New Humanities Program Offered for Next Year Next year Maine South will offer a humanities program through the social science department. Juniors, seniors, and mature Sophomores will be eligible for these fully credited courses. The humanities program is the outcome of the work of a committee appointed by Principal Clyde Watson over a year ago. The chairman of this committee is Mr. Otto Kohler, chairman of the social science department. Other members include Mr. Daniel Silkowski, English department; Mr. Gordon McLean music department and Miss Ann Mamett, art department. The humanities committee took a poll of all teachers to see if there was interest in a humanities program and, if so, in what form it could be offered. The response proved to be positive, and the humanities committee developed an outline for the humanities program. A humanities course covers no new areas of learning, but deals with old topics in a different way. A humanities c o u r s e seeks to understand m o r e fully certain periods in history by examining closely the culture of that period as expressed in music, literature, art, architecture, and all other fields of human achievement during that period. These expressions of the period are examined not for their own sake, but as a means of reaching a more complete comprehension of the ideas and phUosophy of a certain period of lime.
A humanities course is not a technical study of culture. It
is a study of man and his reaction to his environment and the change he undergoes as part of his environment. A humanities course serves to unify and bring to a focus all of a students previous learning. The course will overlap all subjects taught in school and round out an education by supplying a certain cohesiveness between all fields of study that can be lacking in the current curriculum. The ultimate purpose of a humanities course is to achieve a better understanding of yourself and contemporary society by studying man in former times." stated Mr. Otto Kohler, chairman of Social Science Department. The specific courses to be offered under the humanities have not been decided upon, but will be decided on by the end of the year, in time for all students wishing to take a humanities course to register. Other specifics of the course have been tenatively worked out. No one teacher will be the full time teacher of this course. Three or four teachers will probably work together teaching the class on a rotational basis. One teacher will act as a coordinator while other faculty members make numerous visits and give lectures. But the humanities program is not intended to become a series of lectured courses. Discussion and questions will be the rule rather than the exception. It is hoped classes will be kept relatively small to permit the maximum amount of discussion to take place.
'Sour Grapes' Attitude of Students Angers, Puzzles Production Staff One of the more recent pieces of hall-talk coming to the attention of the Southwords staff was begun with "you have to know someone to get into VShow." In an inteniew with Mr. Don Martello, director of Spirit of '69, the rumor proved to be false. "The production staff made up of both students and faculty made a group opinion on each of the many acts trying out." explained Mr. Martello. "We looked for acts that were practiced and polished, how well they applied to the theme. Show Business, and their originality." He stressed that "knowing someone didn't cut any ice at all." With 500 to 600 students trying out, choosing all of them would be impossible. Stated Mr. Marlello "A six hour show would just be ridiculous." He added "We asked for a variety of acts but kept getting the
same type over and over again. Without this variety, we had to cut many of the acts to avoid repeating ourselves." A list of cast members, approximately 300 students, prove that over 50 per cent of this year's V-Show performers are new to the Maine South stage. They were chosen for their spirit and enthusiasm in connection with fairly good grades. As the director put it, "Some children of faculty and administrative workers did not make the cast. If it takes knowning someone, then I d certainly like to know who that someone is." "It disturbs me that the students feel that knowing someone on the inside would have a part to play in our decision," commented Mr. Martello. "This sour grapes attitude bothers the entire production staff and we hope that in the future these students will try to understand our decisions."
Ralph? Ralph? Ralph? Volume 5, No. 7
Maine Township High School South, Park Ridge, III.
Miss Lowery Urges Adoption Of New Hall Monitor System Miss Margaret Lowery, Spanish teacher here and former sponsor of the monitor system at Maine East, has outlined in detail an expanded student monitoring system that she strongly urges be adopted at Maine South. Miss Lowery's plan calls basically for the gradual assumption of all monitoring jobs by students. The final goal of this plan would be student responsibility in administering cafeterias, assemblies, and study haUs. This basic plan of complete student monitoring proved successful after several years of operation at Maine East, where Miss Lowery helped pioneer the system. Other high schools throughout the area, notably New Trier. Evanston, and Oak Park have used such systems. South students presently are successfully enforcing school rules through the traffic court of student council. "It is self evident that the present system is not completely effective, for example the high rate of locker thefts and the ease with which students cut class," said Miss Lowery. Miss Lowery further feels that "Traffic between periods could and should be better controlled. All people entering and leaving the school should be carefully screened by monitors." The new plan would be run as a function of student council, with the cooperation of junior and senior class officers, but with an independent faculty sponsor. Basic control and day to day administration should rest with the sponsor, she explained. The personnel part of this system would be chosen jointly by the Junior and Senior class officers and the sponsor. The Junior and Senior class officers would draw up a preliminary list of students recommended for a monitoring job. Final selection would rest with the sponsor. All members would normally be Juniors or Seniors. Students recommended would be screened and contacted toward the end of each school year. "The primary requirement for a monitor position would be the desire to serve and the abil-
New Cafeteria Operating Smoothly The new cafeteria has l>een in operation since January 6 and offers students more space, more variety for selection, all located in one area. Six serving lines, one being the snack bar, serve students quickly. A new addition is the grill line. The serving lines are situated so that there are several entrances and exits to lessen the congestion in the halls. Even with these precautions the congestion became a problem for the first few days. To counteract this situation students eating lunch are allowed an extra minute between classes. The new cafeteria seats six hundred students. A folding door divides the cafeteria to provide a convenient meeting room and possibly wilt serve as the senior lounge.
The staff has remained the same as that with the old cafeterias. The old cafeterias are serving as classrooms and guidance centers. The scheduled lunch periods have remained the same, but the view from the cafeteria now consists of a small court, that will eventually be landscaped. Architects for the new cafeteria are the same that worked
on the new additions also being made to the academic wing and the new industrial education shops. The names are Stillwaugh, Scott, Towlett, and Caudill. The cafeteria was financed as a part of the building fund passed last year in district 207 for 15 million dollars. All the new additions at Maine South will cost approximately $1,300,000.
'Knight to Remember' Here Feb. 8 Girl's Club annual turn-about dance, "A Knight to Remember" will be held February 8, from 8 to 11 p.m. An old English theme will decorate the walls of the Spectator Gym.
January 24, 1969
Tickets can be purchased January 29 through February 7 in the cafeteria. The cost will be $2.50 per couple. A prize will be given for the best hand-made corsage. Corsages are judged on originality and creativeness.
Miss Margaret Lowery pauses for a moment in her busy schedule for a picture.
ity to command the respect of the student body," Miss Lowery said. Finding willing students who would be respected as monitors would be of utmost importance to the success of such a plan. Student hall monitors would be positioned at each exit and any other place in the school deemed necessary. The hall monitors would be the first section of this plan put into operation. Each monitor would stay at his post until his replacement came, leaving someone on duty at all times. Monitors could be rotated on a regular basis. Name cards, arm bands, or other insignia would be worn to distinguish the monitor. Monitors would have power to collect ID cards. A possible procedure could be to take up ID
cards which would then be handed over to faculty members at the end of each period. Under the system favored by Miss Lowery student monitors would perform the same duties monitors do now, and possibly a few more. It is her belief monitors could be very effective in helping to stop locker thefts and lowering cutting of school and classes. Persons entering and leaving the school could be checked by a monitor. Also much congestion in the halls could be done away with if monitors would keep people moving between periods. Other important advantages would result from such a system. Eventually teachers could be relieved of hall duty anddevote the time to students. A monitor system could do much for the monitor involved. Students would become aware of the problems involved in keeping order. The responsibilities placed on the monitors and situations in which the monitors could find themselves would also increase opportunity for growth and maturity. The system could be initiated with a small number of carefully selected students. As the system became established girls could be taken in and the number of monitors could be increased. Hopefully it would soon be an honor to become a monitor. "As the program continued other jobs could be taken over and the number of monitors gradually increased. Full implementation would probably take two to three years. Whatever the merits or disadvantages of this system, it deserves the considered attention of student council," concluded Miss Lowery.
SC Senior Lounge W i l l Open Second Semester Aside from insurance difficulties encountered with Donkey Basketball and numerous planning obstacles for American Field Service Week. Student Council has passed some milestones in the past few weeks. After months of discussion with the administration and coordinated planning with the Senior Class, Council has arranged for the opening of the Senior Lounge on the first day of the new semester. To be operated on the honor system and with no direct faculty supervision, the lounge will be open periods 1, 2, 3 and 8 in the new cafeteria. Seniors may use it during any free half or full period. Attendance will be similar to that in the library except with the use of ID cards, and no passes will be issued. Any misconduct will be reported to the Senior Class Officers and will probably result in the loss of lounge privileges. Features of the lounge include: availability of milk, rolls and snackbar facilities during the first three periods of the day; perhaps club-donated magazine subscriptions; and gener-
ally, a place for informal discussion. Accompanying the recent poster campaign for the Suggestion Box, there has been a surge of enthusiastic responses. An inventory of suggestions from the past four weeks includes: selling nylons in the bookstore, serving soft drinks in the cafeteria, selling magazines in the paperback bookstore, h a v i n g Boosters sponsor a professional wTestling match at Maine South, and making a file of area restaurant menus in the library. Each of these and all other suggestions will be closely examined, reviewed by several clubs and committees which might sponsor them, presented to the administration for approval, and then acted upon. The last Council-Faculty meetings included discussions on perhaps making M-Club more active in the school and activities, having the clubs jointly sponsor a Mardi Gras, providing more graduated privileges for the classes, and general plans for SC sponsored assemblies. These ideas will be further examined at future SC meetings.