USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1918 > Part 9
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The work done by the surgical dressings classes was diffi- cult and varied. During the first month gauze dressings were made. These dressings consisted of compresses and wipes folded according to the charts on the tables. Owing to the shortage of gauze during the month of May, a new work was taken up, namely, the making of tampons and applicators. These were absorbent cotton swabs and washers, and were quite necessary to equip the soldiers' emergency packets.
Four of the surgical dressings classes demonstrated the above-mentioned work in the windows of two Drug Stores. Twenty offered their services for the Red Cross Drive, in May, and received donations amounting to more than $1,000. 123 members of these classes were in the Third Liberty Loan Parade of Boston, and they also participated in the Somer- ville Parade.
The classes met regularly until the second week in June.
128
ANNUAL REPORTS.
when it was deemed best to discontinue the work until fall. The amount of work done by the classes is as follows :
Gauze Dressings .
4,711
Tampons .
. 2,084
Applicators . .
. 600
Clerical Work.
In September, 1919, thirty or more teachers and pupils made copies of 3,600 registration cards for Exemption Board No. 1. Later, some work of a similar nature was done for Exemption Board No. 2.
Also, 20,000 envelopes were addressed by high school pupils for the Liberty Loan drive, and circulars were folded and inserted with an enclosure into the envelopes.
During the four weeks' enforced vacation in the fall, ten or more teachers from the High and other schools listed 3,600 Exemption Board cards alphabetically on legal-sized paper, typing the work in triplicate (123 pages of original copy) under the following heads :-
Name
Address
Age Color Serial No. Order No.
This was for Exemption Board No. 2.
During that period they also did similar work for Ex- emption Board No. 1, listing the cards consecutively by serial numbers instead of alphabetically. This time they made five copies at a time under the following heading :-
Serial No. Name
Address Age Color Order No.
After school opened, pupils in the senior typewriting classes did this same work for Exemption Board No. 2, listing 3,600 cards on legal sheets, five copies at a time. This work lasted four weeks, from the last of October to Thanksgiving time.
In addition to the foregoing, teachers filled in spare time with similar work at Exemption Boards 1, 2, and 3. No records of the amount of time spent in clerical work were tabulated at the time, but from data secured subsequently it has been learned that not less than 1,200 hours of time were spent by high school teachers in clerical work alone during the enforced vacation.
Ten or more pupils worked at one of the Exemption Boards from one to five afternoons, and many pupils worked at school outside of school hours on Exemption Board work.
Several pupils did typing or other clerical work at the Red Cross rooms afternoons following the vacation.
: 129
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
Correspondence.
The work of corresponding with the soldiers was begun March 1, 1918, and continued through the summer of that year. 150 soldiers and sailors have been remembered. The fol- lowing list includes the various contributions made by the pupils of the school.
616 Letters
127 Post cards
678 Magazines
32 Boxes of candy
1 Round robin
1 Scrapbook
1 Language manual
14 Packages of cartoons
6 Photographs of school activities
1 Book
1 Song book
1 Month's subscription to the Boston Post.
Work Done by the French Department.
The French department from the beginning of the war sent comfort bags to wounded French soldiers in the hospitals. The pupils also made French Christmas cards to send to the hospitals, and they and the leaders have corresponded with French soldiers.
Teachers of the department have also assisted in the 1 work of the Daughters of the Revolution and of private individ- uals in correspondence with French women,-mothers of adopt- ed orphans and women in whose houses American soldiers have been billeted.
Local Charities.
The work of this committee was carried on principally in connection with the Annie E. McCarty House. Oil for illumi- nating purposes was provided for the season; fourteen roller towels were sent, also forty books for the library, and two games.
Five dollars were contributed to the Associated Charities, whose needs seemed to be beyond our resources.
Through the Civilian Relief of the Somerville Branch of the Red Cross two baby dresses and three blankets were. contributed to soldiers' families.
Manual Training.
During the past year the work by the Manual Training Boys for Red Cross and other war activities has been carried on both 'in school time and in out-of-school time. 'A group of twelve boys volunteered to give at least one afternoon a
130
ANNUAL REPORTS.
week whenever they were needed for manual training war work. This group of boys, working in relays, was responsible for the building of the tables for the Surgical Dressings Room and for other work done at the Red Cross Rooms on Highland Avenue. A number of these were boys who did not take man- ual training in their school course.
The other manual training war work has been done in connection with the manual training work in the school; and besides fitting up the surgical dressings room, pupils made the following articles :-
6 Large screens for the National Red Cross.
8 Costumers for the National Red Cross.
75 Canes for the Local Red Cross.
5 Banner Poles with cross bar and ornament on top for Junior Red Cross parade.
1 Large banner pole for Junior Red Cross parade.
1 Banner pole for War Savings Stamp parade.
o Box signs or transparencies for Red Cross parade.
12 Placard supports for war work parade in Som- erville.
24 Placard supports for war work parade in Som- erville.
5 Dozen knitting needles for grade schools.
Boys' Debating Activity.
During the school year of 1917-1918 an agreement was made with the other schools constituting the Interscholastic Debating League whereby interscholastic contests should be suspended during the war. The Boys' Debating Society of the Somerville High School accordingly devoted its attention to war work, and, following its annual custom, selected eight speakers for its teams.
These young men found an opportunity for action in the launching of the drive for War Savings and Thrift Stamps. They composed appropriate speeches and addressed the entire student body of the school, each speaker having been allotted a number of rooms in which to speak. As a result the sale of stamps in the school was given a great impetus, and the boys gained much valuable experience in speaking.
The success of the student campaign for War Savings Stamps was so noticeable that the Mayor of the city requested that the boys be added to the group of adult "Four-Minute Speakers." In this new capacity they made several addresses in the various theatres of the city and were assigned to give talks at lodges, socials, and club meetings. In addition to the assistance thus given to the war cause, the experience and training received by the speakers was especially valuable.
131
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
Girls' Debating Activity.
Owing to war activities and a shortened school year be- cause of the coal situation, it seemed wise to omit the Girls' Triangular Interscholastic Debate for the year.
The members of the two teams, however, rendered much assistance by speaking in behalf of various appeals. These eight girls made most effective speeches on the occasion of the drive for Junior Red Cross membership, resulting in near- ly one thousand members the first day. They also were largely instrumental in arousing interest in the Home Garden Move- ment and in finding thirty girls who engaged in farm work during the summer. This fall they formed the nucleus of the group of twenty girls who spoke effectively in the Earn and Give Campaign, which resulted in nearly five handred Victory Girls.
Freehand Drawing.
The Freehand Drawing department assiste l in the follow- ing manner in furthering patriotic work :
There were 240 pupils in the department, and each made a knitted square 7" x 7". These were assembled into three afghans, which later counted as $15 each towards the member- ship of the school in the Junior Red Cross. Also, over twelve dozen trench candles were made in the department and given to different people outside of the school to be sent across to the soldiers.
Between three and four hundred posters were made in the department during the year, as follows: 260 for Thrift Stamps, fifty for Senior and Junior Red Cross. fifty for Liberty Bond drives of each issue; also several posters to arouse an interest in farming, canning, and other forms of food conserva- tion.
The Thrift Stamp Posters were distributed over the school building, City Hall Annex, and in shops, post-offices, and banks.
Food conservation posters were sent with exhibits of food from the school to several shop windows and halls of the city.
Seventeen Thrift Stamp posters were made for the Na- tional War Savings contest issued from Washington, D. C. These were first judged at the Massachusetts Normal Art School, and fifteen were exhibited there. Only twenty-seven of the four hundred posters sent to the Normal Art School for this contest from all the New England States were selected by the judges, and one from the Somerville High School free- hand drawing department was among those sent to Wash- ington.
Two School Honor Rolls for the World War have been designed ; and the names of the 371 graduates printed on the
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
one, and 142 undergraduates on the other.
A poster was especially designed for the room collecting the greatest amount of old newspapers and magazines for a camp literature fund.
Several war slogans were originated and lettered in illuminated text, and war poetry was lettered for the school library. Also a sign for the boys' farm camp at Sunderland was designed and executed by members of the department.
The department has loaned many of its war posters to the city library and to some outside schools for exhibition purposes.
The department has also decorated the school hall for sev- eral patriotic meetings.
Money Drives.
The school has been active in all of the various patriotic requests for money. All of the Liberty Loan drives have been heartily supported by pupils and teachers, and thousands of dollars have been contributed. Four hundred dollars' worth of bonds was purchased by various classes and rooms, and presented to the school. Over fifteen thousand dollars' worth of War Savings Stamps has been purchased by pupils. The school joined the Junior Red Cross, subscribing an amount equivalent to twenty-five cents per pupil. In addition, pupils contributed $310.00 to the Senior Red Cross. About seven hundred pupils have joined the Victory Boys' and Girls' move- ment and have promised to earn and give $5.00 per pupil for the United War Work Campaign. The school in part or as a whole participated in the Red Cross Parade in Boston, May 18, 1918 ; in the Memorial Day Parade May 30, 1918; and in the War Savings Parade June 15, 1918.
Victory Boys and Girls.
Approximately fifty per cent. of the pupils of the school responded to the appeal of the United War Work Campaign and enrolled themselves as Victory Boys and Victory Girls. This enrollment entails a pledge from each individual to earn and give within an allotted time $5.00 for social welfare work among soldiers and sailors. Many of the pledges have already been redeemed, while a number of signers are still earning money for payment.
Farm Work. BOYS.
Somerville High School participated the past two years in the 'work of placing boys on farms as. an aid to assisting in the cause of the war. During the spring and summer of
133
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
. 1917 thirty-six boys were placed on farms in Massachusetts under the supervision of Mr. Mahoney; and of this number twenty-seven honorably completed their term of service.
In the spring of 1918 this work was undertaken by the National Government under the Department of Labor. The division was known as the United States Boys' Working Re- serve, and the boys signed an enlistment blank to participate in farm work between the dates of May 1 and October 12. Forty- nine boys from the Somerville High School enrolled in this work, thirty-four of them being placed in a camp at Sunder- land, Massachusetts. The camp was under the supervision of Mr. Blodgett and Mr. Tuttle, two members of the faculty ; and the boys worked for farmers in the vicinity and were of valuable assistance in the raising of their crops. Forty-four boys of the forty-nine who enrolled were given honorable dis- charges after the season. The School Officials gave much encouragement to this form of war work, and the boys were made to feel that they were real participants in the cause.
At a general assembly of the Somerville High School, the honorable discharges were awarded by a State Official, and badges were given to the boys as further rewards for their work.
Farm Work. GIRLS.
A group of thirty-five girls, under contract with the American Food Conservation Company, Mrs. John P. Fox, president, went to the Davis Farm in Upton, Massachusetts, in the middle of June, 1918, to assist in the raising' of food for the purpose of dehydration. Twenty-six of this unit later, owing to the failure of the Company to make good, went to Bolton, Massachusetts, under the direction of the Worcester Farm County Bureau, July 7, 1918. The girls were employed from July 7 to October 12, on farms in the vicinity of Bolton. They worked eight hours per day for $1.50 a day, six days in the week, until September. From that time until October 12 they received $2.00 a day for their services.
While at Bolton the unit occupied a camp back of the Town Hall and were under the charge of a teacher, Miss Elizabeth Hunt. In a short time the farmers voluntarily testified that they preferred girls to boys, chiefly because the girls were more conscientious. The girls balked at nothing in the way of work. Their tasks consisted of cleaning stables, scattering manure, planting, transplanting, weeding, cultivat- ing, plowing, haying, harvesting and picking apples.
Of their work the farmers spoke in the highest terms. One of the farmers stated to me that he had never known a man to stack a field of corn so well as one of the group had
134
ANNUAL REPORTS.
done it for him. They were particularly successful in picking apples because of their care in handling them.
The girls paid $5.00 a week for their board, laundry, and running expenses of the camp. With this fund the expenses of the camp were met. Good, wholesome food was served to the girls, and at the end of the season we came out even.
The spirit of that unit of girls was excellent. They met all of their difficulties in the spirit of good sportsmanship. When there were a few days without work, their spirit never flagged. Through rainy days, through hot days and long stretches of monotonous work, their spirits and their energy were unfailing. There was very little sickness in the camp. The girls were loyal to the camp ideal from start to finish. Of the thiry-five who started in June, twenty-two remained to the close of the season. Those who left, for the most part. did so for good and sufficient reasons. The farmers were so en- thusiastic about their work that they are anxious to have the same group come back another season.
War Records.
As soon as the United States declared war, a War Records Committee was formed in the school to keep records of all graduates and undergraduates who entered the service. It was also decided to include non-graduates who had been members of the school for at least two years.
The records have been compiled by consulting lists in City Hall, the honor rolls of the various churches in the city, by close study of the Boston and Somerville papers, and by keeping in touch with the boys.
There are now on our records the names of twenty under- graduates who left school to enlist, 371 graduates, and 122 non-graduates. This includes boys who are in the French and British armies as well as those in our own army and navy.
Eleven graduates and six non-graduates have died in the service.
Two Honor Rolls have been designed by the Freehand Drawing Department, one to contain the names of graduates and the other the names of non-graduates. These are to be placed on either side of the entrance to the Auditorium as permanent records.
In the school office is kept a card catalogue which contains all of these names, with such data as the Committee has been able to collect regarding branch of service, rank, regiment, citations, honors, etc.
135
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
SOMERVILLE TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION. 1918.
President, Charles E. Brainard.
Vice-Presidents,
S Charlotte A. Norton.
Joseph S. Hawthorne.
Secretary-Treasurer, M. Genevieve Smith.
Executive Committee :-
Charles S. Clark, ex-officio.
Ruth Low, High. George M. Wadsworth, Pope.
Elizabeth J. Mooney, E. Junior.
G. Hortense Pentecost, Edgerly.
Mary L. Bradish, N. Junior.
Margaret A. Orr, Glines.
Carrie T. Lincoln, Forster.
Elizabeth J. O'Neil, Bingham.
Harry L. Jones, Boys' Vocational. Frances E. Welch, Carr.
Mary Henleigh Brown, Girls' Vo- Helen L. Tuck, Morse. cational.
Louise E. Pratt, Prescott.
Martha L. Littlefield, Hanscom.
Amy F. Woodbury, Bennett.
Martha R. Taylor, Brown.
Frank W. Seabury, Highland.
Octavia A. Stewart, Lowe.
Bernice Andrews, Cutler.
Lillian M. Wentworth, Lincoln.
The meetings held under the auspices of this association in the year 1918 were as follows :- February 13-Address by Mr. John F. Scully, Superintendent of Schools, Brockton, Mass. Subject, "Up to the Minute Teaching."
. April 10-Address by Mr. Charles D. Kingsley, Agent of the State Board of Education.
October 19-Combined Meeting with the Somerville Teachers' Club. Address by Prof. Paul Hanus, Harvard. Subject, "Educational Aspects After the War."
December 17-Liberty Sing-Conducted by Prof. Leo Lewis of Tufts College.
SOMERVILLE TEACHERS' CLUB. Officers, 1918-1919.
President. Mrs. Phebe E. Mathews.
S Miss Annie C. Woodward.
Vice-Presidents, Miss Mary L. Bryant.
Recording Secretary, Miss Nona E. Blackwell. Corresponding Secretary, Miss Gladys L. Swallow.
Treasurer-Miss Mary A. Holt.
Auditor, Miss Mary F. Osborne.
Object.
The object shall be to secure a close union among the women teachers in Somerville; to promote the spirit of mutual helpfulness ; to advance professional interests ; to create a deep- er sense of the dignity of the profession; to unite the interests of the home and school.
Mary G. Blackwell, Baxter.
Clara M. Burns, Knapp.
Catherine E. Sweeney, Perry. Elizabeth L. Hersey, Cummings.
Grace E. Packard, Durell. Alice E. Morang, Burns.
Mary S. Richardson, Proctor.
Helen I. Stearns, W. Junior. Mrs. Blanche G. North, S. Junior.
136
ANNUAL REPORTS.
Program.
January 15, 1918-Guest Night-Reception to Miss Margaret E. Slat- tery, State Board of Education. (Cancelled on account of coal shortage).
March 5, 1918-War Supper followed by a lecture, "Agricultural Camps," by Mr. Roy W. Hatch, Columbia University. Music by Girls' Glee Club of the High School.
March 28-Official war pictures of "Camp Sherman," given in Olympia Theatre. Mrs. Carroll Rice, lecturer.
April 8-Agricultural speakers, High School Hall :- Mr. Harold Phelps, Waltham Farm Bureau. Mr. Burbank, Amherst Agricultural College.
October 19-Professor Paul Hanus-Harvard University :- "Educational Aspects After the War."
October 30-Dinner and Reception to Supt. Charles S. Clark. After dinner speaker, State Supt. Payson E. Smith. (Cancelled on account of influenza epidemic.)
November 21-"Educational Adjustments," Dr. A. E. Winship.
HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION, Report of Treasurer, January 1, 1919.
Receipts : -
Balance on hand January 1, 1918
$375 28
Baseball games
565 92
Football games
1,330 63
Memberships
175 25
Interest on deposits
1 76
Gift from Class 1920
13 00
$2,461 84
Disbursements :-
High School annual dues
$2 00
Suburban League dues
5 00
Travelling expenses
14 50
Officials
207 0
Police
151 00
Advertising and printing
47 75
Coaching
425 00
Telephoning .
18 95
Guarantees to teams
435 24
Miscellaneous
6 71
Medical attendance
50 00
Medical supplies
2 50
War Tax
92 66
Supplies
338 63
Repairs at Armory
7 80
Balance on hand, January 1, 1919 .
657 10
$2,461 84
137
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
STATEMENT OF WAR SAVINGS STAMPS PURCHASED BY PUPILS.
No. of pupils holding stamps
Amount
in dollars
High
989
$14,368 00
Prescott
69
1,015 00
Hanscom
222
2,522 75
Bennett
54
223 00
Baxter
84
803 00
Knapp
139
762 97
Perry
70
438 75
Pope
244
2,447 75
Cummings
144
1,410 00
Edgerly
433
4,412 50
Glines
342
3,477 50
Forster
100
1,880 00
Bingham
226
1,649 65
Carr
258
*2,500 00
Morse
206
1,302 75
Proctor
221
3,166 75
Durell
64
668 75
Burns
232
2,636 00
Brown .
405
5,037 25
Highland
274
2,412 50
Cutler
523
6,200 00
Lincoln
108
1,380 00
Lowe
200
1,771 00
Girls' Vocational
30
325 00
Northern Junior
291
3,906 25
Southern Junior
686
3,431 59
Western Junior
778
8,326 82
Eastern Junior
274
3,345 00
7,666
$81.820 53
*Not including Thrift Stamps.
.
138
ANNUAL REPORTS.
STATEMENT CONCERNING PREPARATORY DEPART- MENT OF THE SOMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL.
From 1880 to 1895.
Number of graduates of high school. 959
Number of graduates entering higher institu-
tions 312
Per cent. of graduates entering higher institu- tions 32.6
During this period there was but one high school, having only two courses, preparatory and general.
. From 1895 to 1915.
Per cent. of graduates of preparatory depart- ment entering higher institutions 58.7
Colleges fitted for in 1880-1895 6
Colleges fitted for in 1895-1915 14
During this period to 1911 there were two schools, - the Latin School, an exclusively college preparatory course, and the English School, having scientific, pre- paratory, general, and commercial courses. After 1911, the two schools were united into one, with pre- paratory, general, commercial, and manual arts courses.
Previous to 1895, Somerville High School sent its gradu- ates to a very restricted number of colleges and was able to train its pupils along very similar lines. Now with the larger number of colleges, scientific, and normal schools, with very divergent lines of preparation entailed, it is necessary to vary the character of preparation for each pupil according to the col- lege or higher school chosen. This necessarily causes great difficulty and extra work when pupils are unsettled in their minds or, as sometimes happens, change their minds several times during their preparatory period at high school.
In 1915, for instance, Somerville High School sent pupils to Boston College, Boston University, Dartmouth, Harvard, Holy Cross, Jackson, Massachusetts Agricultural College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke, Nor- mal, Radcliffe, Simmons, Smith and Tufts.
At the present time, Somerville High School is on the list of schools sending by certificate to Boston University, Dartmouth, Simmons, Tufts, and Normal Schools. Pupils for
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SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
all other higher institutions must be prepared to take entrance examinations.
Harrard Record. At Harvard we have continued to have a good record considering the change of plan adopted in 1909. Prior to that year, no pupil could take the preliminary examin- ations without the approval of the Head Master. This meant that only boys prepared to the satisfaction of the school could try. Now any boy may make the attempt. Naturally poor pupils often undertake to enter Harvard, and failing bring undeserved reflection upon their school. This ,however. in spite of the fact that it sometimes brings discredit upon the school, is a step in the right direction as it gives every boy a chance and puts the responsibility on the boy rather than on the schoo !.
Our record at Harvard for the past seven years is as fol- lows :
In 1912. Number of candidates 10 Number passing 5
Record in Senior year of those failing :
No. 1. 4 B's, 12 C's, 4 D's. No. 2. 6 B's, 13 C's. 3 D's. No. 3. 5 B's, 22 C's. 5 D's. * No. 4. 2 A's, 16 B's, 7 C's.
No. 5. 10 B's, 11 C's, 2 D's. * This boy, under the old plan, would probably have had the approval of the school.
In 1913. Number of candidates 9
Number passing 6
Record in Senior year of those failing : No. 1. No. 1 of previous year. No. 2. Attempted examinations at end of Junior- year. No. 3. 8 B's, 12 C's.
In 1914. Number of candidates 15
Number passing 9
Record in Senior year of those failing :
No. 1. 1 A, 10 B's, 11 C's, 1 D. No. 2. 7 B's, 11 C's, 2 D's. No. 3. 11 B's, 12 C's, 1 D. No. 4. 4 A's, 2 B's, 13 C's, 4 D's. * No. 5. 4 A's, 6 B's, 13 C's. * No. 6. 2 A's, 13 B's, 8 C's.
* These boys, under the old plan, would probably have had the approval of the school.
In 1915. Number of candidates 5
Number passing 1
Record in Senior year of pupil failing : No. 1. 2 A's, 6 B's, 11 C's. 2 D's.
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
In 1916. Number of candidates 10
Number passing 9
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