MAY 17, 1968
Seminars Report Recent Activities
Student Activities
The student activities seminar, headed by Mr. Fred Bencriscutto, dean of students, has been discussing ways to get a maximum number of students involved in extracurricular activities.
The seminar hopes to evaluate the opinions of students towards the activities and programs presently being offered. To do this they plan to use the questionnaire method.
Some ideas for increasing student participation include having a field day, putting the intramural program on a class level basis, more coed activities, extended homerooms, and more play nights.
Dress and Grooming
Mr. Wayne Rosenquist, director of guidance, is head of the seminar for school dress and grooming. The group has been exploring attitudes towards proper grooming and possible modifications within the framework of student responsibility.
The seminar has visited other schools and executive meetings of the Parent Teacher Council in order to obtain the opinions of others concerning proper attire.
The feeling of the seminar at present is that improper dress and grooming is more a matter of counseling than of discipline.
School Newspaper
The seminar for improving the school newspaper has progressed in two stages. During the first stage the seminar studied the philosophy and purpose of the Westerner. The general opinion is that the paper should focus on school news, events and issues directly related to the students.
The second stage involved obtaining the newspaper philosophies of professional newsmen. The third stage will include interviews with the staffs of other high school newspapers and then a discussion with the Westerner staff.
Mr. James Coburn, assistant principal, heads the newspaper seminar.
The seminar for developing self-discipline and privileges of responsibility has been discussing various approaches to take to develop responsibility in the student body.
Each member of the seminar had to discuss the topic of responsibility with 10 other students. The seminar has studied psychology books and has met with community leaders.
Headed by Mr. A. K. H. Cochrane, assistant principal, the seminar has been working toward definite measures to improve self-discipline and responsibility on the part of the students, both as a whole and individually.
Student Council
Miss Mae Jean Engen, dean of girls, heads the seminar for improving the effectiveness of Student Council. The group feels that the main problem is that of communication, with both students and faculty alike.
The new revision of the Student Council constitution has been discussed. The seminar also attended both general meetings and committee meetings of the council.
Some recommendations have been drawn up by the seminar which when finalized will be presented to the Student Council.
School Spirit
The school spirit seminar, headed by Mr. Eldon Burk, dean of boys, is at present engaged in evaluating the results of a recent questionnaire.
The questionnaire dealt with the students' opinions of various schemes to induce school spirit. Included were such ideas as a school mascot, boy cheerleaders, car caravans, and casual attire at the after-dances.
The members of the seminar hope to incorporate some of their ideas into next year's pep program.
The seminars, none of which have concluded their studies will in all likelihood continue next year, with the addition of a few incoming freshmen. At that time the seminars hope to have more concrete plans, which will be covered accordingly in the Westerner.