USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Hatfield > Hatfield Annual Town Report 1936-1944 > Part 24
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Alex E. Celatka, Secretary Stanley Ziezulewicz
Term expires 1944
Term expires 1945 Term expires 1946
ACTING SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS Gilbert D. Bristol 66 Main Street, Hatfield Telephone 3871
SUPERVISOR OF SECONDARY EDUCATION Clarence J. Larkin
SUPERVISOR OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION Raymond N. Jenness
SCHOOL PHYSICIANS A. J. Bonneville, M. D. R. C. Byrne, M. D.
SCHOOL NURSE Marion Holmes, R. N. 82 Harrison Avenue, Northampton Telephone Northampton 25
ATTENDANCE OFFICER
Thomas Breor
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SCHOOL CENSUS
As of October 1, 1943
Boys 25
Girls 30
1943-1942-1941-1940
From 5 to 7
55
56
47
57
From 7 to 16
144
136
280
286
308
312
169
166
335
342
355
369
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Report of the School Committee
January 20, 1944.
To the citizens of the Town of Hatfield :
Your School Committee submits herewith the annual report for the year ending December 31, 1943. Ten regu- lar and numerous special meetings were held during the year.
Changes in Administration
Early in October, a meeting was held of the joint com- mittee comprising the Hadley-Hatfield School Union. At this time, a motion was made and seconded that the School Union Number 34 be dissolved. This motion was carried by a majority vote of the members of each participating committee. The Commissioner of Education was imme- diately notified of the dissolution vote because, by statute, a school union cannot be dissolved without the consent of the Department of Education.
Mr. Hebard, former superintendent of schools, termi- nated his services to us on the thirtieth of October. -
Because a school committee is required to have an ex- ecutive officer, and because Hadley had already elected a man to act in that capacity, the School Committee of Hat- field moved to comply with this requirement. On Novem- ber 9, 1943, Mr. Gilbert D. Bristol was elected to be the Acting Superintendent of the Public Schools of Hatfield.
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Subsequent correspondence and communication with the Department of Education revealed the fact that the dissolution of the school union could not be allowed unless either a district or a full-time superintendent was ap- pointed.
Frequent meetings of the joint committee were held, involving lengthy discussions, but as time elapsed no change was apparent in the attitude of the majority mem- bers of either school committee.
Commissioner Julius E. Warren approved the dissolu- tion of the Hadley-Hatfield School Union with the proviso that each town employ a full-time superintendent.
Hadley and Hatfield have each decided to retain a full- time superintendent.
Changes in Teaching Staff
With one exception, the teaching staff of the schools remains the same as it was recorded in the last town report. Miss Pauline Lyons, teacher of latin and french, left Smith Academy to assume another teaching position. Mrs. Alfred Muller (A. B. Wheaton College) was elected to fill the vacancy. Mrs. Muller was for eight years a teacher in the Greenfield High School.
Repairs to Buildings
Repairs by the Trustees to the Smith Academy-
1. Chemistry laboratory and household arts room painted.
2. New ceiling in the hall on the second floor.
3. Fluorescent lighting units installed in the chemis- try laboratory and the agriculture room.
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Repairs to the Center School-
1. Outside doors painted.
2. Vacu-draft on furnace repaired.
3. Fluorescent lights ordered for two rioms.
4. Toilets repaired.
Repairs to School Street School-
1. Maple flooring laid in two classrooms and the upper hall.
2. Floors sanded and sealed.
3. Entire interior repainted.
4. New ceiling in the lower hall and toilets.
5. Stringers renewed under stairs.
6. Bannisters strengthened.
7. Stairs sanded and refinished.
8. Desk tops sanded and refinished.
9. New enclosure for girls' toilet.
10. Door cut through brick wall between the boiler room and the service room.
11. All window casings checked for leaks.
12. Vestibule in lower hall rebuilt.
Additions to the school workshop-
1. An overhead door installed.
2. Hot water tank attached to the boiler.
3. New bench made for metal lathe.
4. Header installed in outside door.
5. Storm windows purchased to save fuel.
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Budget
The budget for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1944 is submitted for examination.
HATFIELD SCHOOLS
Budget Outline for 1944
1943
1944
Forecast
Cost
Administration
Forecast
$1,700.00
$1,395.84
Supt. of Schools
$2,800.00
200.00
203.57
Trans. Supt. and Acad.
150.00
120.00
106.12
Telephones, 3
120.00
35.00
41.27
Pstg., Prtg., Sta.
35.00
25.00
25.00
Census Taking
25.00
75.00
66.00
Attendance Officer
50.00
900.00
933.32
School Nurse
1,000.00
. ·
68.35
All Other Expenses
. .. .
$3,055.00
$2,839.47
$4,180.00
Instruction, Teaching
$10,000.00
$13,320.15
Academic
$10,950.00
3,600.00
Vocational
3,800.00
14,000.00
14,531.39
Elementary
15,600.00
1,100.00
1,059.96
Music and Drawing
1,150.00
$28,700.00
$28,911.50
$31,500.00
Instruction, Books and Supplies
$1,000.00
$837.48
Academic
$1,000.00
400.00
316.07
Vocational
350.00
1,200.00
726.47
Elementary
1,200.00
200.00
114.32
Health and Phys. Edu.
200.00
$2,800.00
$1,994.34
$2,750.00
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Janitor Service
$1,250.00
$1,292.86
Academy and Vocational $1,323.00
1,150.00
1,176.73
Elementary
1,220.00
200.00
257.85
Supplies, Cleaning and Sanitary 200.00
$2,600.00
$2,727.44
$2,743.00
Transportation
$2,160.00
$2,078.50
180 days at $12.00 $2,160.00
Heat, Light, Power
$900.00
$1,103.37
Academy and Vocational
$900.00
1,950.00
937.88
Elementary
1,950.00
$2,850.00
$2,041.25
$2,850.00
Plant Maintenance
$800.00
$2,491.99
Elementary
$800.00
400.00
96.00
Playground Upkeep
150.00
85.00
17.10
Miscellaneous
25.00
$1.285.00
$2,605.09
$975.00
$111.24
Miscellaneous Expense
$43,450.00
$43,308.83
$47,158.00
Totals
Industrial Education
Trade School, Perhaps 19 boys at $130.00 $1,300.00
SCHOOL LUNCH PROJECT ACCOUNT
To equal the receipts from an average of 215 pupils for 170 days at 20¢ per pupil (to cover costs of salaries, food, and sup- plies.) $7,310.00
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Conclusion
The best education possible for each Hatfield child has been the constant thought of your school committee.
To the teachers, principals, parents, and citizens of the Town of Hatfield, who have labored with us toward that common goal, we extend our deep appreciation.
Respectfully submitted, GEORGE H. HOWARD, Chairman, ALEX E. CELATKA, STANLEY ZIEZULEWICZ, Hatfield School Committee.
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Report of the Acting Superintendent of Schools
January 15, 1944.
To the School Committee of Hatfield :
It is with pleasure that I submit the annual report concerning the Public Schools of Hatfield.
INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT
Once again it becomes our privilege to review for the townspeople the progress made by teachers and principals to improve the quality of our educational program.
Entering, as we are, the fourth year of our national participation in the greatest conflict in all history, we note with care and interest that the home training and formal education of each American child is affected accordingly. The degree to which the behavior patterns of each child are conditioned in the home training depends, in a large measure, upon the involvement of close relatives in the armed services. The anxiety of parents concerning the welfare of older brothers and sisters, who are on far-flung battle fronts, often imposes upon the school child a tre- mendous emotional strain. This strain is reflected in situations and responses to situations at school. It is an inevitable part of the total war picture.
On the other hand, holidays for rationing, drives to sell war bonds and stamps, physical toughening programs, and pre-induction courses all lend their weight in influenc- ing formal education.
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We, who are teachers and administrators in the Pub- lic Schools of Hatfield, take cognizance of these facts and we have adjusted our program to fit the needs of school children in a great democracy at war.
HATFIELD SCHOOLS WORK TOWARD VICTORY.
Following is a brief summary of activities carried on by Hatfield school pupils and department personnel :
1. Hatfield school pupils buy war stamps and bonds to the limit of their financial ability.
2. School teachers and principals gave willingly of their time to register citizens for War Ration Books.
3. Pre-induction training courses in the high school prepare our pupils to render much needed services in the armed forces.
4. A program of physical training has been inaugu- rated in the high school to render our boys physi- cally capable of enduring the army toughening program.
5. The principal of the high school is giving much of his personal time to the problem of rehabilita- ting disabled war veterans.
6. The principal of the grammar school has served, during the summer months, on the staff of a sum- mer camp for boys and girls. This is definitely morale-building activity.
7. Under the "Food for Victory" program, the high school teacher of agriculture served as the farm labor coordinator for Hatfield.
8. An adult course in farm machinery repair was established under the supervision of the high school department of vocational agriculture. This course was established under the Food Production Training Program.
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SCHOOL ENROLLMENT TRENDS
Center Grammar School-By Grades
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
1942
32
27
24
33
23
38
32
36
1943
27
32
27
25
35
22
20
32
Comparative Totals for Center School
Year
1944
1943
1942
1941
Total Enrollment
220
245
264
279
We predict no significant change in the school enroll- ment during the next fiscal year. School enrollment, over a long period of time, is always fluctuating, and it is usu- ally proportional to the birth rate for a given year. The birth rate, in turn, varies with changing economic and social conditions. In planning for the future, however, we should remember that we will have a temporary in- crease in enrollment occasioned by the present high birth rate.
Smith Academy Enrollment-By Classes
Freshmen
Sophomores
Juniors Seniors
Total
1943
40
28
16
19
103
1944
35
26
27
15
103
Totals for Hatfield Public Schools
1943-348 pupils
1944-323 pupils
TRANSPORTATION OF SCHOOL CHILDREN
During the past year, the school committee has given serious consideration to the problem of better transporta- tion facilities for school pupils. The morning schedule of three trips has been satisfactory, but the afternoon
80
schedule of two trips has resulted in one overloaded bus. This has now been partly remedied by having not only three trips in the morning, but also three trips in the after- noon. Mr. Henry Labbee has given us excellent coopera- tion at all times in the matter of bus transportation. We sorely need the services of another bus, but we shall prob- ably have to wait until after the war to complete the pur- chase of one.
COMMUNITY SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM
No one can question the health value of the hot lunches that are made available to our school children. Miss Holmes, our school nurse, heartily endorses them. Mr. Jenness cites in his report the ever-decreasing number of stomach disorders among elementary pupils, a trend which he ascribes to the serving of hot lunches.
We are now eligible to receive funds from the Food Distribution Administration, and, through the aid of these funds, our school lunch program is now practically self- supporting. The following statistics, compiled by Mrs. Dorothy B. Godin, are submitted for examination :
Number of Days and Number of Meals Served
Month
No. Lunch Days
No. Meals Served
January
20
4867
February
17
3394
March
20
5256
April
12
2196
May
20
4355
June
7
1357
September
14
2684
October
18
3524
November
19
4105
December
17
3618
164 days
35,356 meals
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Financial Summary
Source of funds to operate for fiscal year 1943 :
Town meeting appropriation 1943
$4,250.00
Balance carried over from 1942
117.17
Special appropriation 1943 Refund
1,600.00
5.14
$5,972.31
Cost of operation :
Total cost of operation to Dec. 31, $5,852.31
Balance December 31, 1943
$120.00
Credits to the Town of Hatfield on the School Lunch Account:
Receipts from the school children
$3,774.21
Reimbursement from the F. D. A. :
June, 1943
194.94
September, 1943
157.14
October, 1943
317.16
November, 1943
369.45
Inventory December 31, 1943
561.79
Total credits, Town of Hatfield $5,374.69
Difference between the cost of operation and the total credits $477.62
·It should be noted here that we still have due us from the Food Distribution Administration approximately $409.84. If this money had been received prior to Janu- ary 1, 1944, the above difference would have been $67.78. Since the value of free meals made available was $67.26, it is not hard to understand that the school lunch is prac- tically paying for itself.
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PUPIL HEALTH
Schoolroom lighting and ventilation have always been given a prominent place on the health check list by medical and public health authorities. Ventilation is important to bodily comfort and to assure clean, fresh air for the respiratory tract. Engineers in cooperation with public health authorities have compiled standard tables indicating the necessary rates for the replacement of air in public buildings.
Adequate ventilation of the Smith Academy building should appear at the top of the list of improvements to be made in the post-war period to that building.
Proper modern lighting of our schools is receiving the present attention of the School Committee of Hatfield and the Trustees of Smith Academy. This is evidenced by the installation of fluorescent lighting in two rooms in the Smith Academy building. The lighting in both study halls in the academy should receive attention before the opening of another academic year. The school committee has on order fluorescent lighting for the two primary grade rooms in the School Street School and for two rooms in the Center School. This is the beginning of a plan to re- new, over a period of time, all of the lighting in the Center School.
Improper lighting and eyestrain go hand in hand. Educators are finding that good light in the classroom means better learning as well as better eyesight. The fol- lowing paragraphs will support this proposition.
"Johnny started to school for the first time last month-with a normal pair of eyes for a normal lifetime of use.
But how will those eyes fare at school ?
That's a question for everyone interested in schools along REA lines : superintendents, teachers, directors and parents.
1
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Of every 100 youngsters who begin the adventure of school each fall, figures show that only seven start with the handicap of nearsightedness, one of the most common eye defects. Somewhere along the way-through the multiplication tables and long division-two more out of every 100 become nearsighted. And the percentage keeps going up. Before they leave high school, 24 out of every 100 pupils will be in the nearsighted group.
Among these students with defective vision, especially in grade school, will be many of the "failures": the pupils who do not pass, who drop out at the end of the eighth grade, who do not adjust.
In Tuscumbia, Ala., results of a three-year test with sixth grade pupils show that the ratio of pupils not pro- moted in a well-lighted room to those not promoted in a room with ordinary lighting was one to three. Another test with third grade sections in Mt. Lebanon, Pa., showed approximately 28 per cent more improvement for the pupils in the better lighted room than in the control room. Other students have shown that poor seeing results in muscular tensions, faster heart beat, poor posture.
A somewhat different test was made one dark morn- ing at a Van Wert, O., school.
"At the middle of the period, we switched on new lights, increasing light on the desks more than 18 times," Superintendent U. E. Diener reports. "The immediate change, as well as the change that took place the remainder of that hour, was remarkable .. . Pupils sat upright in their seats with feet flat on floor, their countenances lighted up immediately, and before the end of the period, the lines caused by tense muscles had been erased. A very decided change in student temperament was eivdent." (1.)
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Testing Vision
Miss Holmes informs me that to conduct proper vision tests, we should have a small piece of equipment known as the Massachusetts Vision Testing Material. This new test, known as the "Massachusetts Vision Test" is now re- garded with favor by the American Medical Association, and is likely to be used by an ever-increasing number of public school systems.
(1.) Rural Electrification News-Volume IX, Number 3 (November, 1943) Article: "Let There Be Light." page 4.
THE HIGH SCHOOL
Additions to the Course of Study
Commencing with September, 1943, two pre-induction training courses were added to the high school course of study.
Mr. Larkin teaches a course in "Elements of Aero- nautics", and Mr. Jakobek teaches a course divided into two semesters, the first semester being concerned with "Electricity" and the second with "Motors".
Principal Larkin has applied to the Army for the re- lease of some equipment which aids greatly in the teaching of these courses.
Physical Education Program
In response to repeated requests by United States Army authorities the high school has undertaken a physi- cal education program designed to increase the number of pupils participating in athletics and body-building activi- ties.
This year we have adopted a very limited program to acquaint the pupils with certain exercises and tactics which
85
will have some military value. The work is aimed not only at toughening the bodies of our boys, but also teach- ing them citizenship and moral responsibility. Group ac- tivities have been used to reach especially those pupils who do not ordinarily participate in athletic games.
Since this activity has peace-time values, the whole program should remain and be fitted into the high school program. I hope that the time is not far distant when grades seven and eight will also be included in a regular program of physical education.
The Agricultural Department
The school year 1942-43 started with an enrollment of fourteen boys in this course. Of this number, two boys were lost through graduation, leaving a total of twelve boys on the register at the writing of this report.
The usual statistics were compiled for this depart- ment.
Projects consisting of one dairy cow and one poultry project of fifty birds showed a total tangible productivity of $390.70.
In place of the projects, or in addition to them, the boys carried on "Supplementary Farm Practices" to the extent of 13,376.5 hours for which they received in cash $7,528.40, and they worked 1,972.5 hours to gain additional skill for the unpaid value of $394.50.
Outstanding accomplishments of this department dur- ing the school year 1942-1943 were:
1. The department conducted evening school classes for adult farmers. These classes emphasized farm machinery repair and were taught under the "Food Production War Training Program."
2. The teacher of agriculture acted as the emergency farm labor coordinator for Hatfield.
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3. The Future Farmer Chapter conducted a "Victory Garden Fair" featuring exhibits of vegetables, flowers, and canned goods.
Home Economics
Our vocational program in home-making is planned primarily to improve home and family life.
The courses taught in the department of home eco- nomics have a threefold objective: namely, to enable girls to share happily and efficiently in their present family situations ; to become, in the future, more successful home- makers; and to fit girls for related wage-earning occupa- tions.
With so distinct a vocational aim, the department of home economics must focus on those courses of study and methods of instruction that will best develop in the pupil the desired degree of proficiency.
Following is a rough outline of the course of study in home economics.
I. Food: Nutrition, planning meals, marketing, preparation of food, and meal service.
II. Clothing: Selection, purchase, construction, al- terations and care of garments. Fabric study is included.
III. Housing: Arrangement of furnishings, man- agement, sanitation, and accident prevention.
IV. Art and literature in the development of a home.
V. Family life : Care and training of children, home care of the sick and first aid, family and com- munity relationships.
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The following were creditable accomplishments of this department during the school year:
1. Home economics girls redecorated the school kit- chen.
2. A sewing exhibit and tea was conducted at the close of the last school year. Members of the household arts advisory committee were present.
3. Canned goods and flowers were exhibited at the Hatfield Community Fair.
4. The girls enrolled in the courses cooked and served a dinner to the high school faculty.
THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Grouping of Grades VII and VIII
Previous to this time the departmental work of grades seven and eight has been divided on the basis of individual pupil ability.
Beginning in September of 1943, the system of ability grouping was discarded, and all of the pupils in grades seven and eight were placed in divisions according to alpha- betical arrangement. Under this arrangement, all pupils were offered the same subject matter.
Neither of these methods constituted a radical depar- ture from the conventional methods of handling junior high school divisions, in fact both groupings are quite common.
Both of the methods mentioned above have now had a trial in Hatfield Schools. The social grouping has proved to be the better method for our conditions.
Audio-Visual Education
Hatfield is to be commended for recognizing early the educational values of sound movies. Through the use of
88
sound films in our curriculum, we find that the school ex- perience of each pupil is greatly enriched.
Pictures like, "The Crusades", are excellent to sup- plement the work in social studies. The background of the whole period and the habits and customs of people, that pupils have been studying about, are impressed more strongly on their minds after they have seen and heard one of these productions.
Elementary Science
Our program in elementary science has been some- what neglected due to the lack of illustrative material and the simple apparatus necessary to demonstrate principles.
Principal Jenness is anxious to develop a better science program, and I know that with the proper administrative support, he will take immediate steps to plan such a pro- gram.
The study of science by pupils in the elementary grades makes for an easier transition from the elementary school to high school.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In concluding this report I wish, on behalf of the School Committee of Hatfield, to express our gratitude to principals and teachers who have cooperated to make this a successful school year.
To Principals Larkin and Jenness, for drawing upon their wealth of experience to advise me concerning matters of administrative routine, I extend my sincere personal thanks.
Respectfully submitted,
GILBERT D. BRISTOL,
Acting Superintendent of Schools.
89
Principal of Smith Academy
To the Superintendent of Schools and the School Commit- tee of Hatfield :
I hereby submit my annual report as Principal of Smith Academy.
The opening enrollment in September was 107. Three of these were post graduate students who had graduated at too early an age to be admitted to nursing schools. By the end of December four pupils had left school, leaving our enrollment exactly the same as at the end of last year, whereas the enrollment in some schools had decreased as much as twenty-five per cent.
The academic year ending in June will be most mark- edly remembered by the loss of more than half our faculty. The last to leave, and the only one not previously noted in an annual report, was Miss Pauline Lyons, our language instructor and girls' coach. She had been exceedingly suc- cessful in both phases of her work. Miss Lyons left us to accept a position in the North Easton schools. Again I am happy to report that through the efforts of our form- er superintendent and our school committee a very capable replacement has been procured in the person of Mrs. Florence Muller of Easthampton. Mrs. Muller came to us from retirement after having taught at Greenfield High School. She did library work for two years at Northeast- ern University immediately after having graduated from Wheaton College.
Keeping abreast of the current trend and adapting our school to the needs of our particular students, we have
90
made a few adjustments in our curriculum. Because of lack of interest, the courses in third year French and in third and fourth year Latin have been eliminated. The teaching of World History is being handled by Mrs. Muller instead of by Mr. Jakobek, as was formerly done. The Physics Course, taught this year by Mr. Jakobek, has been revamped so as to comply with the pre-induction training courses in the fundamentals of electricity and the funda- mentals of machines which are recommended by our gov- ernment. Another pre-induction course in aeronautics is being taught by the principal. The typewriting program previously offered in the second and third years has now been extended to include an advanced course which is avail- able for those who have had sufficient shorthand. In- cluding as it does other phases of business practice, the course makes it possible for students to maintain excel- lence in typewriting skills right up to graduation, and to be in a position to assume their places in the business world immediately upon graduation.
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