Vol 6 issue 7

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Board Announces 9 Period Day To Continue The District 207 Board of Education acted on a recommendation of its department chairmen that Maine Township High Schools continue to operate on a nine period day for the 19701971 school year. The administration, however, is continuing the evaluation of the present, expanded schedule in relation to the general increase in the school's quality that is instilled. For the past several years the district's three high schools have been operating on an expanded school day. Initially, the change from an eight to nine period day was made to increase the use of school facilities to accommodate an ever-growing school population. With the nine period day, general school hours will be approximately 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

According to some recently approved regulations, however, with parental approval some students will complete their daily schedules in less time. According to Dr. Richard R. Short, Superintendent of Schools, "The present schedule in its flexible and expanded form has made it possible to provide for additional course offerings, both elective and required." The superintendent noted that team teaching makes possible the maximum utilization of a teacher's talent and can best be provided within the nine period day. An example of a team teaching program is South's new humanities course in which a group of five teachers, from the art, music, history and English departments, combine their talents to give students an opportunity to study in depth a period of history.

The team instructs two groups of about sixty students each. The classes are then divided into groups of fifteen for an indepth discussion of the material presented in the lecture period. The added flexibility of the nine period day is necessary to enable the scheduling of large numbers of students into a given period, as well as to provide adequate facilities for the smaller group discussions. According to Dr. Short, many students are now enrolled in more courses than was the case a few years ago. "Before we initiated the nine period schedule, most students had a program which included four academic or vocational subjects, physical education, and a lunch period. Some students also took courses in music or typing," he said.

Club To Ski In Michigan Ski Club will take a weekend trip to Boyne Mountain in Michigan on Jan. 23, right after finals. If you missed your first chance to sign up. put your name on the waiting list in the bookstore. Debate Club will be compet ing in two contests on Jan. 24 and 31. A membership drive is planned by Key Club for sometime soon. Tri-M had a formal initiation for 25 students on Jan. 15. Girls' Club's plans for the Girls' Choice Dance will be taking shape this month. Finals on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, Jan. 21, 22, and 23; No school on Monday, Jan. 26, Teachers' Institute Day. AFS has finished their picture drive, collecting $203. This money will go into the fund for the AFS students. Brotherhood Society will meet at 7 p.m. on Jan. 28 in C-127 to discuss plans for their assembly.

Volume 6, No. 7

Maine Township High School South, Park

minute classes or cause t h e classes to be shortened to 40 minutes. In either case there would be a lessened quality of the technical, business, music, art, home e c , science and advanced placement courses that depend upon 70 minute classes. Dr. Short is heading the evaluation of the nine period schedule and its significance to the quality of the school program, the cost of operation, the efficiency of staff utilization and faculty management. According to him the expanded schedule has many "desirable features."

CSL Slates South Forunfi

January 27 will mark the first meeting of CSL under the new format which CSL members agreed upon before the organization temporarily disbanded in November. According to Bill Mellberg, president of CSL, a complete lack of cooperation among the liberal members Ridge, III. January 16, 1970 predominantly stressed the need for a change in the CSL format. The new policy places emphasis on discussion groups that are held at an informal-type level in which all members are encouraged to participate. A review of the constitution admits an exceptionally bright and writing bylaws will serve student to college before he has as a future project of CSL. Also finished high school. scheduled is a discussion on polThe Rolling Admissions plan lution and what each school can accepts applicants as they ap- do individually to work with the ply and notifies the student us- community, and a "hospitality ually within a month whether night" which will be held in he has been accepted or not. February at Glenbrook North Most colleges require four for CSL delegates. The biggest years of English, two years of job, however, is just to keep the math, and one lab science. Ad- CSL from breaking up, related ditional subjects may be re- Bill. quired for admission to differThe Jan. 27 meeting here at ent areas of study in college, South will consist of a business for instance social science re- meeting and discussion group; lated courses may require for- a guest speaker, who has not eign language credits also. yet been decided upon, wiU be To decide on a college, a stu- featured. A tour of the school is dent should read about it, talk also scheduled. to graduates and visit the camBill stated that CSL officers pus, the summer before the sen- are very optimistic about the ior year being a good time to potential of the organization and do so. are interested in the results of For further information on the meeting to find out basically can obtain a pass from their what CSL is capable of doing. college applications, students "This meeting should set the can obtain a pass from their precedent for all future CSL counselors to visit the career meetings," Bill said, "so we're resource center any period or going to make sure it's a good before and after school. one."

Counselors Specify Early Junior Year As Period to Consider College Choices "Students should begin working with their counselors as early as their junior year so that they will know how to approach the problem of choosing a college," said Mr. Sherman Roth, career counselor. Mr. Roth noted that students should first consider course offerings, then type, size and location of the school and least of all the cost of the school, because of the availability of scholarships and financial aid. A rating system for colleges does not exist. To apply to a college, a student should 1. decide on the college to which he would like

to apply 2. write for applications 3. fill out the applications and bring them to the high school registrar, Mrs. Joanne Ryan, who will attach the students' high school record and high school recommendations. Presently, several different types of admissions plans are in effect in the colleges throughout the United States, naming them the Early Decisions and Rolling Admissions plans. With the Early Decisions plan, the student having a high rank and test scores can apply in September and receive an early answer. This is often confused with Early Admissions, which

SC Considering Numerous Suggestions Now that Student Council no longer has to deliberate on the issue of dress code, new ideas and programs are being devised to substitute the work load. President J<rfin Welzenbach and Robbie Little, secretary, have appointed an Honors Committee and a Discipline Committee. Their respective functions will be to investigate new honors available to students and suggested revisions in the school's disciplinary measures. Any recommendations proposed by these committees would be sent to the administration after a vote of confidence taken in Council. On Jan. 12, the Honors Committee proposed an optional eighth semester final program, and the Disciplinary Committee offered a plan for innovated punishments for class cuts. John has suggested the formation of a Curriculum and Course Content Committee to discuss with the department chairmen and teachers the merits of new courses and extra fields of study in some courses. Also coming up before the Council are two amendments to the SC Constitution proposed bv Jeff Lee, complex leader of C-134. "They were made to make the replacement of representatives more democratic, to give the students a more personal representation system, and to improve the quality of homeroom reports," explained Jeff. The first of these amend-

"Today, however, counselors and other staff members are encouraging all students to carry a greater course load, and to take advantage of the great diversity of subjects taught in the Maine high schools. The nine period day makes this possible. "As a result, many students are enrolled in five or more courses, and, in addition, take music or typing." The superintendent pointed out that most courses in vocational-technical education as well as science meet for a period and a half each day • approximately 70 minutes. ' T h e expanded, nine period day provides us with six 70 minute periods. With eight periods we can only schedule five," Dr. Short stated. A limit of 70 minute periods would either reduce the number of students enrolled in 70

ments (which has been passed by Council and will be presented to the student body for final ratification) changes the replacement of representatives from the hands of Council to the grips of respective homerooms. The second amendment proposes a recall system of elections designed to allow students to replace irresponsible representatives. Chuck Russell, SC vice president is in the process of mechanizing plans for Council-Faculty meetings and planning a series of Upper House meetings comprised of the complex leaders. During the last semester, various members of SC have been introducing new ideas, organiz-

ing committees, participating in the committees, and further considering new methods of conducting student affairs. The results of this work have been presented to the adminiitration as proposals and statements of Councils opinion on certain matters. Ideas and discussions h a v e centered around the matters of dress code, but included by-law revisions (particularly the election procedures), non-mandatory assemblies (a proposal which was accepted by the administration), conditions of 6B lunch, lounge provisions, Coke machines, ice machines, traffic flow through the north parking lot by non-associated vehicles, as well as Council major committee business. I

Examples of the results of Maine South's newly passed dress code.

Too

Hairy—De-feminizing

Students Like New Code; Romance Could Suffer With the recent liberalization of South's dress code, student dress regulations are basically minimized to clothing the body "from shoulder to mid-thigh" and wearing shoes. In response to the new rules, many boys are commg to school with beards and mustaches and most girls have tried wearing slacks. During the weeks of controversy over changing the code many students mentioned that they were satisfied with the school's standard of dress and probably wouldn't dress differently even if the school permitted. With the change in regulations and the sudden trend toward more causal dress, however, many of these students more recently felt the same as one student did when he said, "Now that it's legal — why not?" If many of the boys were pleased that they can now grow beards and mustaches, a few of

the girls were not. Some said that they didn't like a boy to look "all hairy." Many maintain that facial hair "looks awful" on some boys but good on others and that they should wear it accordingly. Others simply said that they didn't care how a boy wore his hair as long as he liked it that way. The boys' reaction to girls wearing slacks was approximately the same. While a few thought it was de-feminizing, more said that any girl should be able to wear whatever she is comfortable in. Many boys approved of girls wearing slacks as long as they were becoming to the girl. One student summarized the opinion of many when he said, "I don't think it's that impo"*ant. Some girls look better in pants than others, and they should wear them. But I don't like to see a girl wearing slacks when she looks really bad in them."


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