USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Attleboro > Reports of town officers of the town of Attleborough 1917 > Part 10
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131
ANNUAL REPORT
SCHOOL NURSE.
Last year the District Nursing Association employed a nurse to devote most of her time to school work. The results were very satis- factory but owing to lack of funds the association felt it could not afford to employ such a nurse this year. The value of a school nurse had already been demonstrated early in the school year when an epi- demic of diphtheria at the Bliss School was prevented by the prompt action of the school physician and the nurse. Accordingly, it was voted to employ a nurse to devote her entire time to school work for ten months of the year and Mrs. Jessie Walker was appointed to the posi- tion. Mrs. Walker is a trained nurse of several years' experience and the schools were fortunate in being able to secure her services.
TEACHERS' PROFESSIONAL IMPROVEMENT.
Last January fifty teachers organized a reading club to meet once in two weeks to study some book along professional lines. The book selected was "The Teaching Process" by Strayer. Attendance was vol- untary but the attendance was always good and the teachers derived much benefit from the book. This year, at the request of the teachers, a similar club has been formed which has been joined by nearly sixty teachers. The book selected is "Introduction to Educational Socio- logy" by Smith. These books give teachers an outlook beyond the narrow field of class room instruction and tend to give aim and pur- pose to the class room work. It certainly speaks well for the pro- fessional spirit of the teachers that so many are ready to take up such work.
Eight teachers took courses at summer schools as follows:
Dartmouth, Harvard,
Miss Macomber,
High School
Mr. McEvoy,
Richardson School
Columbia,
Miss Hofman,
Columbia,
Miss Bake,
Bank Street School Richardson School
Columbia,
Miss Roberts,
Hebronville School
Columbia,
Miss Gilles,
Dodgeville School
Hyannis,
Miss Traill, Richardson School
Hyannis,
Miss Smith,
Dodgeville School
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ANNUAL REPORT
EVENING SCHOOLS.
1916-1917.
Statistics from October 16, 1916, to February 20 1917:
Attleboro
Dodgeville Hebronville
Enrollment, males.
162
19
10
Total 191
Enrollment, females. 37
6
8
51
Total.
199
25
18
242
Average attendance
62
12
11
85
Per cent. of attendance to
enrollment.
31
48
61
35
Number of illiterates
60
8
13
81
Statistics for the term October 15 to December 20, 1917:
Enrollment, males
109
109
Enrollment, females. 35
35
Total. 144
144
Average attendance.
59
59
Per cent. of attendance to enrollment 41
41
Number of male illiterates. .
17
17
Number of female illiterates 7
7
Total
24
24
Number of male illiterate
minors. . .
6
6
Number of female illiterate minors.
5
5
Total. 11
11
The evening schools opened October 16, 1916, and continued till February 20, 1917, being in session forty-nine nights. Classes in the usual common school branches were formed, together with classes in bookkeeping, mechanical drawing and American citizenship. The atten- dance at the evening school is not what it should be. Both the class in English for foreigners and the class in citizenship should have been crowded in view of the fact that many of the people taking out first naturalization papers lacked a good knowledge of the English language and knew very little of the history and government of the country of which they wished to become citizens. Those who did attend, however, benefited by the instruction and some were so interested that they asked for a class in citizenship this year.
INDUSTRIAL EVENING SCHOOL.
Classes in toolmaking and design were formed January 4, 1917, and continued till March 12, sessions being held twenty-seven nights. While the classes were not large the pupils attended regularly, and the interest was sustained throughout the term, the classes being continued two weeks after the close of the regular school at the request of the members. The work done by these classes was the best that his been produced since the classes were started, and but for the war, I
Evening Industrial School-Modelling
Evening Industrial School-Modelling
133
ANNUAL REPORT
have no doubt this year's work would have been as good. Owing to conditions brought about by the war, however, it did not seem advisa- ble to plan to open the classes this year, although preparation should be made to continue this work at the first favorable opportunity. Certainly those who saw the exhibition of the work done in these classes can have no doubt of their value.
RICHARDSON SCHOOL FUND.
Attleboro is indebted to the Trustees of the Richardson School Fund for much of the educational progress of the schools. Music, drawing, sewing, manual training, and domestic science have all been introduced into the schools through the action of these Trustees, who have always been ready to approve of any measure that would give to Attleboro boys and girls improved educational opportunities. Many pieces of expensive physical apparatus, volumes of reference works, maps and globes, pianos and organs have been supplied through the fund.
This year there has been bought for the High School a number of pieces of apparatus for the physical laboratory, seven large Webster's International Dictionaries, and for the Tiffany School a case of maps and a globe. The most important action of the Trustees, however, and the most far reaching in its effect upon the community was the appropriation of a sufficient sum to be applied to the salary of the Supervisor of Music, Mr. John L. Gibb, so that he may give his whole time to the Attleboro schools. Ever since Mr. Gibb came to Attleboro in September, 1902, he has taught here only three days a week, the other two being given to Dedham. During this time the membership of the schools has increased from 2000 to nearly 3000, the number of buildings and rooms to be visited has increased accordingly, and it was felt that the supervisor should devote his whole time to Attleboro. This arrangement was made possible by the action of the Trustees, and will result in undoubted benefit to the schools and the community The report of the supervisor shows what has already been undertaken in connection with the schools but outside the regular school hours The High School orchestra has already attracted favorable public comment, and the various choruses in the high and grammar schools ard rapidly coming into prominence. The work of Mr. Gibb in the Community Chorus is too well known to need comment. One of the best things the Trustees have done is to make available for the schools the full time and services of Mr. Gibb.
GIFTS.
In addition to the gifts from the Richardson School Fund already mentioned, the thanks of the Committee are due to Dr. Laura V. Gus- tin Mackie for an excellent electrical machine for the High School; the Woman's Relief Corps for sixteen silk flags for various schools; and to Mr. Walter T. Fisher for a piano for Tiffany School.
THE SCHOOL SAVINGS BANK.
The amount deposited in the bank this year is the largest since the establishment of the bank in 1908. This year the pupils in the High School have an opportunity to deposit their savings, the work being done by the pupils in the commercial department.
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ANNUAL REPORT
Deposits for each calendar year since the establishment of the bank in 1908:
Year
Deposits
1908
(3 mos.).
$2,429.00
1909
4,497 .85
1910
4,198.25
1911
4,142.16
1912
3,826.22
1913
4,406.50
1914
3,658.13
1915
3,680.00
1916
4,927.27
1917
5,487.04
Total.
$41,252.42
STATEMENT JANUARY 1, 1918. Dr.
Balance on deposit January 1, 1917, including interest ($210.23)
$2,342.17
Deposited in the First National Bank from January 1, 1917, to January 1, 1918.
5,487 .04
Interest from November, 1916, to May, 1917.
39.65
Interest from May, 1917, to November, 1917.
26.29
Total
$7,895.15
Cr.
Transferred to pupils' individual accounts, January 1, 1917, to January 1, 1918.
$5,246.00
Withdrawn from the First National Bank, 1917.
162.40
Withdrawn, 1917, from interest to cover expenses.
49.74
Balance on deposit January 1, 1918, including interest ($226.43)
2,437.01
Total.
$7,895.15
Total amount deposited since October, 1908
$41,252.42
Number of individual accounts opened at the First National Bank from October, 1908, to January, 1917.
1,763
January, 1917 ro January, 1918.
222
Total.
1,985
Number of pupils depositing in the school bank Jan. 1, 1918
1,659
SIGHT AND HEARING TESTS.
Number of pupils enrolled .
2,982
Number found defective in eyesight.
193
Number found defective in hearing.
30
Number of parents or guardians notified.
195
NO SCHOOL SIGNALS.
For the school year from September, 1916, to June, 1917, schools were closed on account of stormy weather as follows: Date
Grades closed -
December 22, 1916
March 5, 1917.
I-VIII afternoon All grades all day One session
April 9, 1917
Respectfully submitted, LEWIS A. FALES.
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ANNUAL REPORT
REPORT OF THE PRINCIPAL OF THE HIGH SCHOOL
Mr. Lewis A. Fales, Superintendent of Schools:
The enrollment at the beginning of the school year was as follows:
Post Graduates. 5
Seniors. . 61
Juniors. 81
Sophomore's 117
Freshmen 169
Total. 433
Since September five pupils have entered school, so the enrollment for the year is 438 which is four more than that of last year.
I found that it was impossible to make a six period schedule this year so school is in session from 8:15 A. M. to 1:40 P. M. The reasons for the change are that there are eight more classes this year and the same number of teachers as last year. This year we have separate English classes for the commercial students. I feel that the English that is required for entrance to college is not the kind that is required for business, therefore all of the commercial students have business English, instead of college English. We have seventeen classes in English this year as compared with fourteen classes last year. French was elected in preference to German so we had five classes in beginners' French and one in beginners' German.
With the increase in the number of classes the need of two more teachers was very pressing. We needed an extra teacher in the Eng- lish Department and one in the Commercial Department. As it now is, one teacher has seven different classes in English and some days teaches 170 pupils. This is altogether too many classes and too many pupils. One of the commercial teachers has seven classes and 194 pupils, while another has six classes and 175 pupils. The State Board of Education of Massachusetts says: "A teacher who has five classes should not have over 125 pupils and a teacher with six classes not over 100 pupils."
A large percentage of our pupils work in shops in the afternoons from 2 o'clock until 6. This year the demand for students has been greater than ever. I find that in nearly every case the pupils who work in the afternoons have a low scholarship in school with the ex- ception of the commercial students whose work is along the same lines as that which they are pursuing in High School. After a student is in school from 8:15 o'clocto 1:40 and in the shop from 2 o'clock until 6 he is not in good condition to study his next day's lessons. As a general thing the student falls behind in his school work, gets dis- couraged and leaves school for good. I believe that this is one of the reasons for the great mortality in the Freshmen and Sophomore classes. So far this year we have had fifteen pupils leave school and go to work, eleven of whom were Freshmen and Sophomores.
There have been a great number of changes in our faculty since last June. They are Mr. Ernest W. Pratt in Science, Mr. Kenneth Harper in Mechanical Drawing, Mr. G. Charles Marsden in History, Miss Regina Randall and Miss Marjorie A. Thayer in English, Miss Gladys M. Greene in Domestic Science, Miss Bessie .M. Banyea in the Commercial Department and Miss Marion G. Cronin in Spanish and English.
The orchestra has thirty members this year and is doing excel- lent work. They play at the assembly every Monday, Wednesday and
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ANNUAL REPORT
Friday, also practice from 1:40 o'clock until 2:20 and often later, three days a week. We consider this work of so high a grade that we allow one and one-half credits each year towards graduation and put the orchestra work on the same basis as the other school work.
We were very fortunate this year in having a librarian from the Attleboro Public Library in charge of the school library every day from 8:15 o'clock until 9:45 and from 1 o'clock until 2. The library is open during the three periods after recess each day under the super- vision of high school teachers. Beginning with the new year we shall have the librarian from the Public Library every day from 8:15 until 11 o'clock. The Public Library lends us a large number of books so now pupils may receive their reference books from the high school library instead of going to the Public Library.
Last spring when our Government declared war with Germany, five of the boys of the high school volunteered for service. They were Howard W. Mattson, Charles E. Miller, Irving B. Robinson and Elliott Williams of the class of 1917 and Earle E. Jacobs of the class of 1918. The pupils of the school have purchased a service Hag which now occupies a prominent place in the assembly hall. In this service Hlag are six stars. The sixth star is for Harvey Goodale who volunteered for service. At the time of entering service he was not a member of the school but was a member when war was declared.
Not only have the boys volunteered for service for fighting on the battle line but also when the call came for boys to work on farms during the summer and fall months, nine responded to the call and worked faithfully. Last November Mayor Harold E. Sweet presented to these boys Honorable Discharge Certificates which were given by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
In addition to responding to the call for service at the front and on the farms, the pupils responded in a pleasing manner to the calls to purchase liberty bonds and to the appeal for money for Y. M. C. A. war work and Red Cross work.
We were not very successful in baseball last spring. We were very unfortunate in losing the services of Mr. Hodge who had charge of the athletics for several years. Dr. P. J. O'Dea was an efficient baseball coach but the material he had to work with was not very good. The only man on the team who had played ball before was the captain. I believe our outlook for next year is better than last. The basketball team is in charge of Mr. Ernest W. Pratt and we antici- pate a good season.
Of the fifty-five graduates of the class of 1917, seven went to col- lege, three to normal school, one to a textile school and one to a mili- tary school.
I find the spirit of the pupils is very good, both toward their work and toward the teachers, but I also know that having so many changes in a faculty in one year is very detrimental to any school. It is hard on the pupils to have so many changes and it will be impossible for us to do the work this year that should or would have been accom- plished if it had been possible for us to have retained more of our teachers. It takes time for a teacher to get accustomed to the pupils, the new work and new methods; in the meantime the pupils are not getting all they should. I hope means will be forthcoming so that Attleboro will not be the training school for teachers for the benefit of other schools who will pay larger salaries than we now pay.
I desire to express my appreciation of the loyal support I have re- ceived from my teachers; also for your hearty co-operation.
Respectfully submitted
CHARLES J. PETERSON.
137
ANNUAL REPORT
REPORT OF THE SUPERVISOR OF MUSIC.
Mr. Lewis A. Fales, Superintendent of Schools :-
The fact that has impressed me this year in my work is the in- creasing interest in singing and in all forms of music that is shown by the pupils in our schools.
Never before in my long experience as music teacher in the city of Attleboro has the interest been so evident. Many causes have con- tributed to this and the principal one being the war. This is evident during the music lesson in the many requests for patriotic songs, un- til now it is almost universally the custom to close the music period with the "Star Spangled Banner" or "America." This patriotic feeling seems more deep in the hearts of the children than one would think possible, and they seem to find in singing a vehicle of expression of their deepest feeling. I am also led to believe that another cause for the renewed interest in singing is the fact that singing in the homes is becoming more general, that the good old times when father, mother and the children used to sing together have returned, bringing back a joy and happiness in a way, that has been missing for a good many years. It becomes then a very simple matter to adjust our music study to conditions as we find them, bearing in mind the high ideals that have been set in the past by the splendid singing of the children in the public schools of the city. We still aim to teach children to sing and to love music. We teach them to read music, and to sing in two- part, three-part and four-part harmony and we train them to appre- ciate good music.
Eighth Grade.
I have taken over the entire music work of the eighth grade. In former years I conducted the chorus only. This year I have arranged a course of music study which I think is necessary to broaden the music work of the grammar grades.
The course is as follows: Review of technical difficulties-study of base clef, melody writing and form in music, appreciation of music, Handel's Messiah, the orchestra, the opera, Gounod, Verdi, Wagner, American songs and song writers and great American composers. These lessons are in the form of short talks with illustrations of the various works played by the phonograph. The chorus of the eighth grade is unusually fine and speaks well for the music work of their teachers in previous years.
Music in the High School.
A few years ago music or singing was a required study and when it was voted to make it elective it seemed a good thing to me, but the longer I teach music and the more I understand what this one period of music work means to the future happiness of the pupils, I have come to the conclusion that it may have been a detriment to the pupils who failed to elect it, as well as a hindrance to the music growth of the city. As I look around among the leaders of the music life of our city, and realize that the majority of them received their first inspira- tion from singing regularly in the High School chorus I begin to see more clearly the value of this class to the home and community. Some- one has said, "There is a part in every man's soul which has never been expressed unless he has stood amid thousands to sing the great songs of the people."
When I realize that one-third of the pupils in the Attleboro High School do not elect music, and consequently do not have an opportunity
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ANNUAL REPORT
to join in singing the patriotic songs and beautiful selections in which the singing class takes such delight. I feel that they are losing an opportunity which they will regret later Hardly a year passes that I do not have graduate pupils express to me their regrets that they were so shortsighted as not to have realized the benefits and pleasures to be derived from the music course in school. I particularly recall the case of a young man who did not sing in High School who told me that for this reason he found himself barred out from many of the pleasures of college life in which he wished to participate.
I still believe that the singing class should be supplemented by a music study class where the musical pupils and those who are planning to take up teaching as a profession should receive the necessary prep- aration.
The High School Orchestra.
There are thirty-four pupils enrolled in the orchestra class. Their duties are to play while the pupils 'are marching in and out of the hall at morning exercises. The orchestra has also played for the High School graduation and other school activities, and has given two orches- tra concerts since its organization. The money received from the con- certs has been used to buy various orchestra instruments which are loaned to pupils while thy remain in High School. The following instruments are now the property of the High School. One Bb buffett clarinet, two A buffett clarinets, one D flute, one D piccolo, one set of bells, one pair of cymbals, one snare drum, one triangle, one gong, twelve music stands, two slide trombones, and a set of clarinets, A and Bb, which were presented to the orchestra by a prominent citizen who wished by this gift to encourage this organization. There is a waiting list of pupils ready to learn any instrument that may be given to them. The music which we use has been gladly given us by the School Department and has been the means of encouraging the orches- tra in its effort to make itself useful to the community.
In closing my report I wish to thank the teachers for their loyal support in the Music Department, the parents for their interest in all branches of the music work of the public schools and the School De- partment for making it possible for me to devote my entire time to the music development of the schools in the city.
Respectfully submitted,
JOHN LAING GIBB.
REPORT OF THE SUPERVISOR OF DRAWING.
Mr. Lewis A. Fales, Superintendent of Schools:
Last year we emphasized that the few principles taught in each grade should be well taught so that the child would do better work in the next grade. This repetition of a few principles in the various prob- lems shows results which warrant our working along the same lines this year.
At this time when so much interest is shown in the nation-wide movement to enlist every one in some service, we have let our service in the drawing department take the form of making puzzles and light weight books for use in the hospitals of Europe. The fourth and fifth
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ANNUAL REPORT
grades made scrapbooks, cut up postcard puzzles and made the en- velopes to hold the puzzles. Grades six and seven have been busy on larger puzzles and envelopes and also joke books. The seventh grade and High School turned out some Christmas cards which were sent out in the Christmas packets to the camps in our own country. In grade eight and the High School the interest centered in binding a page or two jokes with a short story taken from some magazine. Some of the high school books were cleverly illustrated.
The motive back of this work was a splendid incentive, and not only has most of the work been well done, but the spirit in which it was done has, indeed, been patriotic. The teachers have shown a splen- did spirit of co-operation in this work.
In September the freehand courses in the High School opened with one hundred and forty-six pupils. The classes were never so quickly organized as this year. The first week of school we were able to be- gin definite teaching. Our work is definite and practical and we try to use drawing in connection with other interests and activities as far as possible
Respectfully submitted,
PERSIS A. CROWELL.
REPORT OF THE TEACHER OF MANUAL TRAINING.
Mr. Lewis A. Fales, Superintendent of Schools:
The active principle governing the work of the manual training department during the year 1917 has been as in the past.
"To make the best better."
To attain this goal, the course has been planned to stand squarely for everything that is practical, the idea being to keep the minds of the pupils thoroughly alert to what is going on all around them. In doing this we have tried to lose nothing of past efforts to consider the mental physical and moral progress of the pupils, believing that char- acter is of greater import than necessary skill in work.
"To do unto others as we would they should do unto us" shows itself in the ready response to a need and in the accuracy and quick- ness with which the work is accomplished.
The pupils have made black painted screens to darken the assem- bly hall while the stereopticon is being used, bulletin boards for class rooms, book-shelves for the storeroom, rolling pins for the domestic science department, insect cages for the biology department and stan- dards for the chemistry department.
Manual training provides vigorous physical activity as an accom- paniment to mental development, tends to develop respect for the artisan and to create an understanding and appreciation of the dignity attached to trade activities. It affords an opportunity for the best possible start towards the pupil's particular life work in which he will be most content and most efficient. The individual needs of the pupil are carefully considered.
140
ANNUAL REPORT
The number of pupils electing manual training in the High School is as follows:
Freshmen 65
Sophomores 28
Juniors 12
Seniors 2
107
Number of pupils in Grammar grade
99
Total
20
Increase over 1916 is 15.
Course of Work.
Freshmen
Bench Work-Consists of projects which cover the systematic use of wood-working tools in the order of their difficulty, the most com- mon joints-butt, half-lap, tongue and groove; mortise and tenon and dovetail; gluing, sandpapering and finishing with stain and shellac; grind- ing and sharpening of cutting tools and some filing of saws; simple cabinet making and inlaying.
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