USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1942 > Part 6
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25
Respectfully submitted,
ALBERT F. BYRNES, Chairman GEORGE C. MULLIN, Secretary GEORGE T. LOWDEN DR. SOTER G. ZAHAROOLIS JOHN V. MOTTA
105
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
CITY OF SOMERVILLE REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
December 28, 1942.
SCHOOL COMMITTEE ROOMS
Ordered, that the Annual Report of the Superintendent of Schools be adopted as the Annual Report of the Board of School Committee, it being understood that such adoption does not commit the Board to the opinions or recommendations made therein ; that it be incorporated in the reports of the City Officers; and that six hundred copies be printed separately.
EVERETT W. IRELAND,
Secretary of School Board.
106
ANNUAL REPORTS
SCHOOL COMMITTEE, 1942
WILLIAM J. KOEN
Chairman
FREDERICK J. RYAN
Vice-Chairman
Members
EX-OFFICIIS
JOHN M. LYNCH, Mayor .
52 Porter Street HAROLD A. PALMER, President, Board of Aldermen,
WARD ONE
FREDERICK J. RYAN
.
26 Austin Street
CHARLES P. O'RIORDAN
WARD TWO .
20 Carlton Street
ARTHUR P. FITZGERALD
WARD FOUR
222 School Street
WILLIAM J. KOEN
WARD FIVE . 34 Lexington Avenue
NELSON W. IRVING
WARD SEVEN 5 Moore Street 149 Powder House Boulevard
* Resigned February 16, 1942
¿ Elected February 16, 1942
Superintendent of Schools EVERETT W. IRELAND
Office: West Building, High School, Highland Avenue. Residence: 97 College Avenue.
The Superintendent's Office will be open on school days from 8:00 to 5:00; Saturdays, 8:00 to 10:00. His office hour is 4:00 on school days and 8:30 on Saturdays.
Assistant Superintendent of Schools LEO C. DONAHUE 383 Broadway
Superintendent's Office Force
Mary A. Clark, 15 Pleasant Avenue Mildred A. Merrill, 108 Highland Avenue Marion E. Marshall, 30 Gilman Street S. Regina Truelson, 38 Rogers Avenue Margaret R. O'Connor, 2 Adrian Street Frances C. Geaton, 29 Tennyson Street
WARD THREE
60 Atherton Street
WILLIAM B. BAILEY
WARD SIX
24 Cutter Avenue
*WILLIAM E. CHISHOLM +THOMAS J. BURKE
88 Ten Hills Road
107
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Standing Committees
NOTE: The member first named is Chairman: the second, Vice- Chairman.
TEACHERS O'Riordan, Irving
FINANCE
Ryan, Fitzgerald
CURRICULUMS AND INSTRUCTION Irving, Ryan HEALTH, PHYSICAL TRAINING, AND ATHLETICS . Koen, Bailey INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION Fitzgerald, O'Riordan
SCHOOL ACCOMMODATIONS
Bailey, Chisholm
RULES AND REGULATIONS
Chisholm, Koen
Board Meetings
January 5 January 26 February 16 March 30
April 27
October 26
May 25
Nvember 30
June 29
December 28
September 28
108
ANNUAL REPORTS
To the Honorable School Committee Somerville, Massachusetts
Gentlemen :
In accordance with the provisions of the Rules and Regula- tions of the Somerville School Committee, the Superintendent of Schools has prepared and submits herewith his fifteenth an- nual report, which is the seventy-first in a series of annual re- ports of the Somerville Public Schools, and covers the calendar year 1942.
This document is prepared in three sections, Part I of which is the report of the Superintendent of Schools to the School Committee, comprising a discussion of (1) the matters involved in the outstanding activities of the School Committee, and (2) the conditions of the schools with respect to changes, improve- ments, and progress, which includes statements regarding per- sonnel, membership and buildings, with recommendations con- cerning the immediate and necessary needs of our educational system.
Part II is prepared as a report of the School Committee to the citizens and consists of (1) a description of the school prop- erty, (2) statistical tables which set forth comparative figures covering a period of years concerning enrollment, membership, attendance, cost of instruction and maintenance, and other matters of organization, and (3) tables showing statistics, not necessary for comparison, covering the last fiscal year.
Part III presents the organization of the school system at the close of the year 1942 and the lists of graduates of this year from the secondary schools, the evening high school, and the vocational schools.
Respectfully submitted, EVERETT W. IRELAND, Superintendent of Schools
December 28, 1942.
109
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS 1942
The year 1942, in which all activities of the Somerville schools were to have been focused upon the one hundredth an- niversary of the founding of Somerville as a separate political unit and the seventieth anniversary of the establishment of Somerville as a city, is about to pass into history with the focus diverted therefrom because of the serious and immediate problems presented to the schools by the world conflict.
From April 10, 1940, the day of the Nazi assault upon Nor- way, it became more and more evident that even our country was to be compelled to learn more in less time than ever before in its history. We, in America, experienced briefly an inten- sive period of revelation and disillusionment. Then a reality of terrorism quickly awakened us, following several years of recognition of the growing struggle between two principles of social organization, democracy and dictatorship, when on De- cember 7, 1941, our old illusions of security were shattered by the flaming challenge of Pearl Harbor. Our complacence and our satisfaction with our policy of phantom neutrality were immediately cast aside. There was no longer any doubt in our minds about the facts of totalitarian terrorism. We accepted as reality the tortures and the ruthlessness of bombings of "open cities" and civilian populations, of the murder of thou- sands of prisoners, of the barbarisms and bestialities of the dictator nations, and through this terrific jolt we finally ar- rived at the realization that our priceless heritage of democracy was threatened. We might even lose the war.
Our vulnerability and the menace of a totalitarian conquest quickened us to plan and prepare with all possible speed for the task ahead. We faced the challenge of solving the problems of the greatest crisis in human history. We were at war. We must win the war in order that men throughout the world might be free, and that the dignity of humanity and its sacred- ness might be maintained throughout the world. By so doing,
110
ANNUAL REPORTS
our American democracy will be maintained. We must defend our civil rights, our civilization, our right to knowledge, and our privilege of self government.
We were at "total war" and whatever program might be chosen, formulated, and developed must meet President Roose- velt's statement, "We are going to win the war and we are going to win the peace that follows." That statement clearly charges us that the winning of the war and the winning of the peace must be done concurrently. How we win the war will determine the kind of peace we will win. The will, the spirit, and the purpose with which we wage this war will determine the kind of peace we will win. The governments which are now our opponents will disappear with the winning of the war, but their people will live on and we must be prepared to live with them.
Will, Spirit, and Purpose are not produced in factories, nor are they dug from mines, nor are they generated in power plants. They are products of a process of growth that goes on in every individual. This process of growth is identified with the educational process, and through the educational process the growth is nurtured and accelerated. America has always prided itself upon its conviction that our education is an educa- tion for life. It surely must continue to be that, and if life is to continue to have purpose and meaning for all people, it must now be an education for life in which winning the war is an immediate necessity. Education, then, must make its maximum contribution now. Therefore, it must assume new responsibil- ities, without in any way decreasing its effort to maintain the American way of life and the American democracy.
Education has sought to develop intelligent, cooperative, and sympathetic citizens, able to participate in worthy human relationships. It has also sought to develop in every individual the skills and understandings which will enable him to con- tribute to his own economic well-being and to the production of those goods and services necessary to a high standard of life. It has further sought to develop the ability to appreciate the responsibilities, duties, and benefits of citizenship in a democratic society. These fundamental purposes must be main- tained and we must assume the added responsibility of direct- ing the energies of those involved toward rendering services which are certainly vital to the winning of the war. These added responsibilities call for a speedy and well organized
111
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
planning for modification of our programs in light of the emer- gency.
To be particularly specific, attention had to be directed quickly and surely towards a program which would accelerate the attainment of preparation in (1) a courageous and cooper- ative morale, (2) better physical and mental health, (3) educa- tion geared to the necessary production for the benefit of the war effort, and (4) an appreciation of and emphasis on the problems and experiences of everyday living. On the secondary school level particularly, curricula had to be analyzed with the goal in mind of revising courses of study so that the emphasis would be placed on those principles of science and mathematics, social studies and the commercial fields, which would best and most quickly prepare for advantage to the war effort. Atten- tion also had to be given to a rearrangement of program and subject assignments to the end that essentials of the war effort would take precedence over non-essentials with relation to the war effort, and so that work experiences for all boys and girls constituted a necessary element of the program.
The major administrative problems confronting the educa- tional organization were centered in the maintenance, improve- ment, and expansion of the program. Educators consequently set about to provide more and better education for children, youth, and adults, with a willingness and cooperativeness to use all their professional skill to focus the work of the schools on the war effort, and all have given their utmost to the limit of their physical capacity to carry the burden imposed.
An added problem confronted educators when the acceler- ated, stimulated morale, tending frequently towards hysteria, called forth an ambition and urge of many true and sincere Americans to give their all to the task by causing welfare, patriotic, and other voluntary organizations with which they were affiliated to participate in the program of education. In spite of their good intentions, their efforts were frequently dis- turbing, because the use of the schools by so many agencies, often with little appreciation of the place which their partic- ular activity should occupy in the program, could only lead to confusion.
Such governmental agencies as the Works Progress Admin- istration, the National Youth Administration, the Treasury Department, the Federal Security Agency, the Office of Civilian
112
ANNUAL REPORTS
Defense, the Public Roads Administration, the Department of Agriculture, the Civil Aeronautics Administration, the Public Works Reserve, and many others also sought to prepare pro- grams and have them carried on in the schools.
It was soon discovered that if the schools were to serve the democracy and make their maximum contribution to war effort, it was necessary to develop a plan of administration that would bring all agencies attempting to cooperate into proper relation- ship to each other and would consolidate the activities to be carried on without duplication or conflict under the direction of those most competent to provide the education and the train- ing for those needing the education and the training.
Such a plan of administration and consolidation is now providing an efficient program of operation, and yet we must be aware that much valuable time, effort, and money have been unsuccessfully expended through shortsightedness. Only by such a scheme of administration, effectively in operation, may we feel confident that the schools will serve adequately in the winning of the war and that they will maintain that program of education which will continue our American democracy and our American way of life. Education accepts its responsibility for service in support of the armed forces of our nation and of the industrial and other activities behind the lines.
The cause of the crisis confronting education is quite ap- parent, the need for action is unquestioned, and the program of activity outlined is without a particle of doubt sound and wise. Let us, then, analyze the activities of the schools of Som- erville, in pursuit of a successful accomplishment, to ascertain whether or not our efforts have brought forth fruit. Our per- sonnel, which, of course, could not all as individuals help in the same way, by adding together and pooling their efforts could make a tremendous, dynamic force which will do its share for victory. This it has done with willingness, cooper- ativeness, energy, courageousness, and with a will and deter- mination to fulfill the task.
In order to appreciate what has been done in our schools for the formulation and development of the war program, its origin, growth, and extent, the reader is referred to the re- ports of the Superintendent for the years 1940 and 1941. In those reports it was shown that the schools were called upon to carry a much heavier burden than usual due to the critical
113
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
economic, social, ethical, political, educational, and military problems of our nation.
Among the problems requiring and receiving immediate at- tention were the following :
1. Making revisions in the courses of study, with particular attention to the social studies and vocational education.
2. Training young people and adults, as well as children, for the complex issues of citizenship.
3. Making more extensive use of our school plants to prepare men and women efficiently to function voca- tionally, avocationally, and civically. 1
4. Extending the provisions for adult education.
Immediately upon our entrance into war, by action of Con- gress on December 8, 1941, following the unprovoked attacks upon our Pacific Ocean possessions, the process of preparation was quickened. Preparation for National Defense became prep- aration for War, in fact for Total War, one that was to be globál in scope. Our responsibilities. duties, and problems mul- tiplied. Preparation of the materials, supplies, and man power for service of home defense is a very minute problem in com- parison to that of organizing, equipping, and maintaining an armed force in service many thousand miles from their home bases. Revision of courses of study, with consequent variations of emphases, and adjustments in programs of subjects and time allotments became immediate necessities, and required greater acceleration of the educational program. Into our regular school routine it was necessary for both teachers and pupils to crowd fund raising and other programs, which included the sale of stamps and bonds, salvage drives, and registration and rationing programs.
From the vocational point of view it became necessary to increase the available time for preparation of men for the skilled trades. A six-day week was established in the machine shop of the Vocational School, in comparison with the previous five-day week, thus enabling an additional group to be accom- modated, for six-hour shop classes were set up with an added
114
ANNUAL REPORTS
hour for related work. Hence, four six-hour shop periods were provided each day, one of which was for our regular day school vocational class.
In anticipation of the transfer of many mechanics to the armed forces and to plants outside the confines of our country and the consequent needs of industry, arrangements were made whereby seniors in our high school, who, by aptitude tests con- ducted by officials of the U. S. Army, showed their capabilities to become useful mechanics in aid of the war effort, were al- lowed to substitute practical vocational training at the Voca- tional School for a part of their academic requirements. Upon completion of the work they received diplomas from the High School, and immediately entered the service of the government at the Watertown Arsenal as apprentice machinists at a week- ly base pay of better than thirty dollars.
Our available opportunities were further augmented by the leasing of the so-called Leighton Trade School, the equipment of which was placed at our disposal for six days per week from 11 P. M. until 7 A. M., and full advantage was taken of this opportunity to train more men.
In recent months, at the request of the International As- sociation of Machinists, A. F. L., an intensive supplementary course in machine shop practice has been carried on during the day on Sundays at the Vocational School for a group of about fifty men employed as outside machinists in the automotive in- dustry.
It has also been our privilege through all this shop program to participate in much actual productive work in our school for various defense plants under government contract, and our most recent contact with such work is the establishment of a supplemental course for the Watertown Arsenal where produc- tion of materials for use by the armed forces is the primary object.
One further step in the development of our vocational pro- gram was the establishment of intensive ten-hour courses on the trade extension basis, in cooperation with the State Depart- ment of Education. This training provided instruction in Dis- tributive Occupations and was set up for the purpose of reliev- ing the retail trades, the sales forces of which had been so sadly depleted due to entrance of the usual help into the armed forces
115
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
and defense projects. About seventy-five women, mostly home- makers, availed themselves of this opportunity to earn money for the following purposes :
1. To make a valuable contribution to our Total War Effort.
2. To earn money to buy more War Bonds.
3. To earn money for Taxes.
In all the schools of the city, the War Savings program as outlined by the U. S. Treasury Department was organized and plans were made for systematie and regular participation in this vital part of wartime service. From January 1, 1942, to the close of school in June the sales of stamps and bonds among the children reached an amazing figure in excess of sixty-five thousand dollars.
Since the opening of schools this fall the program has been continued as a part of the Schools-at-War Programı. Through this program a graphic and visual record of all war services conducted by the schools will be made. These records, in the form of scrap books, will be shown to the people of the com- munity through local exhibits. War savings is a focal point in this program, as is also the Scrap Metal Drive, and many other similar activities. It is anticipated that by the close of this calendar year the accumulations due to war savings, and the salvage drive, etc., will be in excess of $125,000. Four of the elementary schools, namely, the Carr, Cummings, Pope, and Hanscom, have recently been awarded the Treasury "Minute Man" Flag for their records of War Stamps purchases. This flag is awarded through the United States Treasury Depart- ment to a school at least ninety per cent of whose members have participated in buying War stamps directly at the school during the period of the preceding month. The flags are re- tained so long as the 90% figure is maintained. Several addi- tional schools are now entitled to awards. The elementary teachers are contributing to the war effort by stimulating and directing the interest of their pupils in war savings. By in- culcating the lessons of cooperation, service, and sacrifice, they are developing good citizens who are learning to do their share in whatever concerns the good of their country.
At the high school age level, due to recent developments con- cerned with the Selective Service Act and its ramifications, a
116
ANNUAL REPORTS
more complex problem confronts us, for young men of eighteen and nineteen years of age are now subject to duty in the mil- itary service. The schools must help, and with speed, to teach these individuals the issues at stake, train them for their vital parts in this war for survival, and guide them into conscious personal relationship to the struggle. At the same time the young women must be made aware of and trained for their part in the program.
A federal agency in the summer of 1942 undertook a survey and study of the general problem of War-time Service Organ- izations in Secondary Schools. Quickly it was discovered that necessity required the establishment in each secondary school of an organization of all pupils who were engaged in war serv- ices or preparing for participation in the war effort. Aware- ness of the fact that much had already been accomplished in thousands of high schools to mobilize students for war-related preparation and service led eventually to a conclusion that a plan should be formulated for the creation of a nation-wide framework into which all schools might fit their already exist- ing local activities. Such a national pattern would give ample scope to local initiative and vision. This framework led to the development of an organization to be entitled "High School Victory Corps" which was designed to mobilize secondary school students for more effective preparation for and partic- ipation in war-time service. The Victory Corps is democratic and voluntary in character. It will stimulate and channel youth's enthusiasm. It will enroll as members pratically any student of a secondary school. The general membership is organized into five divisions of the Corps, namely :
The Air Service Division.
The Land Service Division.
The Sea Service Division.
The Production Service Division.
The Community Service Division.
The Victory Corps, through the various divisions, fosters and promotes :
1. Guidance into critical services and occupations To keep the youth currently informed concerning the critical man power needs, so that they may
117
-
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
choose wisely and prepare for entrance into that field for which they are best fitted.
2. War-time Citizenship
To redirect and strengthen basic citizenship train- ing and to insure a better understanding of the war, its meaning, progress, and problems.
3. Physical Fitness
To strengthen physical training programs so that " the greatest possible numbers will be physically fit.
4. Military Drill
To provide basic military information and drill.
5. Competence in Science and Mathematics
To increase the number of students studying these subjects and to improve the quality of scholarship along these lines.
6. Preinduction Training for Critical Occupations, including Aeronautics
To insure an adequate supply of persons with some preliminary training for critical war-time occupations to meet the man power shortages.
7. Community Services
To prepare for work in essential civilian occupa- tions, including homemaking, business, and the professions, and those volunteer services in civilian defense, - care of children and home nursing.
An organization, based on these aims and purposes, is in the process of establishment in the Somerville High School and will be immediately operative.
During the year 1942, at the request of the Army and Navy departments, the shop students of our Senior High, Junior High, and Vocational schools participated in a program of producing model airplanes, American and foreign, for use in the aviation training centers. Over five hundred such models were successfully completed and shipped to many far-away
118
ANNUAL REPORTS
stations, such as Iceland, as well as to schools in this country. Certificates of merit carrying conferred honorary commissions in the United States Navy, Bureau of Aeronautics, were award- ed to those who did the work, and much well deserved com- mendation was received.
In the junior high schools, many other activities bearing pertinently on the war effort were pursued with very serious and cooperative enthusiasm by the students. These activities included, in addition to the salvage collections of scrap metals, keys, flat irons, paper, etc., and the sale and purchase of war savings stamps and bonds, such services as sewing projects for the Senior Red Cross, collections for Red Cross, Tuber- culosis, Infantile Paralysis, and United War Fund, the making of knitted, cloth, and rag dolls, afghans, pajamas, scrapbooks, and many other articles for refugees, the studying of adjust- ment to food shortages and emergency clothing needs, the col- lection of magazines, books, and cards for disabled veterans and seamen, cooperation in air raid drills, and repairing city school furniture.
Even the students in our special classes became a part of a project heretofore never attempted in the schools of this coun- try. Realizing the shortages of semi-skilled help due to more lucrative jobs in defense plants, and due also to the enlistments and drafting of men for the armed services, a cooperative, part-time participation in industry was conceived, a plan for- mulated, cooperation of industry and the State Departments of Education and Labor and Industries sought and obtained, and the plan became operative. Through this project these special class children have entered into productive employment and have become participating, wage-earning members of society.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.