| WHS Classes on DVDWisconsin High School, Madison WI |
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But, in the late 1950s, the education department realized that WHS was no longer adequate to fill the training mission. There were too many student teachers competing for classroom hours. Some WHS classes had 20 student teachers and only 15 high school students! Also, the department wanted to share what it was learning about teacher education. So, the UW began experimenting with new programs it hoped would impact the rest of the state. For example, student teachers were sent out to area schools to learn teaching skills, a practice which continues today.
In 1960, one experiment involved the relatively new medium of television. In the spring of that year, the education department sent WHA-TV over to the high school to televise (and record onto film) a number of high school classes. WHA set up their cameras in Mrs. Johnson's first-floor classroom and, for about two months, numerous classes were conducted in full view of the cameras. Simultaneously, kinescopes (films) were made of these classes, and those films were sent out to other campuses and schools around the state for use in student teacher training programs.
 The film archives at the Wisconsin Historical Society. |
Miraculously, some of those kinescopes have survived!
In 2000, Chris Cain (WHS '64) discovered that the films
were stored in the archives at the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Over the next five years, he worked to get access to the films,
and in 2005 Chris and Jeff Mattox ('65) were able to view some of
the films and convert them to DVD. Because of those experiments with television in 1960, many members of the WHS student body are now able to see themselves as they were over 45 years ago. There are science classes (with Mr Gennaro, Mr. Dowling, and Mr. Kins), math classes (Mr. Newton), English, social studies (Mrs. Johnson), and speech classes. There's even a gym class, all on film. And the cameras were focused on the students, not the teachers.
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 Chris ('64) and Jeff ('65) reviewing a film audio track. |
Most of the subjects are 7th-, 8th-, and 9th-grade classes. That would be the classes of 1965, 1964, and 1963, respectively. However, other class years appear to have been filmed, too.
There's a certain irony for those of us who appear in these films.
The experiment of televising and recording our classes was part of the effort
to reduce the role of WHS by training student teachers at places other than the UW campus.
Ultimately, the success of that program meant that WHS was no longer needed, and
thus it was closed in 1964.
So, we lost our school (and many of us had
to continue on at another high school), but, because the films were preserved,
we have a unique opportunity to see ourselves as youngsters at WHS.
[JM, November 2005]
DVD Title and Content
Sample Images
Math 7 (Class of 1965)
"Modular arithmetic" with Mr. Newton
Running time: 57 minutes (one classroom hour)
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Marcia Millenbah George Woollard Sherry Newbold Patricia Schram Francie Temkin Doug Edmunds |
Gordon Worley Roger Hitchner Carter Brunsell Karl Siebecker Edie Meissner Jungi Higuchi |
Jerry Schultz Greg Sample Rick Meskill Tim Johnson Neil Bohrod |
Cathy Curtis Mary Revell Barb Stoops Pat Mulhall Jean Burris |
Dean Urben Steve Clark Tom Lewis Milt Cohen Jaci Lefco |
Biology 7 (Class of 1965) "Animals" &
"Amphibians and reptiles" with Mr. Gennaro
Running time: 88 minutes (1.5 classroom hours)
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Gretchen Beuscher Elizabeth Edwards Connie McCaffrey Carol Voglelman Claudia Naeseth |
Barbara McKee Greta Van Dort Gene Maddrell Alison Brooks Carl Marquart |
David Schutz Sherry Miller Susie Stanley Ken Blaedel Mike Foster |
Jill Johnson Tom Wolfe Mike Smith Jeff Mattox Steve Herb |
Larry Roth John Clark Tom Tripp Tom Allen Phil Icke |
Science 8 (Class of 1964)
"Ohm's law" with Mr. Dowling
Running time: 32 minutes (one half classroom hour)
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Margaret Quayle Bob Monschien Laurie Graham Chuck Schacht Sue Halvorson |
Rod Matthews Kristine Wold Ingrid Buslee Phil Altpeter Scott Grover |
Diane Young Connie Totto Judy Graham Dick Zillman Diane Smith |
Ken Millard Pete Sample John Grede Bill WIlkie Tom Peltin |
Chris Cain Jam Lutey Pat Slinde Joel Coye |
Art 8 (Class of 1964)
"Working with clay" with Mr. Everard
Running time: 115 minutes (two classroom hours)
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Paul Zumdinsky Richard Watson Ken Midstokke Joan Reznichek Christine Wold |
Sue Halverson Jean Klawitter Kim Klipstein John Rundell |
Susan Stroud Dick Zillman Lewis Boone Scott Grover |
Mary Bruner Diane Smith Ken Millard Phil Brauhn |
John Friday Chris Cain Joel Coye Jan Lutey |
Social Science 8 (Class of 1964)
"President Jackson" with Mrs. Johnson
Running time: 32 minutes (one half classroom hour)
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Paul Zmudzinski Chuck Jacobson Debbie Mitchell Richard Watson |
Joan Reznichek Ken Midstokke Eames Peterson Kim Klipstein |
Charles Field Susan Stroud Lewis Boone John Rundell |
Mary Bruner Greg Schutz Pat Ryerson Phil Brauhn |
John Friday Ellen Davis |
English 8 (Class of 1964)
"Reading poetry vs. prose" with Mrs. Patton
Running time: 32 minutes (one half classroom hour)
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Paul Zmudzinski Kathy Bridgman Chuck Jacobsen Debbie Mitchell |
Richard Watson Joan Reznichek Nancy Johnson Eames Peterson |
Kim Klipstein John Rundell Susan Stroud Charles Field |
Louis Boone Mary Bruner Greg Schutz Pat Ryerson |
Phil Brauhn John Friday Ellen Davis |
Other films
We have reviewed only a fraction of the archived films. The audio and video are recorded separately; listening to the audio is easier than viewing the films (which are delicate negatives). In some cases, the titles on the archive's list (PDF) do not match the actual content. For example, one so-called "English 8" film is actually an 8th-grade gym class; another is Speech 8. So, the following list is an estimate of what else might exist. We believe there are about 30 classroom hours, total.
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Ordering information
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Each DVD is priced at $30
This will contribute to the costs of converting films to DVDs, DVD duplication, and mailing.
Video transfers of film negatives and synchronization with separate sound tracks is quite complex and requires substantial time and expense.
Our outside costs to convert and process each hour of film are between $350 and $400. Donations above the $30 price are welcome. Because of copyright restrictions, there are only a limited number of DVD copies available. Preference will be given to class members who appear in the DVD. We would like to convert more films to DVD, but we have no assurances that will be possible. Just in case, any excess amounts and donations will be saved for future work. Contact us for more information:
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