USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Newburyport > City Officers and the Annual Reports to the City Council of Newburyport 1897 > Part 14
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Pay DAY-Wednesday after the first Monday of each month except August and September.
SCHOOL SIGNALS
8.15 a. m .- Two strokes of fire alarm, no forenoon session of primary and grammar schools.
1.15 p. m .- Two strokes of fire alarm, no afternoon session of primary and grammar schools.
GENTLEMEN OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE :
In obedience to your instructions I have the honor to submit the following report for the year 1897.
WILLIAM P. LUNT,
Superintendent of Schools.
IN SCHOOL COMMITTEE, Dec. 27, 1897.
Voted, that the annual report, as prepared by the superinten- dent be accepted as a whole, and signed by the chairman and secre- tary.
WILLIAM P. LUNT, Secretary.
THE HIGH AND PUTNAM SCHOOLS
HIGH SCHOOL-Geo. A. Dickey, principal ; Arthur H. Berry, Sara A. Leonard, Mary T. Spalding, Sara Deane, Inez Cohen, E. Belle Haven, assistants.
PUTNAM SCHOOL-Mary R. Bond, Harriet Piper, assistants.
The exhibition of the High school, held at City Hall June 29th, closed a year of successful work in that institution. The essays of the senior class, as well as the other exercises, showed careful training by the teachers, as well as a good degree of in tellectual ability on the part of the students of the school.
A class of fifty-one young men and women received diplo- mas, it being one of the largest classes ever graduating from the school. Its large numbers show an increased appreciation by parents of a high school training, a greater per cent. of those who have been members of the class having completed the course of study than in any previous year.
Eight students from the school passed the final examinations for admission to college and were admitted, and ten students were equally successful at the Mass. Institute of Technology. Seven students took the preliminary examinations for admission to college, eight for the Mass. Institute of Technology, and three were admitted to professional schools.
A change from the management of one set of teachers to that of another, even if both sets are of excellent ability, cannot take place without some temporary detriment. In our own
C
8
ANNUAL REPORT
school the wise and careful management of the principal and his associate teachers has resulted in as little disarrangement of things as could reasonably be expected.
At the beginning of the school year the new principal, Mr. Dickey, took charge of the school, and Miss Cohen was appoint- ed to the place made vacant by the resignation of Miss Barker. With the exception of these two teachers the board of instruction in the school was the same as the previous year. No change took place until the close of the winter term, when Miss Ida M. Wallace, teacher of Latin and Greek, resigned on account of ill health, after more than two years of acceptable service. Her place was filled for the remainder of the year by Miss S. Belle Haven, who declined a reelection, and Miss Bertha J. Atwater was chosen to the position. The character of Miss Atwater's work in this department when it was under her charge in pre- vious years is a sufficient guarantee of her future success.
At the end of the winter term Miss Spalding was granted leave of absence for the remainder of the school year for the purpose of visiting Europe, her place being filled by Miss Atwater.
At the close of the year Miss Sara M. Deane, the able and efficient teacher of History, was called away to a field of labor in which the advantages offered were greater than those given in our own city. Her place was not an easy one to fill, requiring as it did skill in teaching History according to modern methods, as well as experience in the discipline of a large room. After many personal interviews, and a careful consideration of the tes- timonials of many applicants, Miss Mary E. Smith, a teacher of successful experience, was elected to the place made vacant by Miss Deane's resignation.
At the beginning of the present year, September, 1897, Miss Harriet Piper, teacher of French, was given leave of absence by
9
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
the trustees of the Putnam Free school, her place being filled by Miss Merrill.
With so many changes in the teaching force during the year it is much to the credit of the principal that the work of the school is moving on quietly and harmoniously.
As was suggested in the report for 1896, the list of optional studies for the senior class has been somewhat enlarged. The interesting and profitable studies of Mental Philosophy and Eco- nomics have been introduced, making a valuable addition to the course of study, especially for those pupils whose school training ends with the High school.
The course in Drawing has been better adapted than before to the wants of students preparing for the higher scientific schools , and the teaching of music, just introduced, promises to be a source of pleasure and profit to the pupils.
The Toppan prize, given for the best examination paper on " Civil Government," was awarded to Carl P. Rollins of New- buryport, and a prize of five dollars, given by the Daughters of the American Revolution for the best essay on some subject con- nected with the "Great Struggle," was won by Burton Phil- brick, also of this city.
For the purpose of keeping our school equal in efficiency to other first-class high schools, the course of study has been care- fully revised so as to ensure better preparatory training for the higher institutions of learning ; a more exact classification of the pupils has been made, and the general working machinery of the school, in both studies and discipline, so adjusted as to promise good results.
IO
ANNUAL REPORT STATISTICS OF HIGH AND PUTNAM SCHOOLS-1896-7
Whole membership of boys in High school .
105
66
girls
99
60
66
204
Average
boys
·98.5
66
girls
66
66
.91.4
66
66
66
189.9
attendance of boys
60
. 97.3
66
girls
87.6
66
66
184 9
Per cent of
boys
66
98.8
66
girls
.95.8
97.3
Cases of tardiness in
66
686
Whole number of boys in Putnam
47
girls
41
pupils
.88
High and Putnam schools 292
Cases of tardiness in Putnam school
.55
Average membership of boys in Putnam school 38.6
66
girls
.39 0
attendance of boys
.37.5
girls
Per cent of
boys
66
. 97 .2
girls
66
98.7
66
60
school .98.0
Average age of boys in I class, High school
· 17.8
girls in I 66
boys in I
Putnam
. 17.5
girls in I 66
boys in II
High
66
.17.7
66 boys in II
Putnam “ · 17 . I
17 .5
66
boys in III
High 15.8
.16.0
66
boys in III
Putnam . 15.5
66
girls in III
15.6
boys in IV
High
. 15 . I
16
girls in IV
66
. 15.I
17.6
16.8
66 girls in II
girls in II
66
girls in III
38.5
66
. 17.8
66
II
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
boys in IV " Putnam " girls in IV
. 15 . I
14.5
Number in High school over 15 years of age, boys · 75 . 66 66 girls 76 Cases of dismissal in High school . 346
Putnam .201
I2
ANNUAL REPORT
GRADUATING EXERCISES OF THE CLASS OF '97
At City Hall, June 29, 1897
Music
Orchestra
Prayer
Rev. C. S. Brooks
Singing - " The Lord is My Shepherd,". School Chorus
Essay - with Salutatory Address - Hawthorne in Salem,
Miss Richardson
Oration - The Eastern Question Mr. Buckley
(a) Clubs
Miss Noyes
Symposium - Problems
(b) Practical Education
Miss Robinson
( (c) Social Inequalities
Miss Ordway
Singing - " Farewell to the Forest," School Chorus
Oration - Truth.
Mr. C. T. Smith
Essay - Influence Miss Collins
Music
Orchestra
Oration - War Mr. Little
Essay - Roman Civilization Miss Kimball
Oration - X-Rays Mr. Dodge
Singing - " Watch on the Rhine,"
School Chorus
Essay - Music of Shakespeare. Miss Martin
Oration - The Wheelwright Fund Mr. Pettingell Essay - with Valedictory Address - The Triumphs of the Mind, Miss Smith
Music
Orchestra
Award of Toppan Prize
13
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Presentation of Diplomas
Singing - Class Ode Words by Miss Mace
Onward, happy classmates, With your colors bright, Let us all go forward In the path of right ; Though we be divided In the mighty throng, Do not fear or falter, Keep both true and strong.
Chorus - Onward, happy classmates, Marching on through life, Keep our motto ever, Both in calm and strife.
Onward, then, ye classmates, Marching on life's way, Keep your faces cheerful Come whatever may ; See that you accomplish That which you attempt ; See that you are faithful When to duty sent. · Benediction
Music by Nason's Orchestra.
Pianist, Miss Elizabeth M. Sargent
14
ANNUAL REPORT
GRADUATING CLASS
High School
Grace Aubin
William Stephen Buckley
Marguerite Lowell Blumpey
Marietta Brown
Minnie Frances Collins
Sarah White Holmes
Fred Eliphalet Greene George Boynton Hatch
Elva Osgood Jones L. Florence Kimball Jennie Prescott Lowell
James Henry Hunt Frank Nichols Jaques
Edith Carroll Noyes
Katharine Carleton Nutting
Philip Coombs Pearson Charles Ireland Pettingell
Harriet May Ordway
Edward Cosgrove Reddy
Carl Purington Rollins
Ralph Lunt Shepard
Charles Thomas Smith
Frank Arthur Smith
Orlando Sargent Stocknian
Putnam School
Alice Walton Adams
Mary Louise True
Ethel Ellen Beckman
Clara Maud Dow
Hugh Galbraith Christie
Eliza Belle Fullford
Harry Walker French
Bertha Maude Knowles
Arthur Little
Nellie Etta Mace
Howard Adams Noyes
Olive Stanwood Mahar Lina Waldo Martin Helen Webster True
Charles Rogers
Charles Warren Spalding
Annie Belle Richardson Rosalie Lunt Robinson Elizabeth Mary Sargent Hattie Maria Smith
Emily Frances Upton Walter Norcross Brown
George Edgar Cooper Michael Francis Creeden Eben Frederick Cutter Lyman Edward Dodge
Guy Winfield Chase
GRAMMAR SCHOOLS
-
During the year ending July 3. 1897, but few changes oc- curred in the corps of grammar school teachers. The principal of the Jackman school, whose ill health had necessitated the em ployment of a substitute for a large part of the preceding year, was able to be at his post without further interruption.
At the Kelley school Miss Wetmore resigned her position as teacher of the seventh grade. The vacancy was filled for a few months by the appointment of Miss Grace Rivers. After Miss Rivers' withdrawal, which occurred at the close of the fall term, the school board decided to transfer Miss Nellie G. Stone from the position she had ably filled at the Storey Avenue school to the vacant room. This was done, and the result was such as to lead the board to believe that the best interests of the school would be promoted by her remaining permanently.
Miss Alice A. Bartlett, who had been transferred from the Bromfield street primary school to the assistant's room of the boys' grammar school on Forrester street, proved herself a teach- er of unusual ability in her new position. Her success was com- plete, and it was fondly hoped she would be able to remain ; but about the middle of the school year she felt compelled to with- draw. After several attempts to fill the position satisfactorily with an experienced teacher had failed, Miss Adelena Sargent
16
ANNUAL REPORT
was appointed as a substitute. Miss Sargent has shown herself thoroughly capable and efficient, and has now received a perma- nent appointment.
The transfer of Miss Stone from the Storey Avenue school to the Kelley left a vacancy, which was filled by the appointment of Miss Georgie Bartlett, a recent graduate of the Training school. Miss Bartlett is conducting this school to the satisfaction of those interested in its welfare.
Our grammar schools have generally been managed by com- petent and successful teachers, who have maintained a good stan- dard of scholarship and discipline, but it is becoming more and more difficult to fill vacancies in these schools. Occasionally there is a pupil teacher graduating from the Training school who shows exceptional ability and can be placed in charge of a gram- mar school room, but generally it is found necessary to go out- side of our own city for such a teacher.
The instruction in the various branches taught in these schools has not materially changed from last year, except in re- spect to penmanship. At the beginning of the year the commit- tee, in view of the success of vertical writing in many other places. decided to introduce that system into all grades below the High school. In most of the schools the results were good -- in some rooms remarkably so, while in a few, especially those whose teachers found it difficult to change their own handwriting, the results were not so satisfactory. It must be remembered, howev- er, that the older pupils, whose handwriting had already been formed and who had already acquired a habit of writing in one style, would naturally find it more difficult than the younger scholars whose hand had not yet become fixed. Another year, it is hoped, will find every room with average penmanship as good as the best of last year's.
17
SCHOOL COMMITTEL
KELLEY SCHOOL (Grammar Department) Irving H. Johnson, principal
Nellie G. Stone
Clara J. Edgerly
Total enrolment
230
Average membership
203
attendance
193
Per cent of
94.5
Cases of tardiness
710
Dismissions
257
Average age
12 years 2 months
Number over 15 years of age
13
admitted to High school without examination
5
by
8
Names of pupils admitted to High school :
Mabel Choate, Edith M. Chase, Russell Green, Nellie Haskell, Myra Noyes, Edw. H. Bartlett, Carl T. Wharton, Charles E. Hanna, Erskine Clement, Ada Mullins, Harriet D. Coffin, Pearl M. Pillsbury, Ruth Sargent.
JOHNSON SCHOOL (Grammar Department)
Anna L. Coffin, principal.
Emma M. Lander, assistant
Total enrolment
71
Average membership
65.9
attendance
62.7
Per cent of 66
95.5
Cases of tardiness
73
Dismissions
174
Average age
13 years 4 months
Number over fifteen years of age . 9
66 admitted to High school without examination
7
66
by . 6
O
Names of pupils admitted to High school :
Isabel Allen, Elizabeth E. Stevens, Mary P. Brookings, Ava L. Hardy, Grace M. Atwood, Ellen E. Quill, Mary Belle Pearson.
Assistants § Alice W. Hopkinson Anna L. Whitmore
18
ANNUAL REPORT
BROMFIELD STREET SCHOOL (Grammar Department)
Priscilla G. Craig, principal.
Abbie L. Frost, assistant
Total enrolment
93
Average membership 66 attendance
74
Per cent of 95
Cases of tardiness
169
Dismissions
III
Average age
12 years 4 1-2 months
Number over fifteen years of age
9
admitted to High school without examination 8
66
66 by 66 2
Names of pupils admitted to High school :
Tula M. Reed, Mary M. Perkins, Sadie A. Hart, Mary J. Pettin- gell, Gertrude L. Barrett, Fred P. Nutting, Harold A. Thurlow, Charles J. Ross, Florence M. Towle, Diana P. Blair.
JACKMAN SCHOOL (Grammar Department)
George W. Brown, principal. Anna M. Lamprey, assistant
Total enrolment
90
Average membership
82.6
attendance 78.6
Per cent of 94.5
Cases of tardiness
339
Dismissions
204
Average age
13 years 4 months
Number over fifteen years
9
admitted to High school without examination I3
by 66
O
78
Names of pupils admitted to High school :
R. W. Roberts, E. S. Brown, C. C. Shackford, Luren Stevens, L. L. Emery, T. H. Mackinney, Stanley Besse, A. W. Southwell, J. L. Safford, J. E. Fowle, E. M. Coffin, G. F. Avery, jr., A. W. Greenleaf.
19
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
CURRIER (BOYS) GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Sarah B. Chute, principal. Adelena Sargent, assistant
Total enrolment
79
Average membership
64.5
attendance 61.6
Per cent of
95
Average age
12 years II months
Cases of tardiness
I 20
Dismissions
95
Number over fifteen years of age
4
admitted to High school without examination 3
66
by 4
Names of pupils admitted to High school :
Howard P. Wilson, Harold S. Greene, Frank R. Langmaid, Moses H. Williams, Edgar W. Mitchell, W. Cleveland Ross, James H. Roney.
CURRIER (GIRLS) GRAMMAR SCHOOL
S. E. Whitmore, principal. Ellen Frothingham, assistant
Total enrolment
72
Average membership
66
attendance 62
Per cent of
96.5
Cases of tardiness
95
Dismissions I19
Average age
13 years 5 1-2 months
Number over fifteen years of age 6
admitted to High school without examination 5
66
66
by O
Names of pupils admitted to the High school :
Edith A. Medcalf, Bertha A. Ordway, Elizabeth C. Wills, Minnie G. Douglass, Edna M. Currier.
20
ANNUAL REPORT
MOULTONVILLE SCHOOL
Helen S. Merrill, principal.
Flora Pettigrew, assistant
Total enrolment
59
Average membership
50
attendance
44.6
Per cent of
89.2
Cases of tardiness
I31
Dismissions
24
Average age
9 years 9 months
Number over fifteen years of age
I
admitted to High school without examination 2
by O
Names of pupils admitted to High school :
Edith M. Menut, Grace L. Bartlett.
STOREY AVENUE GRAMMAR AND PRIMARY SCHOOL
Georgie Bartlett, principal
Total enrolment
27
Average membership
21.8
attendance
19.I
Per cent of
87.6
Cases of tardiness
72
Dismissions
35
Average age
II years
Number over fifteen years of age
3
under five
O
promoted to High school without examination 2
66 by O
Names of pupils admitted to High school :
Sadie Brooks, May Martin.
PRIMARY SCHOOLS.
The primary schools of Newburyport include the first four grades of pupils. Children are admitted at five years of age, dur- ing the first part of each term. There are frequently applications to have them enter between four and five, but with our present school accommodations this cannot be done without over-crowd- ing
Till within a little over a year the school on Hancock street has been attended by girls only. At the Bromfield street school both boys and girls were admitted. This made a long distance for the smaller boys living at the extreme South-End, and caused the school to receive more pupils than could be accommodated. At the beginning of the school year it was decided by the board to make a mixed school of the room containing the first and sec- ond grades in Hancock street. Later the same step was taken in the next room of the third and fourth grades ; and at the present time boys are also attending the fifth grade or the lowest class of the grammar schools. So far as can be ascertained no unpleas- ant effects have been caused by this change.
In March, 1897, the lower room of the Hancock street school was so crowded that it became necessary to find addition- al accommodations. At the request of the school committee, the committee on public property prepared the ward room just in the rear of the school-house for occupancy. Twenty-five pupils
22
ANNUAL REPORT
were taken from the Hancock street school, and Miss Eleanor S. Robinson was appointed teacher. Under her management the school entered at once into successful operation.
The relief afforded to the Bromfield street school by allow- ing boys to attend the Hancock street school enabled the teach- ers to pursue their work without the usual crowding.
The Curtis school, which at the time of the printing of the last annual report was nearly ready for occupancy, was used for the first time Jan. 11, 1897. Those pupils who had formerly attended this school returned, while those who had attended school farther down the street in the ward room were removed to this building. There were also several children who had lived near the line separating the two districts, attending the Congress street school, who could as well go to the Curtis school. In this way the school board was enabled to discontinue the use of the ward five ward room, so that at the present time no use as a school is made of either of the ward rooms of ward five or ward six.
The Curtis school on Ashland street is now in many respects the most modern and the best adapted to school purposes of any in the city. The four rooms have each forty-two desks for pupils. They are spacious, well-ventilated and comfortably warmed. The children and their parents take increased interest in their school, and there is but little doubt that the clean and pleasant surroundings will exercise a healthy moral influence. Would that every school-house was as good as this.
Few changes of teachers in the primary schools were made during the school year. Miss Lillian Greenleaf, who was ap- pointed to succeed Miss Hoxie, as second assistant at the Brom- field street school, is meeting with excellent success, while Miss Mary T. Colby, who took the place of third assistant after the transfer of Miss Bartlett to the Forester street school, has a
23
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
school of the first and second grades that cannot easily be ex- celled. Attention has only been called to those rooms where changes have occurred. There are other rooms in the primary department doing fine work.
The primary schools are generally in a very satisfactory con- dition so far as discipline and instruction are concerned. As a whole the teachers of these grades are doing good work. While there are differences in ability and in the degree of success at- tained, all of them are striving constantly for better results. The changes that have been made in some of the school buildings, with the increased accommodations for pupils, will have a very salutary influence, not only upon the health of the children, but also upon the progress of the schools.
The work of the special teacher in drawing has systematized that branch, so that the regular teachers can feel that a definite plan has been provided for their guidance, and that they are all pursuing the same course. The recent introduction of music has added a new interest to the schools, and is providing a source of wholesome enjoyment, which will undoubtedly prove beneficial to many children outside of the school-room.
24
ANNUAL REPORT
JOHNSON SCHOOL (Primary Department)
Jennie P. Haskell, principal.
Grace E. Bartlett, assistant
Total enrolment
104
Average membership
84
attendance
77.7
Per cent of
92.5
Cases of tardiness
I71
Dismissions
162
Average age
7 years 9 months
Number under five years
O
promoted in all grades
64
BROMFIELD STREET SCHOOL (Primary Department)
Lillian Greenleaf, principal. Mary T. Colby, assistant
Total enrolment
107
Average membership
81.9
attendance
75.8
Per cent of
92.6
Cases of tardiness
267
Dismissions
53
Average age
7 years II months
Number under five years of age
0
promoted to grammar school
15
JACKMAN SCHOOL (Primary Department)
Josie W. Kimball, principal.
Lillian Hamilton, assistant
Total enrolment
86
Average membership
77.4
attendance
71.9
Per cent of
92.9
Cases of tardiness
394
Dismissions
30I
Average age
9 years 8 months
Number under five years of age
0
promoted to grammar grade
I5
25
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
TEMPLE STREET SCHOOL Lillian Goodwin, principal
Total enrolment
53
Average membership
44
attendance
39
Per cent of
88
Cases of tardiness
93
Dismissions
89
Average age
8 years 2 months
Number under five years of age
0
promoted to grammar school
7
TRAINING SCHOOL
Frances W. Richards, principal
Total enrolment
250
Average membership
183
attendance
165.9
Per cent. of 66
89.7
Cases of tardiness
428
Dismissions
311
Average age
8 years 2 months
Number under five years of age
O
promoted to grammar school without examination . 30
66
by IO .
CONGRESS STREET SCHOOL
Elizabeth Cheever, principal
Sarah A. Ross, Ist assistant. Gertrude E. Lewis, 2d assistant Annie P. Toppan, 3d assistant
Total enrolment
I64
Average membership
132.4
attendance
120.3
Per cent of
91
26
ANNUAL REPORT
Average age
Cases of tardiness
8 years I 1-2 months 387
Dismissions
167
Number under five years of age
0
promoted to grammar school 29
CURTIS SCHOOL
Frances L. Pettigrew, principal
Sarah F. Badger, assistant. Charlotte Dickins, assistant Julia J. Hubbard, assistant
Total enrolment
I46
Average membership
139.7
attendance
128.4
Per cent of
92
Cases of tardiness
236
Dismissions
100
Average age
7 years II months
Number under five years of age
O
" promoted to grammar school . 30
PURCHASE STREET SCHOOL
Mary A. Roaf, principal
Total enrolment
61
Average membership
44
attendance
40.5
Per cent of
91.8
Cases of tardiness
I71
Dismissions
30
Average age
5 years 8 months
Number under five years of age
.
O
27
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
WARD ROOM, WARD ONE Eleanor S. Robinson, teacher
Total enrolment
36
Average membership
26.3
attendance
24.2
Per cent of
94.2
Cases of tardiness
14
Dismissions
9
Average age
6 years
Number under five years of age
O
TRAINING SCHOOL
Our training school, which began in 1889 as an experi- ment, has now become an established success. Since the open- ing of the school forty-five young ladies have graduated, eighteen of these have been employed in Newburyport and the others have found situations elsewhere. The number of pupil teachers for the past year has averaged about fourteen, more and more entering each year from the city. In February a class of three, Georgie Bartlett, Margaret Cockburn and Cora Oliver, and in September four more, Grace Gale, Edith Smith, Elizabeth Merrill and Julia Boyle, graduated. All these graduates soon found positions and are now teaching. No great changes have taken place in the school the past year.
About a year ago a new regulation was made by the school board respecting this school, viz : that every pupil teacher absent more than two weeks should be required to remain and make up the time after the class had graduated. This regulation was much needed and it is hoped will be strictly enforced, as the course is of itself so short for the work to be done that no time can be spared.
30
ANNUAL REPORT
GRADUATES SINCE THE OPENING OF THE SCHOOL
NAME
YEAR OF GRADUATION
BEGAN TEACHING IN NEWBURYPORT
PRESENT POSITION
Eleanor Towle
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