USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1924 > Part 26
USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1924 > Part 26
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Respectfully submitted, for the Commission,
CHARLES S. CLARK,
Chairman.
387
WELFARE AND RECREATION COMMISSION.
REPORT OF DIRECTOR OF RECREATION
To the Public Welfare and Recreation Commission :-
In this report, submitted respectfully to your Commis- sion, on the activities and undertakings assigned by the Com- mission to my supervision, the purpose is to recount the ac- complishments of the year 1924; to present the Director's view of the present status of the general undertaking that embraces these activities; to consider the possibilities sug- gested by these accomplishments and this view; to mention provisions which, in my judgment, are necessary or highly desirable for the future success of the Recreation work and the promotion of Public Welfare by your Department; and to present suggestions and information that may assist your Commission in defining its policies and in reorganizing or elaborating its program for pursuit of the objectives of a Pub- lic Welfare and Recreation Department.
Scope of This Report
Resulting from the entrance of this department during 1924 into an expanded field of activity, the duties of your Director have been increased in number and variety as his services have been directed along the new lines of action. Accordingly, it seems wise, in presenting this report, to give separate consideration to these various branches of the Recre- ation work. They include
1. The Summer Playgrounds
II. The Spring-and-Fall Supervised Athletics
III. The Saturday Playgrounds for Small Chil- dren
IV. Evening Adult Recreation Centers
V. The Neighborhood Center
VI. The Preserving and Canning Activities of School Children.
VII. The Recreational-Civic Activities Involving the General Public
VIII. The Experiment in Community Recreational Drama
IX. Public Celebrations.
Summer Playgrounds
The essential character and general mode of the Sum- mer Playgrounds Season is the same as those of the 1923 season, reported a year ago by the Director.
388
ANNUAL REPORTS
Features
But some new features of the season of 1924 are con- spicuous to the observation of the Director, and are judged worthy of special mention under this caption. More detailed reference to them, each under its proper heading, will follow.
Five new units of supervised play, added to the Sum- mer Playgrounds system this year to serve the interests of children in sections of the City hitherto served most meagerly or not at all, have, in the Director's estimation, been so suc- cessfully operated as to constitute the most beneficial accom- plishment that can be cited under consideration of Summer Playgrounds within five years or more.
Five recommendations by the Director of Playgrounds, at the close of the 1923 season in reporting to the Commis- sion, have been carried into execution fully or in part. with highly beneficial results to the play activities of children served by the Summer supervision.
More emphatic need than before of action upon the re- maining three recommendations of last year, and of immedi- ately completing the execution of those recommendations which have been only partly carried out, impresses itself upon the observer who studies the activities and accomplishments of the 1924 season.
A very striking regularity of attendance on each of the playgrounds throughout the season is indicated by the daily and weekly attendance records. This regularity is accom- panied by remarkably high figures of attendance on nearly all playgrounds. The importance of these two facts lies in that they indicate intense utilization of playground facilities, sustained at its height throughout the season.
New permanent equipment and emphasis on athletic ac- tivities dependent on this equipment have added to the inten- sity and variety of boys' play on the supervised areas.
A marked public interest in playground work, noted and reported last year. has continued to express itself this year, even to more marked degree and in greater variety of ways, especially among citizens in those sections of Somerville where new playground units have been supervised this past Summer for the first time.
Still further intensity in Track and Field Athletics, initi- ated in 1923, has increased the interest of children in gener- al in the Summer play.
"Safety" activities among the children, promoted by the supervisory corps and sustained throughout the season, with the particular objective of combating the danger from street traffic, were an important part of the season's program.
389
WELFARE AND RECREATION COMMISSION.
Concrete instances of volunteer citizen participation in the Playgrounds enterprise has been exemplified in the fund. for the purchase of prizes in competitive athletics, to which contributions were voluntarily made by business men and other interested citizens.
A remarkably competent, efficient, and zealous corps of play-supervisors and assistants has given to the season's work an animus and vitality that have brought forth many favor- able comments of public officials, private citizens and public press, regarding the efficiency and aptitude of these workers. This feature is mentioned as important because, in my judg- ment, its effects on the play activities constitute one of the greatest assets of the playgrounds organization in facing the immediate future.
Grounds
Thirteen areas were used for playground purposes dur- ing the past Summer. Sixteen units were conducted, how- ever, some of these areas having separate units for boys and girls. The various units are named as follows, and the names suggest the areas utilized :
Bennett School Ground (for girls)
Central Hill Park
(for girls and boys )
George Dilboy Field (for boys)
Fellsway East (for boys)
Saxton C. Foss Park
(for girls)
Hodgkins School Grounds
(for girls)
Joy St. Playground
(for boys)
Kent Street Boys' Playground
Kent Street Girls' Playground
Lincoln Park (for boys)
Morse School Grounds
(for girls and boys)
Perry School Grounds (for girls)
Richard Trum Boys' Playground
Richard Trum Girls' Playground
Tufts College Old Campus (for girls)
Western Playground (for boys)
(At Western Junior High School Grounds)
Five of these units were new this year to the Playgrounds system :- those at JJoy Street Playground, Dilboy Field, Tufts College Old Campus and at the Morse and Western Junior High School grounds. We have already stated that they have been operated with complete success, in the Director's opinion, and that, in service to the play needs of Somerville children, their operation seems to be the most considerable develop- ment the Playgrounds system has experiencd in a period of five years.
390
ANNUAL REPORTS
The Playground at Dilboy Field, in its results this Sum- mer, affords a strong illustration of the growth of playground needs in Somerville; the growth of public, and especially chil- dren's interest in and appreciation of the Playgrounds idea ; and the growth in the public service being rendered in the field of Municipal Recreation under your Commission.
A previous experiment in conducting supervised play at Dilboy Field, in 1920, was early abandoned because the attendance of children and the degree of activity did not war- rant the expense of continued experiment. This past Sum- mer, on the contrary, the average daily attendance was far in excess of the minimum previously set by your Commission as sufficient for continued operation : and activity was pro- portionately intense. The considerations that impress them- selves upon the Director from this comparison of experiences are these :- The population of the locality of Dilboy field five years ago was such that it included fewer children of play- ground age: fewer families altogether; fewer families whose children remained in Somerville during the Summer season : and fewer persons who had sufficiently grasped the advantages of fully utilizing supervised playgrounds, than any other local- ity in Somerville. Since then, however, the general popula- tion of the locality has much increased with the rapid build- ing of homes there; children too young to attend playgrounds five years ago have arrived at the playground age; more fami- lies with children at home in Summer months have taken resi- dence in the locality; and the advantages of playgrounds at- tendance and supervision have impressed themselves on the general public in considerable degree in the past several years.
The Director expects that in another season the Dilboy Field Playground will advance even more; and that in a short time it will be among the most active and most serviceable units in the system. The momentum acquired during the 1924 season, the increased advantage of experienced supervision, and the interest and appreciation of the children served, are the considerations on which this expectation is based.
The Morse School Playground is another that provided wholesome play conditions and supervision for a large num- ber of children in a locality hitherto not reached by any of the play centers and very much in need of a playground be- cause of its congested nature and the danger from automobile traffic through Summer Street. It has the unique advantage of sufficient shade from trees which give attractive shelter from the oppressive Summer heat. This feature and the nearness of this ground to the homes of so many children made the Morse Center one of the most serviceable of the
391
WELFARE AND RECREATION COMMISSION.
system in proportion to its area. The erection of a high screen fence along one side of the ground, and the removal of the old fence which divided the area into halves, as recommended in the annual report of the Director of Playgrounds, 1923. have had a stimulating effect in active play and have served to protect the property that abuts the play area.
There is need, however, of resurfacing this playground. One section was formerly surfaced with concrete, which is now higher by inches than the remainder of the area; and that part which is not concreted is uneven and stony, with here and there uncovered parts of tree roots. Another screen fence along the second side which private property abuts, is almost a necessity both from the standpoint of the play- ground and for the interest of the abutting property.
The Joy Street Playground for boys, located within 150 yards of the Bennett School grounds where a boys' and girls' playground has been operated for several years past under extremely congested conditions, was inaugurated into the sys- tem with a view to (a) relieving the congestion at the Ben- nett playground, (b) segregating the girls from the boys and (() providing conditions less inadequate for the more active games of the older playground boys. In addition to realiza- tion of these objectives, a considerable increase in attendance has characterized these two playgrounds in combination and great interest in inter-playground competitive games has been aroused among boys who previously had not enjoyed this fea- ture of the Summer program.
The surface of the Joy Street grounds has been some- what improved by operations by the City Engineer's Depart- ment, some permanent equipment installed, and a drinking fountain provided. But there is imperative need of still fur- ther improvement of the ground, providing of shade trees, and the erection of a durable screen fence for the triple purpose of protecting the children at play from the extreme danger of intense commercial traffic through the adjoining streets (which are among the narrowest in the City), protecting neighboring property, and affording a touch of attractiveness to the grounds which at present have a most cheerless and unattractive appearance.
Even under conditions of great improvement the total area of the Joy and Bennett playgrounds is so small that the provisions would be extremely inadequate for this locality, which has a greater child population within the immediate vicinity of the playground than can be found in any other dis- trict of similar size in the City. It seems, therefore, that the City would do well to make some approach to providing at- tractive, safe, and play-provoking features on the present area,
392
ANNUAL REPORTS.
and to consider seriously the possibilities of increasing or even multiplying the area of both of these playgrounds.
At the grounds of the Western JJunior High School, where the area affords possibilities for the play of active games, but where the City has long delayed in providing pre- sentable surface and any play equipment, a playground unit was nevertheless attempted, to meet in feeble degree the needs of an ever increasing population in a district where no play- ground suitable for active boys' play is nearer than a mile almost in any direction. The Western Playground for boys and the Hodgkins School-yard unit for girls were jointly su- pervised. The combination proved effective in spite of the wretched condition of the boys' playground.
A most pressing recreational need is the early comple- tion of this playground at the Western Junior High School.
Equally desirable, in my opinion, would be the carrying out of plans contemplated some time since for the improve- ment of the rear end of Saxton C. Foss Park, with a view to getting the maximum use from this area for recreation pur- poses. In the light of the rapid development of recreation activity on this playground, the urgent need of early atten- tion to this improvement is still more apparent.
Saxton C. Foss and Fellsway Playgrounds are in fact conducted on the same area, with segregation and separate supervision of boys and girls for sectioning off the area. The attendance and the activities have so increased as to place both the girls' and boys' units among the most successful play- grounds.
The attention of the Commission is again respectfully called to the necessity of more space for playing in the dis- trict served by the Kent St. playground. This ground caters to a very populous section of our city, and is at present in- adequate for the playing of active games.
The notable development of the Central Hill unit has taken place in spite of the lack of any permanent equipment. In view of the importance of this unit, I strongly urge that before the coming Summer, provision be made for some per- manent apparatus on Central Hill Park. I believe that such equipment can be located on the rear part of the hill, without injuring, in any way, the sightliness of the location.
The Playground at Tufts Old Campus was originated and financed in greater part not by the City, through this Department, but through the private initiative and enter- prise of citizens in the upper Clarendon Hill section, led by the Mothers' Circle. These ladies provided and paid a super- visor, enlisted the interest of parents and children and sought assistance and encouragement from the Public Welfare and
393
WELFARE AND RECREATION COMMISSION.
Recreation Department. By this incorporation of the activi- ties of this playground into the City-wide system maintained under the Commission, mutual strength was afforded both the system and the project of the Mothers' Circle. In this enterprise a third cooperating agency was the Trustees of Tufts College, who in public-spiritedness granted the use of an attractive, ample and suitable section of its grounds.
Supervision
Twenty-two persons including the Director were em- ployed in the supervision of the Summer play. Of this number nineteen were assigned to individual playgrounds: one acted as a special supervisor of folk dancing; and one gave part time to supervision of handwork. All but one of the super- visors are residents of Somerville. This statement is made to indicate that despite the Civil Service requirements as to quali- fications, it is possible to secure from our own residents effi- cient supervision. From acquaintance with the conditions in other municipalities like ours, it can be stated that such was not the case in those places. The Director feels that this poli- cy should be continued in Somerville unless its continuance should, in any way, handicap the effects of the playground organization.
Attendance
Mention has already been made of large and regular attendance at all the playgrounds, with a significant uniform- ity throughout each week and throughout the season on any given playground. The City-wide aggregate attendance this season, partly because of the increased number of play units,. was greater than that of the 1923 season by about twenty- five per cent ; and the same is true of the average daily attend- ance. Most noticeable in increased attendance among the older playgrounds was the Perry School grounds.
Noteworthy in connection with the attendance has been the increased number of larger boys-those of fourteen and fifteen years of age. The Director feels that there may be' some connection between the increased attendance of this: group of boys and the methods used for stimulating attend- ance, which are to be mentioned in the following paragraphs, and some further connection between this increase and the attempt to correlate Junior High School out-of-class activities and Playgrounds activities. The presence in goodly numbers of these larger boys is reported as important in the judgment of the Director because of their power of leadership and ex-
394
ANNUAL REPORTS.
ample among the younger boys. The propensity to imitate their seniors is the most characteristic trait of playground boys, and the presence or absence of older boys determines or colors the methods used by supervisors on our Play Centers.
To stimulate attendance at, and interest in. the play- grounds, several methods and devices for propaganda were vigorously employed both during the season and in the weeks immediately preceding it. During the closing week of the public school term, in June, the Director of Playgrounds visited three of the Junior High Schools of the city and sev- eral of the Elementary Schools located in districts tributary to the play centers for the purpose of impressing upon the boys and girls of these schools the advantage of the Summer Playgrounds. Through the courtesy and co-operation of the school authorities, hundreds of boys and girls had their in- terest in the playgrounds awakened or renewed or intensi- fied, and it is the opinion of the Director that the experi- ment was proportionately successful in its influence upon the Summer attendance, spirit and activity.
Other devices to the same end will be mentioned among the playground activities elsewhere in this report. They in- clude the use of bulletin boards at the play centers the pub- lishing of results of athletic contests, and the personnel of athletic teams, etc.
Activities
In reporting on the activities conducted on the play- grounds, for purpose of clearness, the activities may be grouped under six heads and distinguished as Games, Hand- work, Dancing. Safety Campaign, Miscellaneous Activities, and Special Events including the Final Play Festival and Display of Handwork. .
GAMES. The principal portion of a playground program comprises active games and athletics. Baseball has, since the beginning, occupied the leading position among the boys of our Summer playgrounds. But track and field athletics have in 1924 taken a place of equal importance in their in- terest. Basketball, Volley Ball, Dodge Ball, Squash Ball, German Bat Ball and other more modern active games involv- ing team play and competition, held important place in the season's activities.
These latter games were played by girls as well as boys; and among both sexes inter-playground contests among repre- sentative teams were held in all of these games.
395
WELFARE AND RECREATION COMMISSION.
Quoits, tennis at Foss Park, and the usual variety of ring games for both boys and girls enjoyed great popularity. And a long list might be made of miscellaneous games, vary- ing on the various playgrounds, some new and some very old, the playing of which has taken up quite as much of the chil- dren's time as have the better known games already men- tioned. Effort has been made by the Supervisors to stimulate play of new games of an ever-increasing number, in the theory that novelty and variety are important in any effort to keep playgrounds attractive.
To this end systematic study has been made of games, old and new, suitable to the varying conditions of play areas, weather, time of day, safety, physical development, charac- ter development, ages of children. Exchange of ideas among supervisors, demonstration of new games, and other devices tending to capitalize all the experiences and resources of all the supervisors, have been practiced in the method of admin- istering the play supervision. This has been done by means of supervisors' conferences, inter-playground visits, by chil- dren prepared to demonstrate, weekly reports of all super- visors on the week's activities, and by the circulation, among supervisors, of lists of games, etc.
BASEBALL. As in previous seasons, three baseball leagues, each with a season schedule of inter-playground games, pro- vided the central attraction in baseball. These leagues were for boys of three distinct classes, classification being by age. In each league eight playgrounds were represented, making a total of twenty-four teams participating in the inter-play- ground contests. Each team had fourteen games on its league schedule.
In addition to the schedule of inter-playground games, there was even more activity in baseball independently of the leagues. The boys skilful enough to "make" the teams repre- senting their respective play centres comprised but a small percentage of the total number highly active in this sport. Other organized teams existed on various playgrounds ; and rivalry among teams of the same section was quite as keen as that manifested in the City-wide circuits. And still in ad- dition, the number of improvised matches, was, of course, in- numerable.
TRACK ATHLETICS. Track and field athletics engaged the interest throughout the season of large groups of boys, and had the important value of interesting many boys who failed to gain membership on any of the league teams in baseball.
396
ANNUAL REPORTS
The interest was stimulated and kept at high pitch through- out the season by means of competitive athletic meets, local, dual, and inter-playground. Each of the seven playgrounds for boys had a local athletic meet for its boys on a day ap- pointed by schedule, at the beginning of the season. And the Central Hill playground boys held their meet at Lincoln Park. These meets were held during the middle week of the season. Shortly after mid-season, several dual meets were held, and later still the final inter-playground meet, in which all playgrounds were eligible for representation, furnished the climax to this form of activity. The final meet was held at Dilboy Field and attended by hundreds of boys and girls from every unit in the playground organization. The assem- blage of so many hundreds of boys and girls from every sec- tion of the city made this a gala day. The keen interest in the competition for scores, and the presence of many adult specta- tors including His Honor, the Mayor, members of the Board of Aldermen and School Committee, the Superintendent of Schools and other public officials furnished an afternoon of enthusiasm.
In all of the athletic meets the boys were grouped in three classes, by ages, corresponding to the classes in the base- ball leagues. In the Senior Class, Fellsway boys were the winners. In the Intermediate Class, Fellsway and Kent tied, and in the Junior class, Lincoln Park won. For the highest score in the meet, reckoned on the scoring of all three classes combined, Lincoln Park was awarded the championship.
The series of meets, thus arranged to sustain the in- terest throughout the season and to intensify it as the climax -the final meet-approached, may be said not only to have accomplished this end but to have had several important by- products. There is little doubt, at least among observers of this program, that not only interest, but skill and pro- ficiency as well, in one or another form of track or field athletics has been developed in many boys who will con- tinue their participation in this exercise, both on the play- grounds in the near future and in more conspicuous degree under other auspices in the years that follow their play- ground days. But beyond even this immediate effect upon the more successful participants is the still more valuable effect on the children in general, to whom the playgrounds were sure- ly more attractive because of the spectacular nature of these competitive games and because of the enthusiastic prepara- tion with which they are anticipated. And another value that
397
WELFARE AND RECREATION COMMISSION.
must be attributed to these games arises from PUBLICITY THROUGH ATHLETICS the publicity possibilities they afford. When playground bulletin boards and daily and weekly newspapers present the results, the names of the winners, and the achievements credited to the respective playgrounds, stimulus comes not only to this particular activity but to every phase of the play program, of which track and field athletics are one feature. And when forecasts and predictions concerning future con- tests are made, when prizes are publicly displayed in advance, boys are encouraged to redouble their efforts for personal suc- cess and victory for their own units. And perhaps most im- portant of all is that, through this same publicity, these con- tests become a public medium of information to the people of the Community, who are thus possessed of the knowledge of playground doings and who, in turn, become agents for en- couraging the children to attendance and active participa- tion. It can be demonstrated, too, that enjoyment is afforded these adults, who in large number follow the sports of the chil- dren.
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