaluation. Usually, the former suffices. Wyomissingis last eval- uation took place in 1947, and, since one is obliga- tory every ten years, the committee made us a visit this year. Wyomissing High School recognizes the impor- tance of an accredited school for students who are college bound, and goes along whole-heartedly with the evaluation committee in every department of the school. Incidentally, Wyomissing is a charter member of the Association. Members of evaluating committee at the end of a long day's work 17

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Mr. B. Henry Shafer, principal THE ADMINISTRATIO Wyomissing High School has long been known for the excellence of its Administration Department. We have achieved an especially high scholastic stand- ing as a secondary school, thanks to two of our main assets, Mr. Rank and Mr. Shafer. Mr. Allen W. Rank, our supervising principal, is responsible for the smoothness with which the school functions. Both his past record and his present posi- tion in the educational field are significant of the service he performs. He was graduated from Princeton University in 1921. To further his education, he took graduate work at Harvard Graduate School and ob- tained his master's degree at Columbia University. As for the present, Mr. Rank is occupied with super- vising instruction, acting as a liaison between school and school board, and initiating public relations. He also serves as Boys' Work Chairman of the Y.M.C.A., and vice-chairman of the District III Pennsylvania Miss Jeanne Albrightg Mrs. Marie Wartluft 16 N E 1 Mr. Allen W. Rank, supervising principal lnterscholastic Athletic Association, to say nothing of the many other community interest organizations to which he belongs. Mr. B. Henry Shafer, principal of Wyomissing High School came to us in 1954 with sixteen years of ex- perience as a social science teacher. He has capital- ized upon this background by serving also as a mem- ber of Wyomissing's faculty. Mr. Shafer was educated at Susquehanna and Columbia Universities and is now completing his doctorate at Maryland. Although 'lschool policyw has been somewhat altered by his ar- rival, every change has been for the betterment of the school. Our new principal has introduced into the system a testing program which is administered to all the students. It includes interest and personal inven- tories, intelligence and achievement tests. Mr. Shafer has also established a system of personal guidance, for students and parents, called General Educational Guidance. Also, deserving of much credit are the two office secretaries, Miss Jeanne Albright, who was trained at the Helen Moore Hoffman Business School, and Mrs. Marie Wartluft who attended the Reading Bus- iness Institute, These vital workers create a helpful, organized atmosphere in the school oflice. VVo1'king as a team. hir. Rank and Mr. Shafer, aided by their invaluable secretaries, are constantly striving to attain the highest possible educational standards for XN'yomissing. To a great extent their goal has been accomplished but the work of these industrious workers is never finished.

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ENGLISH Twelfth Grade English Mild melee A solid foundation in the English language is nec- essary for success in almost any occupation one can choose. In Wfyomissingis program of expert instruct- ion, each brick of knowledge is securely laid in its place. Junior high English is under the able direction of Mrs. Helen Getz, who tackles the job of converting would-be spellers into polished writers ready for the Mrs. Helen Getz Mr. Russell Milford 18 Eighth Grade English A spelling test rigors of the senior high course. Students in grades seven, eight, and nine work for competence in gram- mar, literature, and composition.Much stress is placed upon spelling and vocabulary training is carried out in oral and written assignments which cultivate the ability of clear self-expression. Book reports come once a month, giving the student the opportunity to be- come well-versed in classical and contemporary lit- erature. This year one half of the eighth grade is taught English by Mrs. Florence Schrack, who includes the reading of Evangeline in her course. Thus, in these important years, the foundation is laid for a more advanced course in which all of these fundamentals are put to use. Dangling elements and misplaced modifiers can re- ally get one down, but in a senior high class, the studentis morale is always bolstered by Mr. Russell Milfordls Every-present humor. The use of the Read- er's Digest, grammar books, vocabulary aids, and lit- erature augment the course in tenth and eleventh grades. Here, too, oral and written composition are stressed by book reports and speeches. Friday themes always present a challenge to the Seniors, who come to ask themselves Who Am I?,' Then, of course, investigative themes take up a good deal of otherwise 'iusefulu time. These themes rep- resent the culmination of our high school English course.