USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Fairfield > This is Fairfield, 1639-1940 > Part 34
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The School Committee also voted in 1906 that "when a child above grade three is unnecessarily absent three days or more in a month, he shall be dropped to the grade lower upon his return. When he has made up the work to the satisfac- tion of the teacher he would then be reinstated in his former grade".
In 1909 it was further voted that each child having 30 days' perfect attendance is entitled to a quarter day holiday. By 1913 children had to complete Grade 6 before working papers would be issued. The little country schools were often closed for a week or a few days because of an epidemic of whooping cough or tonsilitis or the illness of the teacher.
In 1905 a truant officer was appointed and he was to receive $1.00 for each case he worked on.
The report of the Superintendent for the year 1907-1908 gives an excellent picture of the ac- complishments, goals and hopes of the Town for their children and their schools.
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
To the School Committee of the Town of Fairfield: Gentlemen:
Your Superintendent would respectfully submit, as his fourth annual report, the following statements concerning the condition of our schools last year and at the opening of the present fall term.
With the exception of a few rooms, the attend- ance has been worthy of commendation, reaching an average of nearly five per cent higher than for the preceding year. During 1907-08, the discipline, industry and general school spirit have been un- usually good, with the natural result that the pupils have made marked progress in their studies. Never before in my experience of fourteen years as teacher and supervisor, have I felt so constrained to com- mend highly both pupils and teachers for their faithful and excellent work. Whether generally known or not, the fact remains that the Fairfield schools have reached a plane of excellence where they compare most favorably with schools in other important towns.
However, when we have under consideration the welfare of children, the promise of our homes and of our country, we dare not stand still. There are other needed improvements. Our English work in grades 6, 7 and 8, is that required by the Bridge- port authorities and consists very largely of techni- cal grammar-a subject of little practical value un- less one is going to study foreign languages. Hence we have introduced a second course in English for these grades, one as serviceable as we can make it for the average person who is to read, write and speak English all his life. This practical course is offered as an option to all who are not planning to enter the Bridgeport High School.
Then, our penmanship has not been satisfactory. 'Tis true, our pupils write a good school hand, with the letters well rounded, a writing that is perfectly legible. But a good school hand does not pass for business penmanship, either in the letter-forms or in the ease and rapidity of the movement, and as a result our school product has little commercial value. This conviction has resulted in your Committee en- gaging Mr. C. G. Prince, Supervisor of Penmanship in the Bridgeport Schools, who will meet our teach- ers twice a month until January Ist and then once a
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month until June 25th, to direct their efforts toward business penmanship in our schools. Mr. Prince comes to us with several years of successful experi- ence in business colleges and as having done very efficient and satisfactory work in Bridgeport the past year. I might add that, owing to our nearness to Bridgeport, the services of Mr. Prince have been secured at a very small outlay of money.
One other matter here, that of singing in our schools. For the past three years, we have endeav- ored to teach singing without the guidance and in- spiration of a supervisor of music. In some of our schools, we have succeeded remarkably well; in others, we have done fairly well; while, in a few cases, we have signally failed. For over a year, your Superintendent has been recommending that a su- pervisor of music be engaged to visit our school rooms once in two months and to meet our teachers in a body for consultation and instruction five or six times a year. This is the plan followed in many large towns and cities and is known to be a success.
Late in June, a petition to your Committee, signed by a goodly number of representative citizens, re- quested that a supervisor of music might be so en- gaged for one year at a cost not to exceed $150. It is a pleasure to state that Miss Maude R. Russell of New Haven, for four years past and at present the very efficient supervisor of singing in the Branford schools has been engaged for a little guidance and inspiration here and there; and this, we are confi- dent, will soon place our singing on the desired plane of excellence.
A much coveted improvement, but outside of the schoolrooms, next suggests itself. In Westport, a Women's Town Improvement Association has been very commendably engaged the past year in beauti- fying the Town wherever opportunity offered, and especially the school grounds. This Association has had meetings with the teachers, pupils and school committee, has presented prizes to the schools show- ing the most improvement in the appearance of their grounds and has secured the co-operation of florists and landscape gardeners, with the grand re- sult that nearly every yard surrounding a Westport school has been greatly transformed and beautified within one short year. These ladies have just held a two days' fair and secured the necessary funds for another year's campaign against the forces of neglect and ugliness. Such an association would be most acceptable in Fairfield. The National flag now graces each of our schoolhouses, ought not Nature in her loveliness of grass, shrub and flower be in- duced to add new graces to our various school properties and new joys as well to pupils, teachers and passersby? Must we forego the powerful lesson of order and beauty that a dozen attractive school properties will teach the pupils and the residents in their neighborhood?
We take pleasure in announcing a substantial in- crease both in the number of Fairfield pupils attend- ing the Bridgeport High School and in those to be found in our eighth grade room. There are in the High School this term 52 Fairfield pupils and in Miss Julia B. Banks' room 38 pupils receiving eighth
grade instruction. As was predicted three years ago, when once the eighth grade room should be made permanent and a pronounced success, then would the sixth and seventh grades also become much larger. This has proved so true that our sixth and seventh grade at the Centre has become much over- crowded and we have been obliged to make a divi- sion, giving the seventh grade pupils to Miss Mary E. Nichols and those of the sixth grade to an addi- tional teacher. While this arrangement requires an expenditure of more money, as do nearly all others that make for better educational conditions, there should be sufficient consolation in the fact that we are successfully keeping our upper grade boys and girls in school until they shall become better fitted for their life-work. In other words, without proper adjustment to the Bridgeport High School and with our upper classes well graded and supplied with the best teachers we can find, we are sending pupils to the neighboring High School and filling our upper grade rooms to an extent out of proportion to the natural increase in the primary grades. These well filled upper grades are certainly from an edu- cational viewpoint a most desirable condition.
As a rule, the public generally and even super- intendents in reports like this, do not give the de- served prominence to the loyal teachers who come into close contact with our boys and girls in their school living, that period of life so abounding in promise if properly cultivated. Here, let me say first that it is no easy matter to secure or to keep good teachers. Throughout the United States, he demand for teachers who are normal graduates is increasing considerably faster than the supply. In Connecticut, during the past two years, the cnrollment of student teachers in our Normal schools has fallen off notice- ably, but, in the face of this, several hundred addi- tional teachers are required each year to fill the vacant positions. To make this clearer, from the Town of Fairfield for nearly ten years past, there has not been a single student attending a State Nor- mal school, while during the same period we have required annually anywhere from one to six new teachers to equip our town schools. Our children must be taught, qualified teachers must be secured and, when proved efficient, they should be retained -- even at an increase in salary. We have in Fair- field an excellent corps of teachers and we believe in retaining them when they prove worthy-we lost one teacher only last year-but, like others who will have good teachers, we must pay them fair salaries. Compared with like or small towns, Fairfield is paying its teachers good salaries, but, when com- pared with Bridgeport and other Connecticut cities and large towns, to say nothing of New Jersey and of New York, both the State and the City, we are paying considerably smaller salaries. However, ow- ing to the larger number of teachers required in our schools today and to the somewhat better salaries paid them, we are obliged to expend this new year for teachers' salaries about $3,500 more than five years ago.
In the matter of expense, we all know that labor of every sort is higher now than a few years ago. Accordingly, we are obliged to pay our janitors and
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carriers of school children more than formerly. As a people, we demand these days better roads, better kept and more attractive public buildings, including school houses. These latter buildings have required in our town this summer an expenditure of nearly $2,000; for a well, new furniture and a furnace at Nichols' Terrace, for a small cellar in place of the diminutive hole and for a new furnace at Green- field Hill, for a new roof, chimney, plastering and for painting inside and out at Jennings Woods, as well as for minor repairs and improvements in vari- ous other schools. Twelve buildings, containing twenty-five rooms used for school purposes and ac- commodating nearly 1,100 children, naturally take considerable money each year to keep them in satisfactory repair. Then, our new school at Nichols' Terrace had only been half fitted up and half furnished, so this required an amount of money larger than usual to get the second half ready for occupancy this September.
By the way, this new school, which some thought unnecessary, shows a present enrollment of 140 pupils, while more houses are building on all sides.
Now a word or two about our annual cost per pupil. The cost per pupil registered in our schools last year was $20.15, an increase of 57 cents over the year before. In Bridgeport, where the rooms are uniformly well filled and where no transportation of pupils has to be paid for, the cost per pupil regis- tered in the grammar schools last year was $20.89. In Naugatuck, a town much like ours, the cost last year was $22.45; while in Waterbury, a city farther removed from New York City and its high prices, it was $23.27, an increase of $2 over the previous year. To go over the State line into the small city of Malden, Mass., we find the cost per pupil last year was $29.79; or into the larger city of Newton, Mass., we learn that it was for primary and gram- mar grades $36.22. If now we pass over into New York State, we are informed by the last year's re- port of the State Commissioner of Education that the average cost per pupil in the grammar schools of the whole state was $37.39, an increase of $1.16 over the previous year. These figures are presented as a partial basis of comparison that our citizens may see we are not alone in discovering our school expenses to be on the increase. Let me add that this growing expenditure does not mean an extravagance but simply an approach to the better educational ad- vantages plainly due our children, who tomorrow must take up life's burden and who will surely find it more complex, competitive and heavy than do their parents.
As is their good habit, the Eunice Dennie Burr Chapter of the D.A.R. presented in June prizes to our pupils at the Centre School for best work in American History, in Language and in Spelling. Likewise, the Dorothy Ripley Chapter of the D.A.R., at the close of school in June gladdened the children of the Southport School with suitable framed pic- tures for the various rooms. The Fairfield Mem- orial and the Pequot Libraries continue to provide attractive instructive magazines and books for our children, this reading matter being made accessible to every pupil in town. Accordingly, in the name
of the pupils, teachers and your Committee, as well as personally, I desire to express our sincere ap- preciation of the gifts, the cordial co-operation and the sympathetic interest in behalf of our schools that have been variously tendered by patrons, so- cieties and corporations.
In conclusion, let us appreciate the fact that while school expenses have increased the past year, our schools likewise have increased in the number of pupils educated, and have improved in the excel- lence of the schooling given. Let all, who have at heart our children's best welfare, take fresh cour- age and, working together, let us realize for our boys and girls the coming year even better school advan- tages than ever before. And finally, I would thank most heartily your Committee for continued confi- dence in me and sympathetic co-operation in our common work.
Respectfully submitted, William A. Wheatley, Superintendent of Schools.
Well-improvements and changes with Fair- field's growth in population. It was voted on August 30, 1909 "That the schools of the Town have Wednesday, September 15, or if stormy, the next fair day for attendance at the Greenfield Fair". That was a large Fair held annually at the Greenfield Country Club.
The School Committee also voted in 1909 that married women were no longer to be employed as teachers in town. It was also voted to add $25 to the salaries of all teachers who held hon- orary certificates from the State and substitute teachers received $2.00 a day for their services. Principals received $25 additional for each room they supervised.
In 1910 a $10,000 addition was planned for Washington School and in 1912 a $13,000 ad- dition to Sherman School. Holland Hill was in need of increased accommodations. Fire escapes were planned for some of the schools. Clocks were planned for each room in 1914 provided the cost did not exceed $1.00 each.
That same year a committee was appointed to investigate and report on the advisability of com- mencing High School studies in sundry rooms in the new Sherman School and on August 3, 1914, it was voted "to establish in Fairfield a grade equivalent to the First Year in High School". Miss Florence Townsend was to be the first teach- er of this class.
The new Sherman School and the new Holland Hill School buildings were accepted that year and a telephone was installed in Sherman School -the first such instrument in any school.
1915 brought two new thoughts for study. 1-A Kindergarten was requested for the Sher- man District. There were 46 children who were
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said to be desirous of such instruction. 2-The advisability of having a regular high school in town was also under discussion.
In 1916 the Brown property-the site of the present Roger Ludlowe High School-was ac- cepted as a gift from Miss Annie B. Jennings for use as a High School. The meetings of the School Committee were immediately changed to the new High School. Pictures of the first Fairfield High School are included in the picture section of this book.
Increased facilities were needed in Lincoln School (Stratfield district) and a new school was proposed in Southport as space was being used over the Southport Savings Bank. The closing of Jefferson (Plattsville) and Bancroft (Jennings Woods) Schools were proposed and these young- sters, too, would be carried to Lincoln.
In 1916 a standard plan for all new schools was adopted with the new Lincoln and the new Holland Hill Schools serving as master designs. The new school at Holland Hill was to be called Holland Hill School and the new school on the lot bought of Mr. B. Pierce to be known as Nathan Hale School.
In 1917 Pequot was still bursting at the seams and there were classes in the Sherwood Building, and the Banks' Building and finally Trinity Church, too, was leased for four months.
Parts of the annual report of the School Com- mittee for 1917 is included here and gives a very good picture of the year's progress.
Report of Town School Committee-Sept. 1, 1917
The heartfelt thanks of this community are due Miss Annie Burr Jennings for her handsome dona- tion of a house and 6 acres of land centrally lo- cated for the purposes of a High School. Her gen- erosity has been further shown by complete repairs to the iron fence in front of said property, and by her consent to share the expense of fitting the house for a commodious educational center.
Mr. O. G. Jennings has aided much in bringing home to the boys and girls of the schools by lend- ing for their use the past summer several acres of land near the center, the value of food products whose growth they themselves have engineered. The exhibit of which they achieved was gratifying to all who saw it.
In the handsome and convenient schoolhouses now fast nearing completion in Southport, Holland Hill and near the Bridgeport line, your town has taken a new departure in building. Not only will these structures amply accommodate the children, but as modern thought demands commodious assembly rooms in these schools will furnish rallying points for social movements.
In accordance with a vote of the Town, your committee has purchased a well located lot, for a
school in Southport section whenever increase in children demands it.
It is but justice to your Committee that you should know that the heavy outlay for schools the past year has been caused by two conditions not possible to be foreseen; one is, the increase in num- ber of school children last autumn by 400, and the extra teaching force thus exacted by us, and the renting, fitting up and heating of a half a dozen rooms of private parties while the Southport school is being built. These rents and extras will cease January 1, 1918 and as our Town has now no pu- pils in any outside High School, the bills for these items will be nil. Teachers' Contracts entered into and which seem to us other necessary outlays will need the sum of sixty-five dollars to 31 August 1917.
The Schools had opened late-September 26 -that year because of an epidemic of infantile paralysis. The total registration amounted to 2,427 with the High School enrollment having reached 97. (It was 66 the preceding year). The upper grades were organized on a departmental basis. There were fourteen substitute teachers on the list and their daily pay amounted to $2.50. The report went on to say:
In the grammar schools the average number of pupils per teacher was 47, a number, by far, too great for the most efficient work.
It has been the aim to organize the schools so that the classes and number of pupils would be as equally distributed as possible, and to avoid over- crowding especially in the primary grades. Under such conditions, there is little or no opportunity to do individual work with pupils, who are unable to make progress without it. With this thought in view, it is the recommendation of the Superintendent that the number of pupils per teacher be reduced from the present high average (47) to a number not less than 36 and not more than 40.
Recommendations
(1) Broadening of the Course of Study for girls by introduction of a course in Domestic Science be- ginning with the 7th grammar grade and continu- ing through the High School.
(2) Broadening of the Course of Study for boys by the introduction of a course of Manual Training and Mechanical Drawing beginning with the 7th grammar grade and continuing through the High School.
(3) Reduction of children per teacher to a number approximating 36.
(4) The completion of the school building now be- ing erected on the property purchased from the Pierce Estate. The four rooms now being built are more than filled and the building has not yet been occupied. It is thought that it will be economy to complete the other four rooms at once, as they will be needed before the building is finished.
(5) The building of an eight-room school building at North Fairfield on property which, I believe, is to be given to the Town by the Bridgeport Housing Association. We are now maintaining four rooms
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in a building which has been furnished to the Town, free of charge, by the Housing Association. At the present rate of increase we shall need these eight rooms by September 1918, four of which, if built, would be filled now with an average of 45 pupils to each room.
Total Registration in all schools in Town
1904-05 926 children 20 teachers
1910-11 1159 children 27 teachers
1916-17 2347 children 50 teachers
Children sent to Bridgeport High School 13, children sent to Westport High School 7.
In 1918 the High School day was set from 9 to 2:45 with a half hour "intermission for lunch". A school physician was added to the School Staff and the people of Grasmere re- quested a new school the next year.
A part of the School Committee Report on September 1919 clearly defines the need for such a new building:
Report of the Town School Committee of the Town of Fairfield September 1, 1919
An average increase in the number of children of school age each year of four hundred forces a very large additional outlay for all sorts of supplies which are-as you know-free to all our children.
With our new and complete buildings erected the past two years, and after careful placing of children in schools not overcrowded, there are at this mo- ment six rooms holding only half day sessions, because it is impossible to furnish seating capacity for the new arrivals. We would urge the need thus stated for more accommodations for pupils upon the attention of the citizens, and say that we do not in this matter put forward a "theory" but lay before you a "condition." In the section known as "Gras- mere" in the east end of town a lot should be bought and a school-house erected as soon as it possibly can be done. This done, the condition would be eased for a tolerable breathing time.
The High School
The total registration in the High School reached 129, a gain over last year-the Average Registration reached 122, a gain of 10 over last year-the Av- erage Attendance 117, a gain of 12 over last year.
Overcrowding in the Schools
1. Sherman School: overflow from grade 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, to be sent to Pequot School, Southport.
2. Holland Hill: Kindergarten and First Grade on part time.
3. Washington School: Kindergarten and Grades 1 and 2 on part time.
4. Total grades on part time-5.
My suggestion for the relief of this congestion in the Washington School is to complete the Nathan Hale School by adding four extra rooms.
My suggestion at Holland Hill is to erect another school at some point midway between Sherman School and the present Holland Hill School-say near the Bridgeport Housing Association Develop- ment at Grasmere.
In 1921 Grasmere and the Greenfield addition were given the go ahead signal and in 1922 Lincoln and Nathan Hale were planned "to be completed immediately". A committee was also appointed for a new High School building and in November 1922 the plans were approved but action was not taken until 1925. To alleviate overcrowding at Holland Hill another portable building was ordered. They were still on half sessions even with this extra room.
The Commencements of the High School were held at Pequot School and then at the Community Theatre as were the 8th grade Graduations in later years. All graduates were dressed alike on that night except the girls wore kerchiefs of their school colors on their middy blouses and the boys wore neckties of similar hue. Green for Dwight, red for Sherman, blue for Grasmere, etc., etc.
In 1926 the Committee decided to close Banks North School as there were only 19 pupils in attendance-and to carry them to Dwight. Jeffer- son School also was closed as there were only 24 children there and in turn they were carried to Stratfield School. The next year Bancroft School too was closed.
On April 10, 1928 an eleven room school and an assembly room-the first part of Stratfield School of today was voted. In the interim a portable was moved to Lincoln to help with the large numbers of children.
Manual Training classes were planned next and an 8 room school in Tunxis Hill-Mckinley was completed in 1929.
The Total Registration for all schools in 1927 was 3577.
Pequot 273
Sherman
373
Grasmere
355
Holland Hill
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