USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1946 > Part 9
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Vocational Schools
In the report for 1945 it was noted that all vocational de- fense courses which had been in operation in many vocational schools throughout the country, and which we had had in op- eration in our schools since June of 1940, sometimes ou a twen- ty-four hour a day basis, were discontinued in all the schools along the eastern seaboard on June 30, 1945, a short time af- ter V-E Day. V-J Day, coming during the summer of 1945, enabled our schools to revert to a peacetime program and make a beginning on its postwar plans in September 1945.
The postwar plans took cognizance of the fact that it was very apparent that students in vocational schools must have a real knowledge of science and mathematics, and that a greater amount of attention must be given to the technical side of trade education. The Vocational High School course, after a year of peacetime activity with more time being given in the academic department to General Science, Physics, and Mathematics, was getting much publicity and was being pop- ularized.
There seemed to be one factor preventing several inter- ested students of good capabilities along vocational lines from taking advantage of this type of Education. The seven hour day prohibited boys who felt that they needed to earn some money by after-school employment to aid the family economic status, to enroll at this school. Recognizing this situation, the School Committee voted authorization for the school to rear- range and shorten its hours to conform with the newly adopted State Department of Education regulation which allowed our school to operate on a six-hour a day basis, beginning Septem-
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ber 1, 1946, instead of the seven-hour day which had been the custom since the school was organized. The accomplishment of a six-hour program had to be the same as that of the seven- hour program. Arrangement for this is made by the assign- ment of homework, the shortening of the time between periods, and the decreasing of the length of opening exercises and re- cess periods.
The school is cooperating with the State Department of Education in establishing on-the-job training courses in the various industries of Somerville that are contemplating the training of veterans under the G. I. Bill of Rights. During the latter part of 1945 there were eight such courses set up, but at the present time there are 275 courses being supervised by the School.
The School has made some slight revisions to do what- ever is possible for the returned veterans who have the oppor- tunity to pursue trade instruction during regular school hours. Three groups of students are being trained in the regular de- partments of the school at no extra cost to the community, as follows :
1. The group of veterans, the members of which had attended our school one or two years and now have returned to complete their education and receive their diplomas ;
2. The group of veterans, connected with the Apprentice- ship Program of the Department of Labor and Industry, which is being assigned to our school for the pursuit of 250 hours of related work ; and
3. The group of veterans which has decided to enter school to complete a full three-year course instead of accept- ing the offerings of the on-the-job training.
As has been stated previously in this report, an evening trade school has been opened for instruction in these trades, namely, automobile repair, printing, and painting. Other de- partments will be started soon after the beginning of the new year because of the demand for the establishment of at least three other courses.
The Director of the School, in conjunction with the Heads of the Automobile, Electrical, and Machine Departments, has
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been very successful in obtaining a considerable amount of sur- plus equipment and supplies for these departments from the various Army and Navy Depots for salvage and from the War Assets Administration.
Special Classes
Under the General Laws of the Commonwealth the Super- intendent of Schools is charged with the task of discovering annually the number of children obviously three years or more retarded in mental development. He is further charged either to place these children in special classes or to make other spec- ial provisions for them, subject to the approval of the State Department of Education.
Our classes, provided for these children, are classified as elementary, intermediate, prevocational, and opportunity. The pupils of the opportunity group are those who participate in our very effective plan of part-time cooperative employment.
The majority of our special class pupils have had many academic failures. Such experiences have caused them to as- sume either a defeatist attitude or the exact opposite, one of insufferable bravado. Special class teachers of adolescent groups work towards the goal where such attitudes will be re- placed with mental and manual abilities which serve to re- establish self respect and pride in a job well done. The non- academic adolescent must have a definite goal and purpose for learning.
Adolescent mentally retarded pupils have been shackled by traditional academic processes that are useless in their adult lives. There must be a strong correlation of academic work with true work experiences. Such a correlation clearly demonstrates to the pupil the immediate and necessary worth of success in academic subjects. No definite curriculum can be established for the nonacademic girl or boy. Our goal has been the establishment of certain desired attainments. These desired attainments are practical and specific rather than theoretical and general.
It is an accepted fact that the consumer needs to have only a knowledge of the simplest fundamentals of arithmetic. These fundamentals are presented in a practical and specific manner by problems in shopping, wages, money, and measurement. All
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material is functional and interesting drill is provided. For example, the pupil is taught how to figure his wages and to make out a budget in order not only to live wisely, but also to keep within his income. The carry-over from work exper- iences to the classroom, in most cases, creates a strong desire on the part of the pupil to acquire a knowledge of the basic skills of reading and writing. Pupils want to learn to read and write and to figure because of the value placed upon it in our society.
Ever mindful of the necessity for and the importance of other activities not classified as "tool subjects" the pupil is exposed to subjects which tend to broaden his viewpoint. He should be apprised of the basic factors concerning local, state, and federal government. He should have a fundamental know- ledge also of physical science .. Because such material allows for the further use of basic skills, an opportunity is provided for all so that each individual may progress at his particular level.
Such a program as pursued in Somerville, we feel, recog- nizes the value of economic utility. Our children so trained will have an appreciation of the most desirable methods of ex- ecuting their personal, business, social, and civic acts.
Schools-At-Work
This program is a continuation of the War Savings pro- gram outlined by the U. S. Treasury Department in 1941 as a plan for systematic and regular participation by the pupils in this vital part of wartime service. During the next school vear it developed into a Schools-At-War program, which en- gaged in making a graphic and visual record of all the war services conducted by the schools. Schools-At-War developed through the Schools-For-Victory program to the present Schools-At-Work program.
The same qualities vital to the pursuit of the original idea were necesary to the success of those which followed, and it is now quite evident that those same qualities, exercised with the same intentness of purpose, are necessary for suc- cessful living in the world at peace.
As the energies of the nation have been directed during ihis first postwar year towards a resumption of the normal
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activities in every phase of life, our Schools-At-Work program has contributed in no small measure to the reestablishment of a thoughtful regard for those basic values which our citizens must possess if they are to be a vital component part of our way of life. The emphasis has been placed on a peacetime Thrift Savings Program through the medium of U. S. Savings Stamps and Bonds, thus providing an opportunity for the de- velopment of important habit formations.
The weekly Stamp Day continues to be a feature of our curriculum. During the war, the patriotic angle of Stamp and Bond purchases provided the motivating force for the activity, but now it is the importance of personal savings which is stressed as a good citizenship requirement. The subject of fi- nances and budgeting, both personal and governmental, is de- manding our attention today as never before, and our country needs citizens who can deal intelligently with these problems. Through the Savings Program. our pupils are being made cog- nizant of these matters by their actual experience in learning to save regularly and to know the meaning of thrift through the various teaching aids which are being used to correlate thrift with the other subjects of the curriculum.
In these turbulent days, it is imperative for our boys and girls to be guided well and carefully. The very stability of our government depends on the respect given to its institutions. The respect which a child learns for private property through his savings account identifies his own interest with that of the government. The public good is advanced as the individual grows in stature. We know that the spendthrift is a menace to himself and to the nation. National thrift depends on in- dividual thrift.
It is significant to note that the grand total of Savings Stamps and Bonds purchased in the schools of the city for this year amounted to $77,054.65. The record is noteworthy in that it indicates how the force of the habit of Stamp and Bond purchases, begun during the war years, is making itself felt in the continuation of the thrift habit on a peacetime ba- sis. The many instances where whole schools and in other cases individual classrooms succeeded in maintaining high per- centage pupil participation records is tangible evidence of the spirit to be found in our school system. The record of the Thrift Savings Program as a whole is a tribute to our masters and teachers whose vision and cooperation help to make thrift
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habits part of the equipment with which our pupils are made ready to face the world.
PERSONNEL
During the year just closing, fifty-six members of the in- structional force, for various reasons, formally severed their connection with the schools. All of these had been faithful,. Joyal, and devoted employees for periods up to forty-nine years ..
The following eighteen who terminated their active serv- ice to the children of our community by retirement under the provisions of the Teachers' Retirement Act of the Common- wealth, had outstanding records for devoted service and ac- complishment :
Martha L. Littlefield
49 yrs. 2 mos.
Alice B. Frye
41 yrs. 5 mos.
Mary F. Mead
40 yrs.
M. Abbie Tarbett
39 yrs. 7 mos.
Eleanor Nolan
39 yrs. 5 mos.
William W. Obear
Florence M. Hopkins
39 yrs. 5 mos .. 39 yrs. 4 mos ..
Nehemiah E. Gillespie
35 yrs. 4 mos.
Ella B. Flagg
34 yrs. 5 mos.
Grace E. Packard
34 yrs.
Florence L. McAllister
33 yrs.
Anna N. Johnson
32 yrs. 6 mos.
Hazel F. Quinn
31 yrs. 6 mos.
Fred W. Carrier
30 yrs. 5 mos.
Pertie I. Gray
28 yrs. 8 mos.
Louise M. Saunders
27 yrs.
Forrest S. Miller
Phebe R. Boole
26 yrs. 4 mos. 24 yrs.
During the early months of the year the legislature of the Commonwealth passed a bill which terminated as of June 30tli the permissive emergency legislation, Chapter 16 of the Acts and Resolves of the General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts of the year 1942. By this action the services of those six persons in key positions who had been employed after retirement for a period of two years had to be terminated at the close of the school year in June. They were Harry F. Sears, Headmaster of Somerville High School, who completed forty-five years of successful service to the youth of our city ;
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ANNUAL REPORTS
Arthur N. Small, Head of the Department of Spanish and Ital- ian in Somerville High School for thirty years, having served at Cohasset High School and in the Philippines for periods of three and fifteen years respectively before coming to service in Somerville; Ella D. Gray, teacher of Mathematics in the High School, who completed forty-five years of successful and de- voted service; Blanche S. Bradford, who terminated a long and successful career of forty-three years in the Art Depart- ment in the High School; Olevia M. Woods, Principal's As- sistant at the Hodgkins School, who left after thirty-five years' service to the children of Somerville; and Bart E. Grady, Di- rector of Music, who has been employed in our schools for only eleven years, but whose contributions to the music field of this city and the country have covered a lifetime.
In addition, Olive M. Brownell, after a term of over twen- ty-six years of meritorious service, was taken by death. Also twenty-three terminated their service of public school teaching to devote their energies to the responsibilities of marriage, five left Somerville to accept more remunerative teaching positions, and three left to enter other fields of service.
Not all of the positions vacated by these teachers were filled, because the policy of the School Committee to increase the teacher-pupil ratio made it possible to absorb many classes. In every case, however, where it was necessary to fill vacancies, it was possible to find well trained, well qualified persons who met the rigid requirements of the Rules of the School Commit- tee.
Among the vacancies to be filled by the School Committee action during this past year the one which required the great- est consideration was that of the position of Headmaster of the High School to carry on and extend the successful terms of activity of John A. Avery and Harry F. Sears.
Albert H. Giroux, Vice Headmaster of Somerville High School for the past fifteen years, was elected from a formidable array of qualified candidates to assume the responsibilities of the Headmastership in September. Mr. Giroux assumed his new position with a thorough knowledge of the administrative and supervisory function and problems of the school gained through his fifteen years' experience in the school. His broad education- al background of training gained during his acquisition of his Bachelor's and Master's degrees, his pleasing personality,
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his popularity with both teachers and pupils, and his ability to analyze quickly and cope with difficult situations surely assure an administration of success and progress.
The creation of another vice headmastership and the pro. motion of Mr. Giroux made necessary the selection of two vice- headmasters. The election of Arthur L. Morrissey and Dr. John E. O'Loughlin to assume these positions gave advancement to two men with broad educational training, well experienced by successful teaching accomplishments and several years of sup- ervisory experience, and equipped with ability to adapt their training and experience to a successful performance of the duties of the tasks assigned.
After only three months of service it is evident that this administrative team of three men gives assurance that the great- er service possible through the activity of three men rather than two will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the institution.
BUILDINGS AND REPAIRS
Gratitude is hereby expressed to the Commissioner of Public Buildings for his continued cooperation with the admin- istration of the schools. His earnest attempt to have sufficient appropriations for the year 1946 for extensive necessary re- pairs in the schools, and his action as Chairman of the Post War Planning Board, were indications of sincere interest in the problems of the School Committee.
He agreed with the ideas expressed as a result of the sur- vey conducted by the School Committee in March, but the ap- propriations made allowed only for work necessary for the preservation of the buildings and for guarding against further deterioration.
Two oil burners which were removed from the Southern Junior High School during the war, due to the shortage of oil, were reinstalled and all the boilers were repaired.
The auditorium at the Western Junior High School was painted and varnished, and the front entrance was redecorated. Ventilators, conductors, and other metal work on the roof and fire escapes were repainted, and also the lines of the basketball court were repainted.
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ANNUAL REPORTS
General alterations were made in the cafeteria at the Northeastern Junior High School for the purpose of increasing the seating capacity. A new section was added to the water heater and a new oil burner was installed.
The heating system at the Brown School has undergone extensive repairs in an effort to correct the deplorable situa- tion which has existed there for the last several years. New radiation has been installed in two classrooms, and one of the two boilers has been replaced and is being fired by oil.
The exterior of the Prescott School was repainted, gutters and conductors were fixed, boilers repaired, a concrete plat- form was built in the boiler room, and the lunchroom was re- decorated. A brick rear exit and shelter was constructed at the Southworth building. The kindergarten at the Morse School was redecorated and necessary ceiling repairs were made throughout the building. One thousand feet of mastic flooring was installed in the boys' room at the Glines School and also the exterior trim of the building was given one coat of paint. A new classroom was equipped at the Edgerly School by the transfer of furniture from the Hanscom School.
A considerable amount of work was necessary in the main- tenance and repair of the heating systems in almost every school building and plumbing and electrical work was done in about twenty buildings and glass was replaced in twenty-six buildings. Roofs, gutters, and conductors were repaired in eleven bulidings. Some painting and decorating, both interior and exterior, were done in twenty-four buildings, including outside trim, fire escapes, fences, flagpoles, classrooms, corri- dors, offices, kindergartens, sanitaries, and one auditorium. Doors, door checks, windows, cords, and screens received at- tention in twenty buildings. Some furniture was installed, repaired, or refinished in fourteen buildings, and carpentry and plastering repairs were made in three buildings.
COSTS
Always interesting to the citizens of Somerville, and a source of pride to the administrators and legislators of the Somerville School System, because the tabulations have al- ways showed Somerville in a favorable position in relation to the other cities of the Commonwealth, are the statistics tabu-
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lated by the State Department of Education each year in its annual report.
The figures as compiled for the school year beginning in September 1945 and ending June 30th, 1946 show that Somer- ville, the seventh largest city in the state, with the fourth larg- est public school population (being exceeded in this respect only by Boston, Worcester, and Springfield) operated its schools during the years at a per capita cost of $125.37, which is 34th from the highest of $188.60 among the thirty-nine cities of the state. Our per capita cost is $12.18 less that the median cost of the thirty-nine cities.
Other statistics taken from these tabulations which sub- stantiate the contention that Somerville schools are efficiently administered, show that general control uses 1.9% of our to- tal cost, which is the lowest percentage used in the thirty-nine cities ; textbooks use .9%, which is but one tenth of one per cent above the 25 percentile for the state; and supplies which use 1.3% of the total cost, which item is one tenth of one per cent less than the 25 percentile.
In order to offset the increasing cost of education due to the times, the Legislature is contemplating taking action dur- ing the session of 1947 which will cause the State to bear a larger portion of the tax burden now upon the local communi- ties. This proposed legislation would increase the allowance to the City of Somerville for the support of schools immediate- ly by at least four times and eventually nearly twelve times the amount which has been allocated to Somerville in recent years. This is going to enable the local community to bear more easily increased salary costs and other necessary expenses involved in the operation of a modern school system.
RECAPITULATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
In submitting this, his nineteenth annual report, covering the calendar year 1946, the Superintendent has attempted to present a word picture of pertinent matters involved in the operation of the public schools. The functions obligations, and responsibilities of the School Committee have been outlined, the manner in which the Committee set up its program of ac- tivity has been discussed, and a report has been made of the re- sults of their careful, thoughtful, and farsighted deliberation of what they considered to be their major obligations.
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Then followed a discussion of the progress made in the in- structional phase of the system through the alert, energetic, and ambitious manner in which the administrators and super- visors have kept abreast of the times to the end that the edu- cational program has been timely, full, complete, and quite adequate to the situation.
The entire organization, including the members of the legislative body (the School Committee), the administrators, supervisors, and the instructional force have loyally and de- votedly given of their time and energy in keeping themselves prepared to guide the pupils to successful accomplishment and to maintain at all times proper standards of achievement. There is plenty of evidence manifest that it is the intent of the whole organization to continue with even more energy in the interest of the development of an improved citizenry.
Such an improved citizenry will be developed by our post- war educational plan, which is dedicated to the proposition that every youth of our community, regardless of sex, econom- ic status, or race shall experience a broad and balanced educa- tion which will (1) equip him to enter an occupation for which his abilities are suited, (2) prepare him to be a useful and ag- gressive citizen exercising his right to the pursuit of happi- ness, (3) stimulate him to cultivate the ability to think ration- ally, and (4) help him to develop an appreciation of the ethical values of all life in a democratic society.
It has always been the custom of the Superintendent be- fore concluding his annual report to submit his recommenda- tions for consideration during the approaching calendar year. In the reports of 1944 and 1945 recommendations were made which were forward looking with respect to the necessary plans for several years to come, but since only a portion of them have borne fruit and become realities, it is urged that carly in the new year serious consideration be given to those matters which have not as yet received any action, in addition to others which now seem pertinent and necessary for attention,
It is therefore recommended that thought, study, and ac- tion be devoted to the following :
1. That the School Committee vigorously maintain the well founded tradition and conception of the unhampered control of education by the School Committee, and exert its
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utmost influence to repel any encroachments upon the pow- er's and jurisdiction of the School Committee which would result in detriment to the schools and the children.
2. That the School Committee endorse and use every means at its disposal to foster the support of all groups of citizens within the community in the interest of increased state aid for education to the communities of our Common- wealth, such increased state aid to be be based primarily upon comparative assessed valuation of the community and pupil membership.
3. That his Honor the Mayor and the Honorable Board of Aldermen be urged to use every influence possible to speed a beginning on the building project accommodations presented for consideration to the F. W. A. and to give atten- tion as speedily as possible to the alleviation of the un- healthy, unsanitary, and unsafe conditions of the educational housing units shown in the building survey of last March to be deplorable and depreciated beyond usable condition.
4. That serious consideration be given to an extension of the present offerings at the Vocational School to provide for the need of trained workers in comparatively new fields, such as Diesel engines, radio, television, and refrigeration. It should also be borne in mind that the anticipated activi- ty in the building trades will require trained workers, and that there is a dire need of replacement help in the mould- ing, sheet metal, and pattern making trades.
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