USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Merrimac > Town Annual Report of the Officers of the Town of Merrimac 1924 > Part 4
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Two errors occurred in the warrants amounting to $191.30. Hence the selectmen's and treasurer's accounts will probablly show a total of $25,388.55 instead of $25,197.25. In the treasurer's receipts will be included $191.30 for returned checks. Since these balancing items represent neither real expenses nor additional receipts, they have been excluded from the above financial summary.
The aid to be received from the State next year is much larger than last year. The claim recently filed under General School Fund, Part II is $3514.93 instead of $2,688.82 in 1924, a gain of $826.11. The claim to be made in July under General School Fund, Part I, will probably be about $2,670 against $2,336 last year, a gain of $334. Tuition for state wards was not received last year, so two years should be paid during 1925. The amount will be about $1,000. A comparison of the amount of receipts last year
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SCHOOL REPORT
with the estimates to be received in 1925 shows a gain of about $2,000. Considering these facts, the increase of $600 in the total estimated expenses over the 1924 appropriations will represent never- theless an amount to be raised by taxation some $1,300 or $1,400 less than last year's assessment.
SCHOOL REPORT
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT
To the School Committee of Merrimac :
Gentlemen : Permit me to submit a brief report of the activities during the past year and of the present conditions.
NEW TEACHERS
Miss Champlin from the High School faculty resigned after one year's service to accept an in- creased salary elsewhere. In her place, Miss Grace R. Jerardi of Arlington, a graduate of Boston Uni- versity in 1923 was elected to fill the vacancy. Miss Gladys Sullivan from the Seventh Grade after a year of unusually good work as a beginner resigned to accept an appointment in her home town at a much higher salary. We were very fortunate to secure for the Seventh Grade vacancy Mrs. Rachel (Muffin) Rolfe of Amesbury. Mrs. Rolfe is a grad- uate of the three year course at Salem Normal school in 1920. She taught one year in our Eighth Grade, from September 1920 to June 1921. She went from here to the Amesbury Junior High School where she taught until June 1924. Her marriage forced her to give up her position in Amesbury since they have a rule against employing married women as regular teachers.
At the Centre School, Miss Ella O. Willis ap- plied for Retirement under the state pension act. This vacancy was filled by the appointment of Mrs. Wilma Kingsbury. She is a Normal School gradu- ate with several years experience, more recently as a principal in the western part of the state and be- fore her marriage as a grade teacher.
TEACHERS OF HIGH SCHOOL AND GRAMMAR GRADES
Below is given a view of the situation as re-
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SCHOOL REPORT
gards to length of service in grades from the seventh through the High School since September 1, 1918.
HIGH SCHOOL
Principal
Mr. F. J. Simmons, Sept. 1, 1918 to Jan. 16, 1920- 1 yr. 41/2 months.
Mr. A. W. Taber, Jan. 16, 1920 in service 5 years. English Teacher
*Miss H. J. Blodgett, Sept. 1, 1918 to June, 30, 1920 -2 years.
* Miss Margaret Lee, Sept. 1, 1920 to Feb. 1, 1921- 5 months.
* Miss Alice V. LaRocque, Feb. 1, 1921 to June 30, 1922-1 year, 5 months.
* Miss Gladys H. Bean, Sept. 1, 1922 in service 2 yrs. 5 months.
Language Teacher
* Miss Marjorie D. Colton, Sept. 1 1918 to June 30, 1920-2 years.
*Miss Mary E. Kauffman, Sept 1, 1920 to June 30, 1921-1 year.
*Miss Elinor Leahy, Sept 1, 1921 to June 30, 1923 -2 years.
*Miss Dorothy Champlin, Sept. 1, 1923 to June 30, 1924-1 year.
*Grace R. Jerardi, Sept. 1, 1924 in service 5 months. Commercial Teacher
*Miss Helen Murray, Sept. 1, 1918 to, June 30, 1920 -2 years.
*Miss Eleanor Durkee, Sept, 1. 1920 to June 30, 1923 -2 years.
*Miss Alice Manning, Sept. 1, 1923 in service 1 year 5 months.
Grade Eight
* Miss Inez A. Nelson, Sept. 1, 1917 to June 30, 1919 -2 years.
* Miss Mary Sullivan, Sept. 1, 1919 to June 30, 1920° 1 year.
*Miss Rachel Muffin, Sept. 1, 1920 to June 30, 1921 -1 year.
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SCHOOL REPORT
Mrs. Pearl C. VanHouten, Sept. 1, 1921 in service 3 years 5 months.
Grade Seven
Miss Gladys I. Barry, Sept. 1, 1918 to Feb. 15, 1919 51/2 months.
Ella J. Tebbets, Feb. 15, 1919 to June 30, 1919-41/2 months.
* Miss Lyndell F. Williams, Sept. 1, 1919 to June 30, 1920-1 year.
* Miss Maude I. Bushee, Sept. 1, 1920 to June 30, 1921 -1 year.
Miss Elizabeth Collins, Oct. 1, 1921 to May 16, 1923 -1 year 71/2 months.
Miss Winifred Miller, May 16, 1923 to June 30, 1923 -11/2 months.
* Miss Gladys Sullivan, Sept. 1, 1923 to June 30, 1924 -1 year.
Mrs. Rachel Muffin Rolfe, Sept. 1, 1924 in service 5 months.
* Indicates no regular experience beyond training and substitute work for a short time.
From the above it will be seen that the High School opened in September 1918 with an entirely new force of teachers, that since that time no ex- perienced teachers have been employed as assistants and that the changes in assistants have been fre- quent. These facts are presented as a matter of record. They however are suggestive of weakness in our school system. Especially when we must admit that some of these teachers have been weak in personality and training as well as lacking in experience. Such has been the condition, I have hopes of a very gradual improvement in length of service and in personality as the supply of avail- able teachers increases. Taking the present situa- tion, we have from grade seven through the High School only one teacher who started in September with less than a year's experience. The present situation is hopeful but looks precarious in light of the higher salaries paid in most places.
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SCHOOL REPORT
ENROLLMENT IN HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING
1919-Boys 43-Girls 65-total 108.
1920-Boys 34-Girls 69-total 103. 1921-Boys 48-Girls 65-total 113. 1922-Boys 49-Girls 71-total 120.
1923-Boys 64-Girls 71-total 135.
1924-Boys 64-Girls 60-total 124.
These figures show a pleasing growth which is especially noteworthy among the boys. Very un- usual is the situation where there are more boys than girls as the enrollment for the fall term showed.
ATTENDANCE
The attendance for the year ending in June 1924 was very good. The average per cent of at- tendance in the state was 93.3 while our percent was 94.2. During the first four months of the pres- ent year, our percent of attendance has been 95.5. The average membership for the fall term was 405. This is slightly less than a year ago. It was 412 for the School year 'ending in June 1924.
RELATIVE STANDING .
The state department of Education have tabu- lated and published the main facts from the annual returns for the school year ending June 30th, 1924. Out of 117 towns under 5,000 in population, having High Schools, Merrimac ranked 64 in its school tax rate and 27th in its general tax rate for the year 1923. In the total expenditure per pupil we ranked 111th with an average cost for all pupils of $58.73; in the High School it was $89.51 and in all the grades it was $48.70. The corresponding averages of the 117 towns were for all pupils $82.79, for the High School pupils $142.12 and for grade pupils $63.51.
MUSIC AND DRAWING
Miss Tickey who came to us after the first of January, resigned the last of April, because she found the work too tiring and difficult to carry on with her studies at the conservatory. We were
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SCHOOL REPORT
without a teacher for the rest of the school year. Mrs. M. Pearl Stevens of Salisbury was chosen to take up the work in September in Music. Mrs. Stevens has had training for and successful experience as a grade teacher in Salisbury and Lynn. She has studied music for a long time and promises to be very successful in this work.
With the help of Miss Sullivan of the seventh grade and Miss Bean of the High School, two groups entered the Musical Contest held by the West New- bury Choral Society last June and won third prize. Considering the broken year of training and the fact that only two groups represented the town, our showing was very creditable.
Miss Mary E. Hilton is the new teacher of draw- ing. She is a graduate of the Mass. Normal Art School. She has a day a week in each of five towns of which Merrimac is one. She is getting good re- sults. The only difficulty that she seems to have is lack of time. We could easily use another full day of her time each week.
NEEDS OF THE SCHOOL
The coal bins at the Centre School ought to be enlarged so that a year's supply could be put in at one time.
With the essential industry of the town calling for hand training, we ought to provide instruction which would give a start on this line to some of our boys. We have a teacher on our force who has had ten or fifteen years experience in teaching manual training. She is so situated as to be interested in staying in this locality. She has taught in High Schools, is now teaching a class or two in our High School. She could give half time in manual training to boys of grades seven and eight and to such boys of the High School as were interested in this line of work. The other half of her time could be given to regular High School classes. I believe that a room could be fitted up in the basement of the High School
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SCHOOL REPORT
building which would do well enough to; give this plan a trial. The girls ought to be given sewing in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades. I believe that some woman could be found near who would do that kind of work on a part time basis.
The report of the High School principal is sub- mitted. A table giving the attendance data for the school year ending in June 1924, the list of Grammar and of High School graduates, also the list of those pupils, over fifty in number, who were not absent from September, 1923 to June, 1924, are together submitted as a statistical report.
In closing, I wish to thank the committee for their co-operation and support; and to express mv appreciation of the interest manifested by the Par- ent Teachers' Association and the Grange in our schools.
Respectfully submitted,
HERMAN N. KNOX, Supt. of Schools.
Jan. 31, 1925.
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SCHOOL REPORT
REPORT OF PRINCIPAL OF HIGH SCHOOL
Merrimac, Mass., January, 1925.
To Mr. H. N. Knox, Superintendent, and the members of the School Board.
Dear Sirs :- I present the following as my an- nual report of the Merrimac High School.
The enrollment of the school is as follows:
Boys
Girls
Total
8th Grade
20
18
38
Freshmen
20
17
37
Sophomores
10
8
18
Juniors
7
10
17
Seniors
7
7
14
64
60
124
An encouraging feature of the table, as well as a unique one in connection with high schools, is the fact that there are more boys than there are girls. The attendance for the fall term is 95.24%. Five of the 1924 graduates are continuing their education in other institutions.
The school is in Class A, approved by the State Board of Education; and our certificate is accepted by the New England Certificate Board.
During the past year, the following are some of the activities that have been carried on: Orchestra, publishing of a school paper, Senior Play, Stunt Night, and Victrola periods. This last feature was made possible by the holding of a School Fair, at which money was raised to purchase a portable vic- trola and a few records. A Senior Play, "Take My Advice", and Stunt Night are to be presented this term.
The Class of 1924, following the suggestion of the previous year, made to the school a gift of money which has been voted by the Student Council to be
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SCHOOL REPORT
used in the purchase of additional sections for the book cases. Our library could well be enlarged by the procuring of more and up to date reference works. I believe there have been very few, far less than there ought to be, additions to the School Li- brary since I came here five years ago.
Our Honor Roll is divided into two parts: 1st, the names of pupils receiving 90% or higher in every subject; and 2nd, those who have an average of 85% or higher. For the latest report period of 8 weeks, the list includes the following pupils :
90% or higher
May Hammond
Robert Dickey
Jean MacDougall
Velma Gibbs
Allen Manning
Apphia Manning
Isabel Wright
Edith Wood .
An average of 85% or higher
Robert Cassazza
Beatrice England
Florence Hargraves
Doris Ordway
Edith Kierstead
Wilfred Purdy
Albert Messier
Louise Tucker
Harris Purdy
Dorothy Wright
Frederick Sweetsir
Marion Dore
Russell Harrington
Pauline Brown
Francis Sande Muriel Sylvester
I greatly appreciate the co-operation of the superintendent and the members of the School Board in carrying on the school work.
Respectfully submitted,
AUBREY W. TABOR, Principal of the High School.
1
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SCHOOL REPORT
THE CLASS ROLL
HIGH SCHOOL, 1924 Christine Grace Condon Delma Marion Jones Marion Elizabeth ConnorElsie Leilla' Kierstead Grace Lillian Earle Jane Louise Liberty Shirley Louise Peaslee Lucy Mina Stanton Wallace Vinton Trefethen
Arthur Eugene Frye Louisa Marion Greeley Helen Little Hammond Ada Marie Harrington Dorothy Rose Haskell
Ruth Adah Trull Minerva Hayes Wood
EIGHTH GRADE GRADUATES, 1924 Mitchell Smith Arnold Alice Thressa Arthur Adelbert Elliot Buzzelle Robert Greeley Cassazza Harold Wilmot Clark Alice Helena Demeritt Marguerite A. Deurinie Marion Esther Donovan Malcolm Allen Eaton William Henry Franklin Walter Brooks Gilmore May Brewster Hammond Florence E. Hargraves Ethel Mae Harrington Raymond Bailey Howe Edith Elaine Kierstead Georgia R. Lancaster Lois Nathalie Lane
Nina Lilla Laraway John Ilmar Lehto Waldo Nicholi Lehto Evelyn Anna Long Allen Reed Manning Muriel Jean MacDougall Albert Philip Messier Roy Edward Morgan Ruth Helen Odiorne Frederick Hartley Palmer Randolph Stevens Peaslee Mildred Violet Sawin Beatrice Gertrude Smith Rena Edna Spinney Edmund Sargent Staples Frederick Nelson Sweetsir Mildred R. Trenholm Ellsworth Hosford Tucker Isabel Lucille Wright
PUPILS NOT ABSENT SCHOOL YEAR 1923-1924 Merrimacport Ernest W. Hughes Charles L. Whitcomb
Centre Grade 2 Beatrice H. Hazeltine Margaret A. Hoyt
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SCHOOL REPORT
Centre Grade 3 Everett Carroll Centre Grade 4
Robert M. Carter Francis L. Sloban Ransford A. Spinney Centre Grade 5
Kenneth Fowle
Evelyn Beloff
Wilfred Journeay
Hilda Long Honora O'Keefe
Paul Schultz
Centre Grade 6
. -
Arthur E. Carroll
Donna E. Hall
Lawrence C. Colman
Arline E. Merrill
Nellie G. Bennett
Mae Shackleton
Grace E. Chaput
Charlotte C. Staples
-
Prospect Grade 7
Theron Condon
Louis Schultz Evelyn Pettigrew
Ruth Heath
Grade 8
Adelbert Buzzelle
May Hammond
Malcolm Eaton
Nina Laraway
Albert P. Messier
Beatrice Smith
Edmund L. Staples
Isabel Wright
High School
Pauline Brown
Helen Hargraves
Grace Colman
Elsie Kierstead
Evelyn Kierstead
George Nicol -
Norman Paine -
-
Christine Condon Shirley Condon Myrtle Earl Merrill Folansbee Helen Hammond Fernand Hardy
George Reynolds Enola Stanton Louise Tucker
Isabel Wright
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SCHOOL REPORT
ATTENDANCE DATA, SCHOOL YEAR 1923-1924
Membership Total
Average
A Membership
Per cent of
Attendance
Teachers
High
94.7 A. W. Taber Gladys H. Bean Alice Manning Dorothy Champlin Mrs. P. C. VanHouten
Grade VIII
48
42.6
93,7
Grade VII
44
38.9
93.6
Grade VI
46
44.1
94.0
Grade V
44
41.7
95.1
Sarah B. Titcomb
Grade IV
36
31.7
94.7
Mrs. Grace E. Sawyer
Grade III
36
30.9
93,3
Mrs. Ethel Davis
Grade II
34
28.2
92.7
Mrs. Clara Twombly
Grade I
32
28.3
92.7
Katherine Collins
Grade I
Prosp't
27
22.8
92.9
Elizabeth Strout
Merrimacp't 28
22.6
93.5
Mrs. A. M. Sargent
Total
462 412.2
94.2
Gladys Sullivan Ella O. Willis
School
87
£
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