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SUPPLEMENT TO McHENRl Education For Recognizing the individuality of students, McHenry high school East campus has in­ stituted an alternative to the traditional high school educational curriculum. The option is called "Education For Life", and will involve approximately twenty- five students, in this, its second year of operation. The basic premise of the option is that interdisciplinary teaching is a better method of learning, and that every student should be provided with certain skills in maintaining the home, the car, his social future, etc. Heading the option this coming year is Pat Wirtz, who also is a history teacher in the program. Wirtz also taught in the Education For Life program last year. The subjects taught in the particular curriculum are physical education, social studies, science, speech, English, and a subject called survival skills. Wirtz, besides heading the program, will teach history, Barba Mading will teach science, Ted Novak will teach English, Dan Stanowski will head the speech courses, Tony Stumbis will teach survival SUPPLEMENT TO McHENRY PLA1NDEALER - PAGE • - FRIDAY, AUGUST X, !I77 Wirtz explained that "we plan on going on as many field trips as possible this year. Last year, we had more science field trips, whereas this year we're going to do more related to history and English." For example, when the students study McHenry history, they may spend a day at the graveyard, and another day at the county historical museum. Wirtz also explained that many of things things done in the program cost money. Therefore, the students work on money-making projects. For example, last year, a weekend project involved collecting empty bottles. "It teaches responsibility and teamwork," be said. Actually, financially, the option is hard to beat. TTiere is no cost to the school district in terms of extra material or pi Pat Wirtz skills, and Marty Sobczak will teach physical education. Besides taking courses in the Education For Life program, students are allowed to take other subjects (i.e., math, a foreign language) in the morning, and begin the in­ terdisciplinary teaching after lunch, at approximately 10:45 a.m. • Exactly what is in­ terdisciplinary learning? Teacher's Pet moms like us too. Look what the Candy Man has in store for you. A fantastic selection of pants and jackets foi Oick in sizes infant thru 12: diesses and blouses for Jane in sizes infant thru M • v«\riM I MIM;\I U *RSSIITIIKS AS AII AM I TheToddterShop 2S 3430 W Elm SlrMt McHenry. Illinois 385-Q746 irn » AM»Y MAVs ( I (ISKI is i l l UK: Perhaps the best way to explain it is to give an example of it in action. Let's say the students have a unit in science on the effects of germs. The science class studies germs under a microscope, and in English, the students write a paper on germs. Then, in history, the class studies the history of canning, and the development of the 'can.' Finally, the students would take a field trip to a cannery to actually see how the operation is done. That is interdisciplinary teaching-where the student takes his knowledge from one subject and uses it in another. Wirtz then explained another advantage of the Education For Life curriculum. "We had a 'mock* election in social studies last year," he said. "With the flexibility we have, we weren't bound by time to just one class period. We were able to take the entire afternoon. "If we take a field trip, it just isn't a 'science' Add trip," Wirtz added. "All the subjects tie in." Wirtz also noted that last year, in English class,-the students had to keep a daily journal, thereby applying what they learned in other classes to the skill of writing. Besides the interdisciplinary teaching, another part of the Education For Life option that is different from the ordinary classroom is that 'hands on experience' is a major part of the philosophy, and actually taking field trips and other activities is a large portion of th learning experience. "We're looking for more outdoor educational weekend activities," Wirtz said. "We ended last year with a weekend campout where the students took nature hikes and did some canoeing." While the number of students enrolled in Education For Life this year is about one-half the number of last year, Wirtz is not disheartened. He said he's even more enthused about this coming year that he was about the first year. "This year, the kids in the program are very much aware of what Education For Life is about," Wirtz said. "Last year, there were a lot of kids at­ tracted to the new program because it looked like 'fun'." -i %-'% -ir- extra time. The teachers are ' teaching in their regular classes, and are also devoting portions of their free time, ratio-wise, to the option. The Education For Life curriculum is the brain-child of assistant principal at East campus, Donald Seaton. "I really started thinking about it in 1970," Seaton ex- , plained. "Last year was the first year of the program in operation, and one year is not enough to do anything. "Hands-on experience, doing things, is the key to the curriculum," he added. The option ran into a few problems in its first year of operation, "but that's to be expected of anything in its first year," Wirtz said. . One of the students' com­ plaints has been that teachers (Continued on page 10) > ARIZONA SUN Authentic Indian Jewelry and Quality Western Wear! /Arizona 3321 W. ELM (RTE. 120) McHENRY VJ Y FREE GIFT WRAP: PHONE 385-1833 X ' • FREE LAY-AWAY! HOURS: WIEKDAYS 10 TO 6 FRIDAY 10 TO 9 SATURDAY9TO S EH3 IN COMFORT AND STYLE • BIB OVERALLS • LEVI JACKETS, JEANS & VESTS • QUALITY LEATHER BOOTS • LARGE SELECTION OF WESTERN SHIRTS • LEATHER BELTS, PURSES, HATS, BUCKLES • JEWELRY TO COMPLETE ANY OUTFIT ALSO..; XSSSSL,,-. JACKETS & VESTS! (Continued from page 4) campus to include explorations of several forms of power," Halgren said. "Currently, power mechanics at the lower level means small engines, Power and energy go hand-in- hand, so Eugene Rosio (the instructor) -and I are redesigning the course to in­ corporate all sources of power." _ Also new this year in the industrial arts program, will be a significant change in the building trades program. In building trades, the students actually build a home. Last year, the course was a one-year program, with the students completing their portion of the work in one year, with much of the interior designing being subcontracted. Now, the building trades course will be a two-year program. Students taking building trades this yedr will put in the home foundation, and exterior walls, and next year, in building trades II, will design the interior, doing the type of work which was previously done J by professionals. The new group of juniors next year will then begin putting in the foundation and exterior of another new . building, to be completed when they are seniors.- According to Halgren, the industrial arts program at McHenry trains students for jobs as draftsmen, auto mechanics, building trades, and graphic artists (printers). Business "Unquestionably, this is the best vocational education program we offer," Halgren said. "It's designed for job entry as secretaries, typists, bookkeepers, clerical workers, key-punch operators, and other office related occupations." One of the significant features of the business program at MCHS is the in­ clusion of transcribing machines for the students to use. This enables the students to gain experience in typing from a dictophone. The tran­ scriber is actually an FM transmitter, with five bands, enabling five students to hear five different things, giving each student a variety of ex­ periences. Data processing equipment is also available, including key­ punch machines and card sorters. Last year, eighty-four students studied data processing, which is about the maximum the program can handle. - Unfortunately, with the exception of the business program and the industrial arts program. according to Halgren. McHenry's present vocational offerings do a poor job of preparing studentsLfor work. * ™ Agriculture The agriculture program consists of just two courses, offered to freshmen and sophomores, and Halgren explained that the instruction provided is basically just an introduction to agriculture. Health Occupations Like the agriculture program, only two courses are offered in health. Both are taught by a part-time nurse, and involve spending one-half the time in the classroom, and the other half actually working, either as a nurse's aid, or a pharmaceutical assistant. ' Home Economics "Home economics continues to be a program of high in­ terest," Halgren said. "Previously, the state only funded the programs which were directed toward gaining employment. Now, there is funding for programs which teach people how. to be housewives. It means the state is recognizing the homemaker's role as an oc­ cupation." The home economics program is broken into four areas: clothing, foods, child care, and home furnishing. Each of the four areas is split between instruction for those who want to pursue a career in, for example, dress designing, and those who want to learn dress designing for home use. On Oct. 4, at the regularly scheduled school board meeting, the board, along with a Vocational Advisory com­ mittee, will visit the Lake County Vocational Education center, located in Grayslake. The new center can ac­ commodate 3,700 students, and 'will be usedat much less than capacity Tins year. It is con­ ceivable that the Lake County center could be used by McHenry students in the future to help boost this community's voca t i ona l educa t i ona l programs. Essentially, the 1977-78 school year at McHenry high school will feature the same course offerings as last year. One new course, graphic arts II, has been added, in which students will study photography and plate-making. "Right now, student, enrollment in vocational education courses is limited by what we can teach," Halgren said. "We're over-enrolled. A workshop at East campus last year was full fourteen of the fifteen mods." Despite deficiencies in facilities, th£ -vocational education programs are con­ tinually looking ahead. And possibly, the future will see use of the Lake County voc. ed. center, or some other center, which would enable McHenry high school to offer more and better programs to prepare the youth of today for their careers of