USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Meriden > Years of Meriden 150: published in connection with the observance of the city's sesquicentennial, June 17-23, 1956 > Part 26
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29
Located in a factory building on the east end of Charles Street which was rented by the city, the school offered machine work, carpentry, electrical work, and drafting. Later in the year, courses in auto mechanics and pattern making were made available.
The regular course, designed to be completed in two years, consisted of six hours of shop work and two of academic a day. A three-year cooperative course with the High School made it possible to attend that building in the mornings, complete the requirements for training in a trade in the afternoons, and receive a diploma from both institutions. Other schedules were possible through arrangements with employers.
The School Board report for 1920 features a picture of a complete six-room house built by Trade School boys under the supervision of their instructors. One hundred forty-five students were registered in the day courses that year and 150 in the evening. The need for a new, more adequate building was already being pointed out.
Since the consolidation of the school districts under the town, school policy had been directed by a board composed of 12 members, half of whom were appointed by each political party. The size of the group as well as its obvious political allegiances and the fundamental split which this caused was a continuing handicap to effective operation. The need had long been evident
284
MERIDEN SCHOOLS; 1860-1956
for a smaller elective school board which would be answerable directly to the voters and which would be in a position to make decisions and to act with responsibility.
In 1921 Meriden's new city charter was approved by the Legis- lature and embodied in it was the provision for a Board of Educa- tion consisting of five members elected by the voters to serve on a staggered schedule, each holding office for six years. The new school board was voted into existence with the ratification of the charter and at the same time the last traces of the old school district system were obliterated.
As the Board was set up then and continues to operate, it is responsible for planning school policy which is executed by the superintendent. The Board hires all teachers and other personnel, accepting recommendations from the superintendent and from other administrators. It is also responsible for maintenance of buildings and their use, and for insurance. It decides on what courses are to be offered or dropped.
The yearly school budget is contructed by the Board and it approves all bills which the school system incurs. However, the Board of Apportionment and Taxation must approve the budget, and can and has cut it when it deems fit. State aid for Meriden schools goes into the general city treasury, not directly into a separate category of school funds.
The Board of Education meets twice a month, sometimes oftener, and serves without pay. Currently its members are also serving on the School Building Committee. Although candidates for the Board of Education run for election on the tickets of the two major parties, the Board has achieved a reputation for acting nonpolitically and most members tend to forget party labels in dealing with school problems. In this attitude they are carrying on the tradition of the many Meriden citizens who over the last century and a half have labored selflessly and intelligently, without pay, for the betterment of their community and its schools.
Hint of a controversy which is still legally unsettled in Con- necticut and which probably will always continue to some degree came in April of 1922. Although the Board of Education is and has always been an organ of the State Department of Education and is required by law to carry out the state's statutes on educa- tional matters, it is the province of the city government to provide
285
MERIDEN SCHOOLS; 1860-1956
the money by which this is accomplished. The conflict arises when the Board of Education votes a policy which requires funds to implement and the Board of Apportionment and Taxation refuses to appropriate these funds.
State Education Commissioner Meredith pointed out to the Board at that time that school committees are state agents bound to carry out the intent of the state statutes regardless of financial support. He advised the Board that if the town refuses to give the money they, the Board, may "incur debt and if necessary take the matter into the courts." The argument this time, as on other occasions, was over the matter of a raise in teachers' salaries.
Junior ROTC on a compulsory basis for the High School was instituted in 1921 at the request of the War Department. Carried on till 1922, it was discontinued because of overcrowding and lack of facilities.
With the High School on half sessions, and the use of obsolete and inadequate buildings, including the Church Street School, stirring criticism, another major building program was planned. At its beginning the city was at 55 per cent of its debt limit.
Names of famous historical personages were given to the schools in 1923, after some years of discussion. Contests were run among the school children who wrote essays advancing the causes of their favorite Revolutionary War heroes. Of the names chosen, only the High School's of "George Washington" refused to stick. Diplomas were issued under the title to the graduating classes of 1924 and 1925 but "Meriden High School" was too deeply ingrained in the city's tradition, and in 1926 it reasserted itself.
Also dropped was the name "Robert Morris" for the South Meriden school. When the old building burned in 1932 the new one which replaced it was christened "Hanover" by common consent. The Nathan Hale School on Lewis Avenue was sold to Mount Carmel Church in 1942 and not until the new school on Baldwin Avenue was built did this popular and appropriate hero again possess a memorial.
By 1925 the outlines of the Meriden school system as it is today had emerged. Jefferson Junior High School was built. The old West Grammar School was enlarged with the addition of a wing containing an auditorium-gymnasium and room for shop work, and was renamed Lincoln Junior High. These two schools took all seventh, eighth, and ninth grade pupils in the city except those
286
MERIDEN SCHOOLS; 1860-1956
in South Meriden, who continued to attend the local school for seventh and eighth grades until 1934. Jonathan Trumbull School opened, the first elementary school to have a permanent stage, and took over the pupils from North Broad and Franklin Street Schools which were then closed.
Adoption of the junior high school system was a sign of the changing philosophy of education. By 1921 the first experiments in the approach to teaching which has become known as "pro- gressive" were stirring the city to controversy. A policy was introduced whereby pupils were promoted not only on the basis of work completed in each grade but of ability to do more advanced work as shown by tests. A number of students whose test work ranked high were jumped a grade or half a grade. High-ranking students in the eighth grade were given ninth grade work to do and allowed to enter high school as sophomores.
Another new idea was the introduction on an experimental basis by School Superintendent David Gibbs of the "platoon" system. This scheme divided the children of the lower grades into two equal groups, one of which studied academic subjects while the other used the gym, attended assemblies, or engaged in singing or drawing. It was designed to increase the capacity of school facilities. At the High School an experiment was in progress by which the students were divided into fast, medium, and slow classes so that each group could progress to best advantage.
The junior high schools reflected the new philosophy of edu- cation which shifted the emphasis away from total concentration on academic subjects and undertook to provide a general cultural and citizenship background along with vocational training for the majority of young people who would not go to college. By evolving a program which would better meet the needs of early adolescents, educators hoped to combat the high drop-out rate.
Dr. Gibbs resigned in 1926 while the controversy over his educational innovations was still raging. He was succeeded by C. C. Thompson. By 1927 there were 5,814 pupils enrolled in the public schools, reflecting the high birth rate of the World War I years, and again the cry was raised for new buildings to relieve overcrowding. The Roger Sherman School, opened in 1929, was built on Liberty Street, and the John Barry Annex, now the main building, went up on Columbia Street. In 1927 the Church Street
287
MERIDEN SCHOOLS; 1860-1956
School was finally closed and the land on which it stood returned to the city.
Until now school health had been largely the province of the Child Welfare League, a public service organization supported by public contributions. In 1924 this organization reported that an examination of all high school girls had been completed. High school boys were examined the next year and an inordinate number were found to be afflicted with flat feet. It was suggested that the wearing of sneakers might cause this.
The League reported in 1928 that because of lack of funds it would be unable to carry on its work and the Board of Education appropriated $11,792 for this purpose. It also accepted a dental clinic outfit which had formerly been the property of the League and the next year a dental hygienist was engaged.
The year 1930 marked the passing of one of childhood's most cherished privileges. The system of no-school signals was dropped and it became the responsibility of the parents to determine when the weather was too bad to allow children to attend school.
The High School had the doubtful distinction in 1931 of offer- ing the shortest school day of any high school in the state. An addition was once more discussed but because of the depression, the Board decided instead to house the overflow of students in the old Central Elementary School.
On June 9 the State Trade School moved into its new building on Miller Street when it was accepted by the state. It was rechristened the Wilcox Technical School.
Nicholas Moseley took over the duties of superintendent in 1932. In spite of a continued climb in enrollment the school budget was cut by $100,000 to $538,973, mostly by reducing teachers' salaries.
September of 1934 found a total enrollment in public and parochial schools of 8,568. It was voted to close two old schools in the outlying districts, one, the city's oldest, the Southeast School on Paddock Avenue which had been built in 1800. In a move to consolidate elementary schools in the face of dropping enrollment in the lower grades, the Willow Street School was closed and sold to the Polish Knights of the Blessed Virgin. The High School was put on half sessions. There was continued talk of a need for new high school facilities and of an addition to the Trade School, but no action was taken.
288
MERIDEN SCHOOLS; 1860-1956
Controversy over "progressive" versus old-fashioned educa- tional methods flared again in the mid 30's. It was pointed out that modern teacher training stressed the newer methods which were being reflected in public school teaching. In 1938 Mr. Moseley resigned, to be replaced by Raymond N. Brown. Under Mr. Brown a return to the more traditional ways of teaching was encouraged.
Evening school enrollments climbed rapidly during the depres- sion years. Many recent high school graduates were among the 784 registered in 1933. The enthusiasm and enterprise which characterized Meriden's program were highly praised by the state authorities. The high point was in 1934 with a registration of 947. In 1935, 600 were registered, 150 of them in the non-English classes. The cost to the city per pupil per evening was less than ten cents. The Trade School addition was completed in 1937.
After 75 years of operation, the North Colony Street School was closed in 1940 because of dropping enrollment in the area and was sold to the International Silver Company. Teacher salaries, which had been cut during the depression, were on their way up again, running from a starting rate of $1,251.25 to a top for executive positions of $5,000. Most fell within the $1,500 to $2,500 range. In 1943, the low birth rate of the depression years was reflected in an enrollment of 4,494.
The Board of Education was praised in 1946 for providing special refresher courses in the summer for returning veterans. This program was discontinued in 1947 when the need for it passed. Average cost per school child at this time was $177.36 per year compared with a state average of $161.08. The rule barring married teachers from employment was questioned for the first time, and was destined soon to be abandoned as the growing teacher shortage made it impractical. The maximum in this year for teacher salaries below the administrative and super- visory level was set at $2,800 to $3,900 depending on training and length of service.
By 1947 the increased birth rate of the war years began to be reflected in school enrollments and it was obvious that a major school building program would be necessary. No major building had been undertaken since 1926. The city appropriated $35,000 in 1948 to recondition the old High School building at the corner of Liberty and Catlin Streets, for use as an Annex. The Welfare
289
MERIDEN SCHOOLS; 1860-1956
Department was moved out, making the Annex available for classes in commercial subjects and the High School was put on single session again.
The elementary school building program got under way in 1948 with a half million dollar bonding issue for the Roger Sherman Annex. Six classrooms, an auditorium-gymnasium, a lunch room with kitchen facilities, lavatories, and additional office space were provided. Similar educational facilities were included in the new 12-room Israel Putnam School on Parker Avenue and the 16-room Benjamin Franklin School. A $1,200,000 bond issue financed these buildings which were opened in 1951.
Badly needed expansion of the Hanover School was help up in 1951 when bonding authorities objected to the restrictive clause in the city charter barring capital improvements in the outer tax district. The necessary change in the charter was ratified and the Hanover addition opened its doors in 1954. An addition to the John Barry School of 12 rooms and additional facilities was completed in 1953, and four rooms were added to Jonathan Trumbull.
The continued growth of school population made necessary the construction in 1955 of a four-room addition to the Parker Avenue Israel Putnam School and the construction of the new Nathan Hale School on Baldwin Avenue. No bonding was necessary for the Israel Putnam addition which was paid for out of current revenue. The Nathan Hale School has 16 classrooms but its extra-classroom facilities, which are not the equal of those in other newly constructed schools, reflect an attempt by the city to economize in the face of continued demand for expansion. A bond issue of $600,000 was issued for construction of this school.
The Roger Sherman addition to the Annex, opened in 1949, cost $506,256, with state aid to the extent of $162,153 returnable over a 17-year period. It has 12 rooms.
Benjamin Franklin School, opened in 1951, contains 17 rooms and cost $542,982, with $165,000 to be paid by the state over a 20-year period.
The new Israel Putnam School on Parker Avenue, opened in 1951 with 12 rooms, cost $484,013, with $120,000 returnable by the state during 20 years. Four rooms which were built as an addition to this school and opened in September, 1955, were financed by an appropriation by the city of $100,000. Not yet
290
MERIDEN SCHOOLS; 1860-1956
accepted by the state, the new rooms are expected to receive about $36,000 in state aid, payable over a five-year period.
Four rooms added to Jonathan Trumbull School in 1952 were built at a cost to the city of $192,400, with $59,414.80 returnable in state aid over the following 20 years.
The John Barry School addition, opened in September of 1953 and containing 12 rooms, was built at a cost of $632,035, with $158,335.40 returnable in state aid over a 20-year period.
South Meriden's Hanover School addition, opened in 1954 and consisting of 10 rooms, cost $498,849.20 plus a sewer assessment levied by the city of $37,841.55, part of which will be recovered as additional users connect with the sewer line. State aid for Hanover, payable over 20 years, comes to $154,334.80.
Costs are incomplete as yet for the Nathan Hale School on Baldwin Avenue, consisting of 14 rooms plus two kindergartens and due for use in September, 1956. It is estimated that state aid may run to around $156,000.
Meriden is currently faced with a need for secondary school expansion as higher enrollments make themselves felt in the upper grades. When the High School opens in September it will be operating at full capacity, and even with continued use of the obsolete Annex, half sessions will be necessary by 1957, if no new building is available. The junior high schools are above capacity currently and face the alternatives in September, 1956 of going on half sessions or housing some classrooms in temporary quarters.
Planned to meet the need are two new high schools, one on Coe Avenue on the west side of Meriden and one on the east side, capable together of handling the projected enrollment of at least 2,400 foreseen for the mid 1960's. The present High School would then be converted for use as a junior high school. Lincoln Junior High stands in need either of rebuilding or of enlargement and drastic modernization and Jefferson is also slated for improvement. The bill for Meriden taxpayers may run as high as six or seven million dollars, with state aid defraying the balance of the cost.
Meriden's school building program since 1949 has been under the direction of the School Building Committee. This group was appointed by Mayor Howard Houston in accordance with a state statute passed in that year. At the request of bonding authorities, it handled financing for the Roger Sherman addition. Enlarged in 1950, it now includes the five members of the Board
291
MERIDEN SCHOOLS; 1860-1956
of Education, a member from the Court of Common Council, one from the Board of Apportionment and Taxation, the Building Inspector, a representative from the PTA, and three members chosen from the public at large who, by custom, are often engi- neers. Appointments are made by the mayor.
So well did the committee fulfill its function that it continued to operate during the whole of the elementary school building program. Late in 1953 a question arose over its standing because at the time of the original appointments no term of office had been set for its members. This oversight was remedied when the council voted that the members serve two-year terms from the time of appointment.
Elementary school buildings in use in 1956 are: Jonathan Trumbull, opened in 1925 and added to in 1952; Israel Putnam on Parker Avenue, built in 1951, with a four-room addition completed in 1955, the old Israel Putnam School on South Broad Street, built in 1884 and since enlarged by six rooms; the new Ben- jamin Franklin School on West Main Street; Hanover in South Meriden, built in 1937 and enlarged and modernized in 1954; Sam- uel Huntington School on King Street, built in 1887 and recondi- tioned in the mid 20's; the old John Barry on Columbia Street, built in 1894 and slated for closing as soon as enrollments permit; the John Barry Annex plus the new building which was completed in 1953; Roger Sherman, built in 1929 and enlarged in 1949; and the new Nathan Hale School, scheduled for use in September of 1956. There are two junior high schools: Jefferson on the east side, built in 1926; and Lincoln, originally constructed for use as a grammar school in 1905 and converted to its present use by addition of a wing in 1926. The High School on Pleasant Street was opened in 1913. Meriden's total school plant, including sites, buildings, and equipment, is at present valued at $7,862,500.
Currently, Meriden teachers receive a starting salary of $3,400 with the maximum for those with a bachelor's degree set at $5,400. Further raises are probable as the city struggles to meet the teacher shortage and to retain its position in a state-wide competitive situation.
Report cards in the elementary grades reflected modern theories of education when traditional marking was abandoned in 1951. Seeking to give information on individual effort and achievement as well as on pupils' standing in relation to the class, authorities
292
MERIDEN SCHOOLS; 1860-1956
adopted a system which graded each subject in relation to the pupil's effort plus an indication of his class standing. This was found to be confusing and in 1955 a return was made to the more orthodox method, with a special section provided to acquaint parents with students' working habits and general levels of accomplishment.
All elementary schools except the old Israel Putnam on South Broad Street and the Samuel Huntington have hot lunch pro- grams, open to children within walking distance of the schools as well as to bus children. The program shares in the Federal Surplus Food arrangement and is self-supporting except for initial capital investments of kitchen equipment.
Stimulated by the growing need for school expansion, branches of the Parent-Teacher Association which had been dormant since the mid-30's were reformed from 1948 on. PTA's are active in all the elementary schools and the two junior high schools while the High School has its equivalent in the Fathers' Club. Their influence has been felt beyond the traditional area of better understanding between parents and teachers. Through the PTA Council, a consultive body made up of representatives of the Meriden branches, information on school building needs and plans has been relayed to members and the public, which has resulted in better understanding of and support for Meriden's school needs.
Since 1950 the health of all Meriden school children has been the province of the Health Department. Previous to that time the public school health program was under the control of the Board of Education while the Health Department provided health services to the parochial schools. This program began in 1923, with the appointment of one full-time nurse and one part-time physician to work with non-public school children.
The present program employs the services of a school health advisor, a supervisor of nurses, eight school nurses and two dental hygienists, all on a full-time basis, and six physicians and two dentists part-time. Dr. John E. Stoddard, who served as medical advisor and physician for athletics at the High School from 1912 to 1954 on a voluntary basis, is currently school health advisor.
Since the reorganization in 1950, a health manual to serve as a comprehensive guide for all health procedures and activities has
293
MERIDEN SCHOOLS; 1860-1956
been prepared and accepted and the standards for health service in public and parochial schools have been equalized. A daily screening of all pupils is carried out, hearing tests are made, and nurse-teacher conferences are featured. High School students are offered tuberculin tests and chest X-rays. Vaccination against smallpox has been made compulsory for all pupils entering school. Immunization against diptheria, whooping cough, and tetanus is recommended and offered at school clinics but is given only after written consent by the parent. Fluoride treatment for the teeth of children in the lower grades has been made available, and a Salk vaccine program against polio is partially completed.
School nurses are trained and equipped to help children who suffer illness and accidents at school, but an important segment of their effort is devoted to educational work which will improve pupils' general health level and teach them to avoid disease and accident. To this end they try to work closely with teachers and parents on health education projects and to follow up and inter- pret health tests on pupils involving such factors as sight, hearing, dental conditions, and the like, with a view to their correction.
September, 1955, found 6,635 registered in Meriden's public schools, an increase of 422 over the previous year. A count of preschool children revealed 800 five-year olds, 985 three-year olds, and 1,053 one-year olds, suggesting that expansion beyond what is presently planned may eventually be necessary. 1,000 students are registered at the High School, 1,419 in the junior highs, and 4,216 in the elementary schools. A total of 357 persons are employed by the school system, of whom 257 are teachers. In addition there are ten principals, three vice-principals, five super- visors, 41 custodians, and 39 serving as clerks, librarians, and cafeteria workers.
Wilcox Technical School, run by the state on buildings con- structed and maintained by the city, had an enrollment last year of 325, with 25 teachers. Students devote half their time here to non-shop courses, choosing their shop training from a list which includes mechanical drafting, auto mechanics, machine, electrical, carpentry, silversmithing, printing, sheet metal, tool and die, and ornamental design. Several girls are currently enrolled in the ornamental design course.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.