The Advanced Placement courses approximate college-level work with varying success. Because of expenses of buying books (a public school does not require students to purchase their books), the Advanced Placement History section is confined too closely to a text for its readings. The English class, however, gives conscientious students a workout which matches that of lower level Harvard Humanities course. In 1955-56, one third of the year was spent on drama and the work centered around a theme once known to freshmen here as "Ideas of Good and Evil in Western Literature." During the winter, poetry, essays, and a series of about seven novels were read, including such works as The Brothers Karamazov, Buddenbrooks, and The Last Puritan. Two papers of about 3000 words length, involving a sizable amount of outside reading were required, plus numerous shorter compositions.

Developing the ability to write good exposition is a problem at all levels of the school, a difficulty which seems to be prevalent through out the country. Even the Advanced Placement English class finds trouble fitting in enough time to work on writing. The school administration has moved this year, however, to place more stress on English composition work. English teachers have been limited to four classes a day, in contrast with the normal load of five for other teachers. The extra time, according to the principal, will enable pupils and teachers "to work more industriously in developing quality in writing.

Senior 'Source Theme'

Scarsdale, furthermore, acquaints all seniors with the necessary techniques for writing a comparatively long research paper, from 1500 to 5000 words. The "source theme" is the big academic adventure (or bane, depending upon one's out look) of the senior year. In this six-week project, students leaf through a couple of dozen books and scribble a gross of note cards in an involved process which a Harvard student goes through only with his honors thesis. Unfortunately complication and not critical analysis of a subject is stressed, but the practise does provide a valuable preview of research methods. With his source theme behind him, the Scarsdale student is better able to attack the usual college paper than is the high-school graduate who has never written more than a 500-word essay.

Of course, many non-academic courses are also available. Because of the great proportion of students planning on college, no formal vocational program is offered, although courses in typing, shop, business law, and similar subjects are provided. Many students weave these courses into the normal college preparatory program, and almost all take some sort of non-academic elective. The curriculum includes art, speech, mechanical drawing, cooking, singing, dramatics, health, driver education, etc., and most of the traditional garnishings of American public education.

Since students elect no coordinated program, vocational or honors or any other, there is a minimum of academic segregation within the school. Probably one of Scarsdale's healthiest features lies in the fact that the honors sections system offers the necessary advanced work for the more qualified yet causes no formal division between the bright and average students in any grade. The whole class is divided into heterogeneous "home room" sections which meet daily for attendance and to discuss student council business.

Extra-Curricular Activities

In its extracurricular program Scarsdale is typical of most high schools. The General Organization or student council is the central extracurricular activity and provides a coordinating body for organizations and a playground for the machinations of school politicos. The limits of its power have usually remained, wisely untested, although a few years ago, when the General Organization voted to establish new regulations for parking, which limited teachers as well as pupils, the teachers complied, albeit with mixed reactions. A couple of dozen clubs and activities carry on regularly, including a yearbook, literary magazine, and biweekly paper, and enthusiastic students often belong to six or more.

Scarsdale High thus provides almost a self-contained community environment for its students. A well-organized athletic program, a complete range of extracurricular activities, and a series of social functions, as well as the academic schedule, all fall under the high school's aegis. Social life too usually revolves around high school friends, and cafeteria, corridors, and auditorium provide popular, if not private, sites for rendezvous.

This communal totality which the school offers does, however, possess some drawbacks. For the student body is in many respects a very homogeneous group. Almost all pupils come from "comfortable" if not wealthy homes and thus only a small segment of the economic spectrum is represented. There are hardly any Negro students (less than a half-dozen per class) in the group, although there is a high proportion of Jewish and Catholic pupils; but in a tolerant and religiously easy-going village like Scarsdale, religious friction within the school is negligible. Politically too, the range of allegiances is fairly middle-of-the roadish.

The academic side of this school school community is growing in importance for the students, if only because of college pressure. School records indicate that more pupils are choosing heavier electives in math and science and are deciding to work at the rate of five major subjects a year instead of four. The percentage achieving "honor role" standing has increased from 25-30 per cent about 15 years ago to 40-45 percent today.

"There is no question," Principal Melchior believes, "but that students are showing an increased realization of the importance of their high school work, are endeavoring to achieve higher standards, and are seeking more conscientiously to capitalize on their potential."

Academic Side

This increased importance of the academic aspect of education is an encouraging sign. As well as teaching growing numbers of pupils the suburban school must provide a high-quality education--not merely to start pupils learning the techniques needed to shoot up heavier missles, but also to provide enlightened individuals trained in the humanities and social sciences as well. The suburban school must, in reality, be many different schools for the community's children. The experiments in advanced education in which Scarsdale and other schools have participated help point the way towards achieveing true scholastic challenge in the public school environment