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ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
TOWN OF MERRIMAC,
FOR THE
ERR
or
TOWN
E
MASS.
INCOF
1876.
RATEI
Year Ending January 31,
1901.
MERRIMAC, MASS., PRINTED BY THE MERRIMAC BUDGET, CLIFTON B. HEATH, MANAGER. 1901.
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
Selectmen, Town Officers and School Committee
OF
The Town of Merrimac,
FOR THE
Year Ending January 31,
190I.
MERRIMAC, MASS., PRINTED BY THE MERRIMAC BUDGET, CLIFTON B, HEATH, MANAGER. 1901.
APPROPRIATIONS
For the Year Ending January 31, 1901.
Transportation of Scholars,
$ 500
General School Purposes,
8,650
Highways, 2,000
Support of Poor,
2,600
Street Lights,
600
Public Library,
500
Interest,
250
Discount,
700
Town Officers,
1,600
Miscellaneous,
600
Memorial Day,
75
Fire Department,
I, Soo
Sidewalks and Crossings, 200
Macadamizing Main Street, 500
Railing on River Road at the Port, 300
Cutting down Sidewalks on Main Street, 300
Superintendent of Schools, 350
$21,525
TOWN OFFICERS.
SELECTMEN, ASSESSORS AND OVERSEERS OF POOR.
EVERETT D. GEORGE, ALFRED M. COLBY, ·
RALPH H. SARGENT.
CLERK. BAILEY SARGENT.
TREASURER. DANIEL J. POORE.
COLLECTOR OF TAXES. JOHN S. CLEMENT.
SUPERINTENDENT OF STREETS. GILBERT G. DAVIS.
REGISTRARS OF VOTERS.
JAMES T. LOCKE, BAILEY SARGENT, FRANK F. PHILBRICK, ARTHUR W. CHASE.
ENGINEERS OF FIRE DEPARTMENT. ALEX OXLEY, Chief, OLIVER W. JORDAN, CHARLES H. HUGHES.
CONSTABLES.
OLIVER W. JORDAN, PHILIP J. NEAL.
4
TOWN OFFICERS.
SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
FRED E. SWEETSIR, Term expires March 1901.
WILLARD B. KELLEY,
66 1902.
THOMAS H. HOYT, 66 66 66 1 903.
TRUSTEES OF PUBLIC LIBRARY.
SIMPSON A. McCONNELL, Term expires March 1901.
GEORGE G. LARKIN,
66
1901 .
JAMES F. PEASE,
66
1902.
CHARLES W. SAWYER,
66
66
66 1902.
HERBERT (. DELANO,
66
66 66
1903.
GEORGE O. GOODWIN,
66
66
66
1903.
TRUSTEES LOCUST GROVE CEMETERY.
CHARLES A. LANCASTER, Term expires March 1901. GEORGE G. LARKIN, 66
66 1902.
CHARLES E. ROWELL,
66 66 1903.
SURVEYORS OF LUMBER AND MEASURERS OF WOOD
AND BARK. JOIIN E. CURRIER, BENJAMIN B. WOOD, JOHN J. WOODMAN. FENCE VIEWERS. CALVIN B. ROBINSON, FRED H. G. CHASE.
TREE WARDEN. GEORGE G. LARKIN.
AUDITOR. MILFORD EDWARDS.
5
TOWN OFFICERS.
POLICE. ATWOOD S. NIXON, Chief, DANIEL C. BUNKER, THOMAS PARKIN, DANA F. TIBBETTS, CHARLES S. BAILEY, Specials.
INSPECTOR OF CATTLE. CHARLES A. WALLACE.
FISH AND GAME WARDENS.
JAMES C. LIBBY, GEORGE F. MASON, JOHN W. FOSTER.
FIRE WARDENS.
WALTER H. SARGENT, WILLARD B. KELLEY.
SEALER OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. THOMAS STOYLE.
1
SCHOOL REPORT.
SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
F. E. SWEETSIR, Chairman, Term expires March 1901 WILLARD B. KELLEY, Secretary, 1902
THOMAS H. HOYT, 1903
J. G. MORRELL, SUPERINTENDENT.
TEACHERS.
EDWARD P. KELLEY, 2 CHARLES W. CUTTS, S
Principal High School
L. FRANCES TUCKER, GRACE NEWIIALL, First Assistant High School
HENRIETTA G. BENSON,
BERTRAM D. BROWN, 2 ALFRED K. LOWE,
ANNA P. DAY, 1 VIOLA STURGIS, ANNA DODGE,
Second Assistant High School Principal Centre First Grammar
Centre Second Grammar
SCHOOL REPORT. 7
LILLA M. PHELPS, L. PEARL FRENCH,
Centre Third Grammar
MARY H. HEAD,
Centre First Intermediate Prospect Street Second Intermediate . Centre First Primary
ETTA H. COLBY,
MARY L. BROWN,
Prospect Street Second Primary
LOUISE C. BRACKETT, ANNA DODGE,
?
Middle Street Second Primary
BLANCHE CUNNINGHAM,
Port First Grammar
IDA M. BLAISDELL, HATTIE A. BAXTER,
Port Primary
ABBIE L. CLEMENT, Bear Hill
M. EVA ROBINSON, Supervisor of Music
MAUD E. ROSE,
Supervisor of Drawing
TRUANT OFFICERS.
CHARLES P. BAKER,
PHILIP J. NEAL
1
1
S
SCHOOL REPORT.
MERRIMAC HIGH SCHOOL.
GRADUATES, 1900. .
EDITH AMANDA COLMAN,
Scientific Course
SARA SOPHIA EVANS,
Scientific Course
GRACE MABEL MOSER,
Scientific Course
JAMES CHASE PEASE,
Scientific Course
HARRY EDGAR TREFETHEN,
Scientific Course
ETHEL NINA WALKER,
Scientific Course
HARRY BRADFORD GASSETT,
English Course
HARRY ALVIN PEASE,
English Course
ALLINE MORRIS SARGENT,
English Course
Twenty=fifth Annual Report of the
School Committee.
We hereby submit the following annual report to the citizens of Merrimac :
We believe that during the past year our schools have maintained a high standard and in some respects perhaps better than ever before. Mr. Morrell has attended to his duties conscientiously and we believe has been of much benefit to our schools. To the few who believe that we could well do away with the services of a skilled superinten- dent as in years gone by, attention is called to Chap. 249, Sec. I, of the public statutes, whereby a law has been pass- ed which demands that all the public schools of Massachusetts shall be under a superintendent, and all small towns which in 1902 have not made a union with other town or towns will be joined together by the State for that purpose.
The duties of a Superintendent are :
I. GENERAL POWERS. It is the province of a Super- intendent to manage and direct the work of instruction and training in the schools, and advise in all other matters which have any relation to such work.
IO
SCHOOL REPORT.
II. SCHOOL BUILDINGS. In all work of construction and alteration of school buildings a superintendent shall advise in all matters which relate to the convenience of the school and health of the pupils.
III. SCHOOL EQUIPMENT. He shall advise as to the kind and quantity of furniture and furnishings needed for each school. He shall also recommend all the text books and reference books needed.
IV. COURSE OF STUDIES. He shall prepare and recommend to the board for adoption, a course of studies for the schools, and any changes which he shall deem from time to time advisable.
V. TEACHERS. The Superintendent shall recommend suitable persons for positions as teachers. He shall assign to all teachers elected by the board and recommend a transfer of teachers from one school to another whenever such a transfer will secure greater efficiency in the schools. He shall fill all vacancies occasioned by absence of teachers, and recommend to the board the suspension or dismissal of any teacher when- ever it seems necessary for the good of the school.
VI. PUPILS. The superintendent shall arrange for the proper classification and promotion of pupils, with the sole object of placing each pupil at any time where he can do the most for himself. He shall pass judgment in case of suspend- ed pupils and report the same to the school committee.
VII. MEETINGS OF THE BOARD. Opportunity shall be given the Superintendent at each regular meeting to make a report on the condition of the schools and to present rec- ommendations for the Board's action on all school questions.
In the case of the High School we were confronted with the problem to house eighty pupils or more in a room already
II
SCHOOL REPORT.
over-crowded by sixty-three. At a special town meeting it was voted to appropriate $3,000 to add a story to the Middle street school house to accommodate the High School pupils. For further information on this subject you are referred to the report of the Building Committee.
We believe this new arrangement will settle for many years the subject of a new High School building the need of which has been apparent to the School Committee for a long time. When the labratory shall have been suitably fitted out, the chemistry and physics departments will be greatly benefitted. These two studies, to be taught to advantage, demand conveniences of room and apparatus, things that the Merrimac High School has never had before.
For matters relating to statistics, the special studies and various grades we would refer you to the reports of the Superintendent, Principal of High School and Teachers of Music and Drawing which are appended to this report.
No extended repairs have been made on any of the school buildings during the school year excepting on the Middle street school house, but some general repairs have been made on all of the buildings.
The appropriation for the alterations at the Middle Street school house was found to be too small for the reason that the state demanded a heating and ventilating apparatus which cost about fifteen hundred dollars, or nearly one half of the total appropriation for that purpose, and when esti- mates were made it was thought that the old heating appar- atus could be used by adding to its capacity. By economy however, in various ways, your committee have been able to make this good from our resources so that the building committee have been able to pay all bills.
I2
SCHOOL REPORT.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT.
Appropriation for school purposes, $8.650 00
66 for Superintendent, 350 00
66 for Transportation, 500 00
Received from dog tax, 102 84
from Mass. school fund,
404 78
66 from State; acct. of Supt., 625 00
66 from C. H. Tuckwell for apples at Port, 2 00
-
1
$10,634 62
Expended, $9,879 22
Spent on account of ventilating and
heating of Middle St. school building, 755 40
$10,634 62
After carefully considering the expenses for the coming year we recommend that the town appropriate for school pur- poses as follows :
For a District Superintendent, $ 375 00
Conveyance of pupils, 500 00
General school purposes, 8,650 00
Respectfully submitted,
F. E. SWEETSIR,
WILLARD KELLEY, School T. H. HOYT, Committee.
13
SCHOOL REPORT.
SCHOOL CALENDAR.
HIGH SCHOOL.
1901.
March 29,-Winter term closes.
April 8,-Spring term begins.
June 28,-Spring term closes. Sept. 3,-Fall term begins. Dec. 20 .- Fall term closes. Dec. 30,-Winter term commences.
LOWER SCHOOLS.
I90I. March 29,-Winter term closes.
April 8,-Spring term begins.
June 21, -- Spring term closes. Sept. 3,-Fall term begins. Dec. 20, -- Fall term closes. I902. January 6, -- Winter term begins.
NOTE-No school on the Friday following Thanksgiving Day.
In accordance with the Regulation of the State Board of Education this Schedule is for the Natural School Year, from September, 1899, to June, 1900.
SCHOOL.
TEACHER.
Enrollment,
Membership,
Average
Attendance,
Average
Attendance,
Per Cent of
Per Month,
Teachers' Salaries
In Weeks,
Length School
High,
Edward P. Kelley, Principal,
67
60.40
55.62
92.05
70.00
40
L. Frances Tucker, Ist Asst.,
60.00
Henrietta G. Benson, 2d Asst.,
40.00
Bernice E. Toombs,
51
10.01
36.80
91.97
45.00
38
Bertram D. Brown,
45.00
Second Grammar,
Anna P. Day,
3.5
42.23
37.91
S9 77
45.00
38
Third Grammar,
Lilla M. Phelps,
41
39.35
. 36.49
92.70
40.00
38
First Intermediate,
L. Pearl French,
30
29.12
27.72
95.02
40.00
38
Second Intermediate,
Mary H. Head,
41
36.16
34.30
94.57
40.00
38
First Primary,
Etta H. Colby,
32
31.00
28.SS
93.16
40.00
38
Second Primary, Prospect St.
Mary L. Brown,
31
26.00
23.00
SS.46
35.00
38
Second Primary, Middle St.,
Louise C. Brackett,
34
29.55
27.33
92.48
40.00
38
First Grammar, Port,
Ida M. Blaisdell,
24
23.81
22.91
96.22
50.00
38
Primary, Port,
Hattie A. Baxter,
22
19.83
19.II
96.36
40.00
38
Bear Hill,
Abbie L. Clement,
1 5
11.84
11.12
93.92
35.00
38
Totals,
423
389.30
361.17
92.77
1
First Grammar,
Schedule for Fall Term, ending December, 1900.
SCHOOL.
TEACHERS.
Enrollment,
Membership,
Average
Attendance,
Average
Attendance,
Per Cent of
Per Month,
Teachers' Salaries
In Weeks,
Length School
High,
Charles W. Cutts, Principal,
76
74.68
72.59
97.20
110.00
10
Grace Newhall, ist Asst.,
40.00
Henrietta G. Benson, 2d Asst.,
40.00
First Grammar,
Alfred P. Lowe,
42
39.88
36.17
90.70
45.00
38
Second Grammar ,
Viola Sturgis,
39
38.75.
36.97
95.42
35.00
38
Third Grammar,
Lilla M. Phelps,
30
30.00
28.39
94.63
40.00
3S
First Intermediate,
L. Pearl French.
38
36.62
34.92
95.35
40.00
38
Second Intermediate,
Mary H. Head,
3I
29.29
26.96
92.05
40.00
38
First Primary,
Etta H. Colby,
25
23.81
22.74
95.55
40.00
35
Second Primary, Prospect St.
29
25.25
24.00
95.05
40.00
38
Second Primary, Middle St.,
33
30.75
27.25
88.62
35.00
38
·
Blanche Cunningham,
23
22.55
19.21
85.19
45.00
38
Primary, Port,
Hattie A. Baxter,
24
23.25
22.30
95.91
40.00
38
Bear Hill,
Abbie L. Clement,
2I
16.33
14.80
90.63
35.00
38
Totals,
411
391.16
366.30
93.62
625.00
35.00
Anna Dodge,
Mary L. Brown,
Anna Dodge,
35.00
First Grammar, Port,
Ida M. Blaisdell,
16
SCHOOL REPORT.
GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS.
I. All teachers are required to see that these rules are faithfully observed.
2. Teachers are to be present in their respective school- rooms fifteen minutes before the hour of opening each session.
3. No teacher shall employ a substitute without per- mission from the Committee.
4. A record of each case of corporal punishment shall be made and reported monthly to the Superintendent.
5. Whenever the example of a pupil is injurious to the welfare of the school, the teacher may suspend such pupil from the school. In case of suspension, the teacher shall immediately notify the Committee and the parent, stating in writing the nature and cause of such suspension.
6. Promotions shall be made at the end of the sum- mer term by examinations and the yearly average of the pnpil. Promotions and partial promotions may be made at any time at the discretion of the teacher and superintendent. All such promotions shall receive the sanction of the Com- mittee.
7. No person shall be permitted to enter a school for the purpose of promoting the sale of any article. Teachers shall not allow notices to be given ; advertisements, circulars
17
SCHOOL REPORT.
or other printed matter to be distributed, or any like inter- ference with the regular course of school work.
S. Teachers shall see that the school-rooms present a neat and orderly appearance at all times.
9. No pupil shall leave the school grounds during re- cess without permission of the teacher.
10. Books are loaned to the pupils on the following conditions : Ist. They are to be used carefully and not to be marked or defaced. 2d. They are not to be taken from the school-room without the consent of the teacher. 3d. If lost or injured, they are to be paid for by the pupil using them.
II. In case of absence or tardiness, every pupil shall furnish written evidence from parent or guardian to the teacher that such absence or tardiness was for sufficient cause.
12. Teachers shall see that school-rooms are thoroughly ventilated at the close of each session.
13. Teachers may take two days in each year for the purpose or visiting other schools.
14. Teachers shall require that the State Laws in re- gard to contagious diseases and vaccination are complied with.
15. No child under five years of age shall be permitted to enter the public schools. No pupil between the ages of five and seven, who has neither been a regular pupil in the public schools nor is qualified to do the work being done in the school for which he is an applicant, shall be permitted to enter such school after the second Monday of the fall term.
16. From the Public Statutes, chapter 496, section 19 : No teacher of a public school shall receive payment for ser-
IS
SCHOOL REPORT.
vices for the two weeks preceding the close of any single term until the registers, properly filled up and completed, are so returned.
IMPORTANT EXTRACTS FROM THE PUBLIC STATUTES.
CHAPTER 249, SECTION I.
The school committee of each town or city in the Com- monwealth may, and after July first in the year nineteen hun- dred and two shall,.employ at the expense of the town or city a superintendent of schools, who under the direction and con- trol of the committee shall have the care and supervision of the public schools : provided, that nothing herein contained shall be construed to dissolve existing unions for the employ- ment of a superintendent, or to prevent towns from uniting for such employment under the provision of sections forty- four and forty-five of chapter forty-four of the Public Statutes, or sections six and seven of chapter four hundred and sixty- six of the acts of the year eighteen hundred and ninety-eight.
CHAPTER 515, SECTION 2.
All children who shall present a certificate signed by a regular practising physician that they are unfit subjects for vaccination shall not be subject to the provisions of section nine of chapter forty-seven of the Public Statutes excluding unvaccinated children from public school.
19
SCHIOOL REPORT.
FROM THE SIXTY-THIRD REPORT OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
The right of a parent to send his child to a private school if he sees fit is indisputable. It is assured by statute and un- questioned by the people.
Obviously, however, two or three months' instruction in a private school should not be accepted as an equivalent of eight or ten months' instruction in a public school, or a two or three hours' session in one as an equivalent for a five or six hours' daily session in the other, or grossly irregular attendance upon the one as an equivalent for exemplary attendance upon the other. The State, therefore, has ordered-
I. That the attendance of children between the ages seven and fourteen upon private schools shall be for a like period of time as in the public school.
II. That the instruction of such children shall be for a like period of time.
III. That, what ever differences there may be in the subject studied, private schools shall teach such children the statutory branches, just as the public schools do.
THIE DUTY OF THE TRUANT OFFICERS AS DEFINED BY THIE STATUTES.
I. It is his duty to inquire into all cases of habitual truancy and habitual absenteeism. It is not truancy and absenteeism from the public schools only, but from schools in general, whether public or private.
II. It is his duty to look after habitual school offenders, that is after those pupils under fourteen whose conduct ren- ders them fit subjects for exclusion from school, and who, if not properly attended to, would have to go without that
20
SCHOOL REPORT.
schooling which by law they should receive. Such pupils are not necessarily public school offenders, but offenders at any school, public or private.
III. It is his duty to inquire into all cases of persons who, having the control of children required by law to attend school, fail to cause them to attend school. The school meant is any school to which the person in control of the child has a right to send him, and may therefore, be either a public school or a private one.
CHAPTER 494 .- AN ACT TO REGULATE THE EMPLOYMENT OF LABOR.
Section 1. No child under fourteen years of age shall be employed in any factory, workshop or mercantile establish- ment. No such child shall be employed in any work per- formed for wages or other compensation, to whomsoever payable, during the hours when the public schools of the town or city in which he resides are in session, nor be en- ployed at any work before the hour of six o'clock in the morning or after the hour of seven o'clock in the evening.
Section 2. No child under sixteen years of age shall be employed in any factory, workshop or mercantile establish- ment unless the person or . corporation employing him pro- cures and keeps on file and accessible to the truant officers of the town or city, and to the district police and inspectors of factories, an age and schooling certificate as hereinafter pre- scribed.
2I
SCHOOL REPORT.
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS.
To the School Committee,
Gentlemen :
I herewith submit my second report of the schools of Merrimac. The following statistics give the census of Sep- tember, 1900, also the average membership, per cent. of attendance, etc., for the natural school year, ending in June, 1900.
Number of boys between the ages of 5 and
15, per census, 193
Number of girls between the ages of 5 and
15, per census, 184
377
Increase from last year, 27
Number of boys between the ages of 7 and
14, per census, I39
Number of girls between the ages of 7 and
14, per census, 148
287
Increase from last year, 6
Enrollment of pupils in elementary schools, 356
Enrollment of pupils in the high school, 67
423
22
SCHOOL REPORT.
Average membership of high school, 60.40 Average membership of elementary school, 328.90
Average attendance of high school, 55.60
389.30 Average attendance of elementary schools, 305.57
361.17
Per cent. of attendance of high school, 92.05
Per cent. of attendance of elementary schools, 92.SS
Per cent. of attendance for all schools, 92.77
The percentage of attendance for all the schools of the state for the year ending June, 1899, was 92. The percent- age of attendance of our schools for the year ending June, 1900, is 92.77. This is a little more than that for the state, but it should be considerably more. It will be seen from a comparison of the foregoing schedules that the percentage of attendance for the next school year promises to be much lar- ger than it was for the last year. Then for the High School it was 92.05. For this year thus far it is 97.19, a very com- mendable showing. The percentage of attendance of the elementary schools for last year was 92.SS. Thus far this year it is 93.62, which is also a gain.
The average cost, exclusive of repairing, altering, and erecting schoolhouses, for the schooling of each child in the state, based on the average membership, was $26.31. For Merrimac, obtained from corresponding data, it was $25.14. It must be remembered that the town expended $312.50 for supervision, and at that time had received no reimbursement from the State ; so the real cost per pupil is some less than that given above.
Several changes have been made during the past year,
23
SCHOOL REPORT.
yet but few of them are apparent. The most noticeable ones are the whitening and painting of most of the school rooms, and the removal of the High School to the Middle Street Building. The other changes are in the course of study. Of these I will speak later.
The removal of the High School to the Middle Street Building, for several reasons, has been productive of good results. The pupils of the High School are not in the same building with those of the elementary schools, excepting that one school of the two lowest grades occupies one of the rooms in the High School Building. While there may be some ob- jection to this it is not great, because there is such a difference in the ages of the pupils of the two schools that they can be placed under entirely different governments without the ques- tion of partiality being raised.
When the High School was in the Center Building, the pupils were deprived of many liberties, usually enjoyed by high school pupils, because it was necessary to have such regulations as would apply to both the pupils of the high school and those of the elementary schools. By so doing the government was suitable for neither class of pupils. This difficulty has been overcome, and the government of each school is adapted to the condition of the pupils. Schools without proper government defeat their prime object, while those with good government contribute very largely to the making of good citizens.
The High School now has good accomodations with the the exception of the sanitary department. This is demoraliz- ing and unsatisfactory in every particular, and immediately should receive attention.
The present location is much preferable to the former one. The pupils, being removed from the attractions at the
27
SCHOOL REPORT.
Center, are more studious, and the work of the school is having a deeper influence.
For the past two years, the school has been adapting itself to the new course of study, made by Mr. Ferguson. This has been done as fast as the growth of the school would permit. While the course is unquestionably a good one, in my judgment, when it is fully adopted, the work will be found tully as complicated as three teachers can carry out.
Usually a change in teachers retards progress, yet it does not seem to be the case in the High School, notwithstanding that two of the three teachers are new ones. Miss Grace Newhall followed a very popular teacher and is filling a responsible position, yet she is giving good satisfaction. With the better facilities, the work in science under the instruction of Miss Benson promises to be better than it was last year. Mr. Cutts proves to be a man with whom the success of the High School can safely be intrusted. You are to be congratulated because of your choice.
In general the work in this school is active, and bids fair to raise the present standard. For details your attention is called to the report of the Principal, herewith submitted.
THE COURSE OF STUDY AND THE SCHOOLS.
The schools are working rapidly into well defined cours- es.
The teachers patiently have worked along seemingly aimless paths. They have followed temporary courses of study, such as would best meet the condition of the particular school, and, at the same time, direct it towards the proposed course of study. In some cases they have taught very successfully, regardless of any suggestion, what they believed to be for the best interest of the pupils.
25
SCHOOL REPORT.
The course in literature and reading, inadequate as it was a year ago, was also, from a pedagogical standpoint, poorly arranged. This course, modified in several particulars is ready for publication. While it may differ from others in detail, I trust that it contains such material as will be most conducive to the development of the pupils' instinctive impulses, and that it is so arranged as to follow the psycholog- ical growth of the child.
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