USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Attleboro > Reports of town officers of the town of Attleborough 1929 > Part 14
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The continuation school should adjust and guide individual minors in finding and training them to enter other occupations. In carrying out this characteristic of the school work we will be rated by the material we select and use to inform the pupils about employment opportunities and by the training which they receive in order to fit them for these employment opportunities.
We must co-operate on an individual basis in regard to prospects and progress with employer and home as to the needs of the pupil, the school, and the employ- ment. The value of this service will be rated according to the extent the employers or the home use the school for help in training the pupils and also by the variety of contacts made by the teachers. Perhaps the most important factor of coordi- nation is the individual contact b tween the teacher and the pupil. There ought to be a very close relationship established. Nothing will gain the confidence of the boy and girl quite so much as the fact that the teacher has been enough interest- ed in their personal problems to investigate them and reveal an understanding appreciation of them.
The school is organized and administered to assure knowledge of the minor through the survey, follow-up work and use of pertinent records. An estimation of the way in which this work is carried out will be made according to the complete- ness of the survey information and of the life-history records. The instructor's knowledge as shown by the assignments to work and by reactions of pupils will also be taken into consideration. This data is largely acquired by means of follow-up work. The value of this follow-up work depends to a large extent upon the ability of the teachers to interpret the significance of their observations, to see the pupil's needs and then apply, the proper instruction and influence.
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ANNUAL REPORT
The school provides opportunity for individual progress on the basis of ability. The manner in which the school functions in this branch of the work is determined by the character and variety of training material used and also by the keeping of progress records.
An occupational or home atmosphere should be maintained in the training afforded by the school. The success with which this is carried out is determined by the methods we employ and by the nature of the equipment and supplies.
The Continuation School aims to equip the 14 to 16 year old wage earner to assume the duties and responsibilities that are expected and required of him as a self-supporting, self-respecting and law-abiding citizen. With these aims in mind we have tried to develop certain right habits, attitudes, ideals and skill in our pupils as well as to develop such wholesome virtues as honesty, obedience, neatness, politeness, punctuality, industry, loyalty, co-operation, responsibility and thrift.
Vocational guidance naturally takes an important place in the work of the Continuation School. Since a large part of the Continuation School pupils drop out of the regular day school without a definitely planned career before them, we feel that it is our duty to provide some form of vocational guidance for them in an attempt to help them find their places in the social and vocational order of things.
But vocational guidance is more than a knowledge of the world's work. Hand in hand with this idea must go a realization of individual ability. Many of our lessons are developed and carried out with the idea of opening the pupil's eyes to the many kinds of work and also assisting the pupil in the discovery of any latent and undeveloped abilities thay he may possess. We try to help the em- ployed youth to make an ecomonic adjustment from his standing as full-time pupil to that of a responsible and worthy wage-earning citizen.
However, along with the work of vocational guidance must also go the develop- ment and training of the social and civic habits of this group of pupils. By check- ing up with the pupils just how their leisure time is spent and by calling their attention to the advantages of a wise use of this time, we try to direct these pupils to wholesome recreation and avocational activities.
It has always been our aim to try to modify conduct. We realize that teach- ing is not merely the pouring out of information and testing to see if it has been assimilated. The job of teaching is incomplete unless pupils are able to apply and to express in action. It is not enough for the pupil to have the knowledge and skill to solve a problem or to carry out an enterprise to completion when he lis called upo › to do so; he must have the in lination to act when directions are remov- ed and restraints lifted. It is one thing to teach a pupil good health habits, and to train him to the point where he can carry them out; it is another thing to instil! along with knowledge and skill a desire to carry out good health habits. We feel that the development of ideals and attitudes is an important part of the work of our school so that there may be a modification of conduct beyond the time when the boy or girl leaves the school.
Respectfully submitted,
MILTON P. DUTTON
REPORT OF DIRECTOR OF AMERICANIZATION
Mr. Lewis A. Fales, Superintendent of Schools:
I have the honor to submit this, my seventh annual report as Director of Americanization for Attleboro. This report covers the period from December 1st, 1928 to December 1st, 1929.
My activities in this department have been much the same as in past years. An unusually large number of persons from Attleboro and vicinity were admitted
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to citizenship during the period covered by this report; thirty-three in March and sixty-six in September. These figures do not include those who secured ad- mission other than through the court at Taunton. Many undoubtedly were admitted either in the U. S. District Court at Boston, or the sessions at New Bedford and Fall River.
A Summary of the Activities for the Year Follows:
First Papers Filled Out. 71
Second Papers Filled Out. 42
First Papers Mailed to Examiner. 59
Second Papers Mailed to Examiner. 35
Personal Interviews for Other Than Papers. 35
Home Visits. 10
Personal Letters Written. 30
Class Instruction.
88 hours
Private Instruction 10 hours
Telephone Calls Innumerable
Assisted to Secure Affidavits. 3
Attended Two Naturalization Sessions of Court at Taunton.
Attended Examination of Petitioners for Citizenship at Attleboro Post Office.
Addressed Republican Club on Work of Naturalization in Attleboro.
Visited Council Session and Library with Citizenship Class.
Other special services included advice to aliens seeking to remain in Attleboro although unlawfully in the country; advice concerning relatives in the old country who desired to come to the United States; assistance to some who were refused citizenship because they were unqualified. Some of these failed in the educational test. They were advised and urged to enter a class and improve their ability to read. Others were denied because of some technical error in their papers. These were assisted to file new papers.
The new naturalization law which became effective July 1st, 1929 enables some who previously were ineligible to citizenship, because of lack of evidence of their legal entry, to apply for citizenship. The total cost to such is $40. Several have been assisted in making out the necessary applications for this. The process is long and complicated and involves the filling out of several blank forms, securing of six photographs, and appearance before the commissioner of immigration for examination, all of which takes much time.
Under the new law those who have been negligent about securing citizenship will now have to pay higher fees, and will be obliged to pass more rigid tests than formerly. The fees range from $15 to $40, depending on the circumstances of one's entry into the country.
Another change is that one must now prove six months' residence in the county in which he files his petition. Formerly it required proof of one year's residence in the state.
In many ways the new laws make the securing of citizenship more difficult as well as more expensive. In addition to this the court session for naturalization which was formerly held in Attleboro once a year is no longer held here. This makes it necessary for an applicant to take three trips to Taunton, on two of which, two witnesses must be taken. When one considers that working people must ordinarily lose a day's pay and witnesses must be compensated, it will be seen that this would be quite a hardship to a man with a large family. It is highly desirable that some influence be brought to bear to secure the return of this court session to Attleboro. My own efforts in this direction, which have included an appeal to our state senator and our local representative, have been of no avail as yet.
Some very unusual cases come to my attention which require a long time to adjust. One case on which I have worked for two years has to do with a man
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ANNUAL REPORT
who had not lived in Massachusetts five years as required by the naturalization law, and who needed affidavits of witnesses in New York where he had lived. He could not seem to obtain them. This case has not yet been completed. Another concerns a man who came to the United States without proper registry in the immigration office. Until the new law became effective there was no way for him to become a citizen except to return to his native country, reenter and pay the required immigration fees and lose all the twenty years or more of residence in this country. This man has now been assisted in the first step toward Ameri- can citizenship.
Each case is an individual one and requires special handling as hardly any two are identical. A large part of my work is assisting in securing citizenship, but teaching the citizenship class o 'cupies two nights per week during the time the evening schools are in session and occasionally there are a few who need only a brief period of instruction and these are helped privately. In the citizenship class we study and discuss the Constitution of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, the forin of government of the nation, the state, the county, the city and the town, the history of the United States, the method of and require- ments for voting, and Current Events as related to our political and economic life. My aim is to give the students in this class as full a knowledge of these matters as can be obtained in the short space of forty hours; and to create in them a desire to know more about our civic life. To this end it is my custom to visit, with the class, places of civic interest in the city, and to secure speakers to address them on various topics. As often as possible we make use of lantern slides and motion pictures to teach history and civics. The questions asked and the interest shown by the students is sufficient evidence of their appreciation. They have often told me that they believed they knew more about the history and government of the United States than many persons born here.
A comparison of the classes as organized December 1, 1928 with those now organized follows:
Grammar
Begin-
Inter- Ad-
School Citizen-
ners
mediate vanced
Subjects ship
Enrollment 1928.
12
12
19
48
28
Enrollment 1929
17
11
15
12
9
Average Attendance 1928.
8
8
13
29
11
Average Attendance 1929.
13
9
13
13
7
The following racial groups are represented in the above classes:
French
Italian
Swedish
American
Serbian
English
Portugese
Irish
Polish
Jewish
German
Scotch
Austrian
Greek
There are still persons in the sections remote from the High School who are not being reached by our citizenship program. Those who reside in South Attle- boro, Dodgeville and Hebronville have little opportunity to enjoy the privileges of the evening schools, because of their distance from and the inconvenience in reaching them. I feel constrained to repeat what I have so often said-namely, that evening schools should be located in the neighborhoods which they serve so that people may find it convenient to attend.
I hope that eventually there will be evening schools located in advantageous places other than at the center, that some means may be found to promote home classes for busy women, and that the naturalization court session may be returned once a year at least to Attleboro.
Respectfully submitted,
A. IRVIN STUDLEY
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ANNUAL REPORT
HEBRONVILLE SCHOOL
Mr. Lewis A. Fales, Superintendent of Schools:
The New Englander of sixty years ago went to his work at 6 or 6:30 in the morning and heard the closing bell ring at 6 each evening, six days a week. To- day the forty-eight hour week is in force, with five and one half days of labor, and in some sections of the country the five-day week has come.
With so many hours of leisure, the State to ensure good citizenship must offer training for the use of these leisure hours which greatly exceed those spent in earning a living. Such training should fall into two general lines, the wise choice of amusements and secondly how to seek and find profitable avocational occupations.
For some years the extra activities at the Hebron School have been directed along lines tending to solve this problem for the people of our community. We have offered at different times to both children and adults the use of clubs and classes in various types of handwork, also a branch of the Public Library, the use of which was initiated and fostered during its early years by the school.
At present we are renovating a cottage for community use. Already we have prepared a room for a health center, which is being used by the District Nursing Association for Child Welfare conferences where mothers may receive advice on the care of children of pre-school age. A second room has been pre- pared for the use of the Branch Library. At present pupils of the sixth and seventh grades are at work on mural decorations in the library room, the subjects being chosen from "Mother Goose" and "Alice in Wonderland". The pictures are about three feet high and the longest is nine feet in length. The finished work is to be in color and is being applied directly to the walls under the direction of Miss Margaret Davidson, assistant teacher of drawing.
Last year our problem was to plan and construct tables, settles and book- cases for the library; this year they were painted and put in place. In this cottage we have a studio for the use of gifted children.
With our new building we shall be able to greatly widen the usefulness of the school to the community. Our activities at present are as follows:
Clubs for boys and girls, which serve a threefold purpose in providing for amusement, avocation and health.
Avocational classes for adults
Library facilities for adults and children
Training in art for gifted children
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES Hebronville School-October 1929
Monday
1. Home Art.
.6:30-8:30
2. Senior Boys' Club
6:30-8:30
Mrs. Tennant Mr. Ousley
Tuesday
3. Senior Girls' Club
6:30-8:30
4. Sewing 6:30-8:30
5. Branch Public Library 1:00-7:30
6. Child Welfare Conference 3:30-4:30
Wednesday
7. High School Girls' Club. 6:30-8:30
8. Junior Girls' Club 3:30-4:30
Mrs. Poland
Miss Ryan
Miss Bowen
Miss Bowman
Miss Hirons
Miss Jacques Mis ; Cla'in
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ANNUAL REPORT
Thursday
9. Junior Boys' Club
6:30-8:30
10. Home Arts 6:30-8:30
Mr. Ousley Miss birons Mrs. Tennant
Friday
11. Sewing 6:30-8:30 Miss Ryan
Note-Nos. 5 and 6 are held in Community Cottage.
Respectfully submitted, MARTHA J. ROBERTS
REPORT OF THE SUPERVISOR OF MUSIC
Mr. Lewis A. Fales, Superintendent of Schools:
"And I heard the children singing And ever as they sang Methought the voice of angels From heaven in answer rang."
So sang the poet in an effort to express the wonderful effect of the voices of children when they are trained to sing correctly.
The preservation of the voice of the pupils and the development of the power to understand the printed page, is our constant endeavor in the grade schools of our city.
With the able assistance of the intelligent corps of grade teachers, the sing- ing of our pupils continues to improve in quality of tone and in power of ex- pression.
The ability to read music is one of continual progress, and the effort which is being made to realize the dream of the poet as quoted above is in many schools not a dream but a reality.
The interest of the grade children in music is one of the great wonders to me not only in singing but in all types of musical instruments. The piano is still the favorite, the violin ranking next and the saxaphone, cornet, 'cello, horn, trombone, clarinet and flute in order. Because of this interest we have formed groups of these children into orchestras in the various schools of the city. Grammar school orchestras have become a part of our music work, the following teachers having volunteered assistance : Sanford St. School, Alma C. Hillman; Bliss School, Frances L. Gaffney; Richardson School, Caroline Cutts; Hebronville School, Ruth M. Hirons; Lincoln School, Helen Kenna; Tiffany School, Mary Whalen.
Eighth Grade
Eighth grade singing is especially fine in the three schools and with the exception of the boys whose voices are changing, everyone seems to enjoy this exercise very much. There is no regular orchestra at the Bank Street School though there are enough players to form an orchestra for any special program.
The only opportunity that the public has to hear the music of the eighth grade is at graduation, and everyone agrees that the singing and the orchestra aré especially fine at that time. A selected chorus from Bliss School together
HIGH SCHOOL ORCHESTRA - 1929
-
..
-
-
-
LE
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ANNUAL REPORT
with one from the Bank Street School furnished the vocal music and the in- strumental players from both schools formed the orchestra at the last graduation. Music at the Lincoln School was conducted by Mrs. Storin. A new departure that is proving of much value to the music students in the eighth grade is the Music Club. Here an added emphasis is given to music and another opportunity is given to those who are musical to express themselves and thereby help develop their musi al talent for the pleasure and service of others.
High School Orchestra
The High School Orchestra changes from year to year, but in spite of the many interests of the high school pupil today, the orchestra still has a large following and has proved its worth by the excellent work it has done in the up- building of the music life of the school The orchestra has achieved so many honors during the year that as a matter of record I think it well to state them in my report. The orchestra concert this last year was of such a high grade as to bring forth the highest praise from the large audience present. The orchestra was ably assisted by the Glee Club which sang Jules Jordan's cantata "Barbara Frietchie".
Ten members of our orchestra were sent to Boston to play in the All New England High School Orchestra which gave its concert in Symphony Hall, Boston. Four of our players won first chairs in this orchestra, namely :
Miss Irma B. Smith -- First Violin Mr. Garo Artinian-Viola Mr. Louis Meyer-French Horn Miss Lois Studley-Bassoon
A half scholarship of $150 for tuition to the National High School Orchestra Summer Camp was offered to each of the first three members mentioned, and as Mr. Meyer was the only one able to go for the entire summer I decided to accept the half scholarship in his behalf so kindly given through the generosity of the Oliver Ditson Company of Boston, and to secure the other half of the tuition from friends of the orchestra in this city. This I succeeded in doing and Louis Meyer was sent to Interlochen, Michigan to represent the Attleboro High School Orchestra and the high School Orchestras of Massachusetts at the National High School Orchestra Summer Camp. The enrollment there was 225 high school pupils who came from every state in the Union, and the conductors were the finest in America.
Respectfully submitted, JOHN LAING GIBB
REPORT OF THE SUPERVISOR OF DRAWING
Mr. Lewis A. Fales, Superintendent of Schools:
The main objective in art work is the appreciation of beauty, and while it is true that we want the art work in the schools to carry over into after life, we believe that art education is also for present enjoyment.
Appreciation comes through knowledge, and as we work out art principles in our problemns we are trying to develop right attitudes and habits in the children.
We began the year's work with grade meetings for all grades and talked over our present aims and looked over the work to be accomplished.
There have been two art work exhibits. One for grades and high school work at the armory, and another exhibit of high school work at the High School. The exhibit of the lower grades showed much free or creative work.
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ANNUAL REPORT
We are experimenting in some of the first grades with large brushes and paint. With this medium the child is given an opportunity to express himself without hindrance. The teachers and pupils seem enthusiastic over the work.
There has been some good work done in design. In the design work we are trying for creative expression. Some excellent designs have been brought in by pupils who are interested to try out a class suggestion at home.
Dr. Kilpatrick says "Judge of success of what goes on in school hours by what goes on out of school hours."
We cooperate when asked to help with general school activities.
The departmental work works out fairly well, and the teachers doing the work are conscientious and do good work, but more gratifying results would be obtained if I had more time in the grades. There would be more time to look at work done, more time to teach for the teacher's benefit, and more help given for the intervening work between lessons.
The art work exhibit at the high school showed the problems we took up in the freshman and sophomore divisions.
This year we have given special attention to design and color. There seems to be no limit to the possiblities of either. We have contributed posters to local affairs and cooperated with high school activities.
We are trying out a new course. We call it "The Path of Art". We are tracing art from the earliest time. This work correlates with history, but for lack of time we cannot keep up with the classes in history. Our people who take history have a background for the art work. We plan to give one hour a week to this study.
Respectfully submitted,
PERSIS A. CROWELL
REPORT OF THE TEACHER OF SEWING
Mr. Lewis A. Fales, Superintendent of Schools:
It is interesting to note the steady growth of our sewing department.
In 1910 instruction was given to three hundred girls; in 1919, to four hundred and fifty, while in 1929 we have enrolled six hundred and forty in our classes.
During the past year the work has improved both in quantity and quality.
Our course advances the pupil in an easy and logical manner and not only gives knowledge of certain processes but, during the four-year course, develops in the pupil an independent ability which is most gratifying.
The subject matter remains the same in regard to fundamentals but its application is varied as greatly as possible from year to year. Each year the pupil develops new knowledge based on former experience.
In grades V and VI fundamentals are taught and reviewed and applied to certain types of garments and household articles with particluar attention to finishing neatly.
In grade VII certain garments are made and repair work is encouraged . We examine garments for rips, tears and fastenings, calling attention only to such repairs as the girl herself is able to make.
In the eighth grade the work to be of greatest value must meet the needs and interest of the pupil, so each girl makes whatever she may wish, the only require- ment being that the work shall be worth while. with the foundation laid in preceding years, the work progresses rapidly, the projects including slips, night- dresses, kimonos, pajamas, coolie coats, blouses and dresses.
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ANNUAL REPORT
During the twenty weeks many of the girls have made three garments in a very satisfactory manner. The girls are also instructed in the care of the machine, taking measurements, altering patterns, durability of material to pattern and an appreciation of the cost of clothing and value of economy in buying and cutting
Respectfully submitted,
MINNIE A. WALKER
REPORT OF VACATION SCHOOLS
Mr. Lewis A. Fales, Superintendent of Schools:
Following is the 25th report of the Dodgeville-Hebronville Vacation Schools.
The schools were in session for six weeks beginning July 8th and closing August 16th. Three hundred and twenty-five children attended, ranging in ages from three to fifteen years. Fifty per cent of these children enrolled in one or two of the three industrial classes; namely, basketry, sewing, handwork and weaving, and worked from one to two hours each session.
Three hundred and fourteen articles were made consisting of dresses, slips, aprons, bloomers, dolls' hammocks, tam-o-shanters, stocking caps, table, Colonial and raphia mats, under arm purses, waste baskets, table and boudoir lamps with shades, pin, pencil and serving tray , coasters, shopping bags, flower baskets, work baskets, and tea-tiles.
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