HIgh School Curriculum

As a sophomore my required subjects were English, English literature, world history and geometry. As a junior they were English (?), American literature, American history, Latin I, commercial law/bookkeeping. Somewhere along the way I had a second year of Latin. Actually my recollection in what order I took the subjects listed for my sophomore and junior years is a little hazy and I suspect the order I have shown may be somewhat wrong.

Whatever history it was that I took as a sophomore, it had Mrs. Knapp (the junior high principal when I was in eighth grade) as the teacher. History the following year may have had someone else as teacher — Mrs. Knapp left Gowrie during this period. Literature as a sophomore (again either English or American) was taught by Miss Morris who was primarily the home ec teacher — she was mediocre at best as a literature instructor.

Geometry was Mr. Gerber’s province; there may have been a third semester of algebra somewhere along the line that was also his responsibility. English after Miss Amlie was taught by Edith Marine Anderson, a cheerful, rather rotund person who I seem to recall was some sort of shirt-tail relative of our family (on my father’s side). She also taught Latin and she may have succeeded Miss Morris in the literature department. At any rate I certainly recall going through some of Shakespeare’s plays under her tutelage. It was probably in her Latin classes that I was first in close and continued contact with Howard Nelson, with whom I have been a good friend over the years.

Gladys Swenson was the teacher I had for commercial law/bookkeeping and later when I was a senior for typing. Mr. Millard taught the civics/American problems class for seniors, Mr. Gerber the physics class and there must have been some sort of English class. I do know that I took all the classes offered in the high school, other than home ec and the agri. ed classes. This involved taking five classes during several of the years.