USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Merrimac > Town Annual Report of the Officers of the Town of Merrimac 1960 > Part 6
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20
SCHOOL
REPORT
21
TOWN OF MERRIMAC
REPORT OF THE PENTUCKET REGIONAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE 1960
To the Selectmen and the Citizens of Groveland, Merrimac and West Newbury:
The Pentucket Regional School Committee submits this report to you for the year 1960. In previous reports we have presented the educational philosophy upon which the school was planned and conducted. For the year 1959 we reviewed with you the services which the school pro- vides. This year we will take stock of how well the school is doing what it was supposed to do.
PART I
There are many criteria by which we could judge our schools. The most satisfactory basis for evaluating an educational program is to review it in terms of its expressed purposes and objectives, the nature of the pupil with whom it must deal, the needs of the communities which it serves, and the nature of the American democracy of which it is a part. None of the criteria would satisfy all the critics of this or any other school. Some of the forthcoming con- clusions are value judgments which must stand on the strength of our observations. We will attempt to present our conclusions on the following bases:
1. Conant's Reports
a. High School
b. Junior High School
2. Success in Continuing Education
a. Holding power vs. drop-outs
b. Interest in continuing learning
c. Successful achievement in college
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SCHOOL REPORT
3. Vocational Placement and Proficiency
4. National Standards
5. Citizenship
6. Provisions for Individual Differences
7. Quality of Instruction
James Bryant Conant, former president of Harvard University and later United States Commissioner to Ger- many, has submitted two reports to the American people, one dealing with the high school, the other with the junior high school. After a two-year study of the comprehensive American high school, Conant reported to the people in his book, "The American High School Today", what he found to be the desirable features of the comprehensive high school. His seven main recommendations were: to elimin- ate the small high schools, plan individual student program of studies, require certain general education courses for all students, group children by their abilities, permit vocation- al courses without segregation of students, encourage the academically talented with challenging materials and give all students special attention in reading. This we do.
Conant's second report issued in 1960 dealt with Education in the Junior High School Years. His fourteen recommendations relative to the seventh and eighth grade programs are in general practice at the Pentucket Regional School. We depart from his major recommendations only in respect to the seven-period day. Our six-period day achieves the basic goals which Conant recommends except that his proposal for five periods per week for physical education is not met. We schedule two periods per week per student. The recommendation for five periods per week could be met by a longer school day or by shortening the length of each period. Since this amount of physical
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TOWN OF MERRIMAC
education would require additional physical education facilities, there needs to be much study on the concrete values to health of such a program in terms of its benefits.
Another way of judging the school is by what happens. with its students. Although adequate drop-out records are not available for the period preceding the operation of this school, enrollment statistics for each town indicate a drop-out rate of approximately fifty percent. Our own records indicate, in the short period of operation, that the holding power of this school has had a marked effect upon the number of students entering and completing their education. Holding power reflects many issues, but cer- tainly the quality of the teaching, the scope of the curricu- lum and the inspirational qualities of the staff are primary factors.
The holding power of a school also affects the desire of students to continue their education. We know that education is a life-long process. If we can instill in our students the need to know, to learn and to continue their process of growth, then we are contributing to their success in life. There is not enough time to learn the many things we need to know. Our aim is to teach more, faster and more efficiently. This was made possible by the combined efforts of the citizens of the Region in providing an excel- lent instructional environment and teaching aids.
A third factor, educationally speaking, by which we judge the success of our school is entrance into colleges and the excellent reports of student records at these colleges. In these critical times when New England colleges, in par- ticular, are increasingly more selective, the record which we have made in terms of entrance into select colleges is excellent. We are mindful of the fact that the selection process is still not an exact science and that this is a new school; nevertheless, we have reason to be proud.
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SCHOOL REPORT
Getting into college is one thing, but how do our students fare there ? Reports coming to the administration indicate that our students are not only well-prepared but are also making a fine record for their parents and the school. Not only are their grades complimentary but the students are serious, well oriented and a credit to their communities.
Although we are a comprehensive high school not devoted specifically to vocational placement, we do have students who by training, inclination or lack of money con- sider their high school education terminal, at least for the present. In particular we cite the fine record that the business education department has made in this regard. We have had numerous unsolicited comments regarding the calibre and training of these graduates. Under the supervision of that department and the Guidance depart- ment numerous desirable placements have been made. We are proud of this record.
In this respect we note, too, that through the efforts of the Guidance department, a sizable number of students have been qualified for and received various opportunities for vocational rehabilitation. We feel that these persons are not only prepared to lead useful, interesting and productive lives but, also, in the long-range outlook, theirs is not a wasted life or one dependent upon public welfare.
But the skeptic might say that this is not what we judge school by. How do our students do by national standards? Two methods of comparison are available. Each September the Iowa Tests of Educational Develop- ment are administered to every student in Grades Nine through Twelve. On these national standardized tests of basic fundamental skills, we have noted an annual increase in our overall scores. This year we particularly noted the steady growth of our student body in every respect. We noted, too, that the high percentile rank of our students justified the premises on which this school was established.
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TOWN OF MERRIMAC
The other measure of comparison is not a direct measure, since no school statistics are released, but the individual pupil scores on College Entrance Examinations indicate that our pupils are making achievement scores commensurate with their capacities. Although CEEB scores are not the only criteria of college entrance, albeit important ones, our students make commendable scores.
"But what are you doing to make our youth better citizens?" Our experience indicates a situation much like the one in which the county extension agent asks the farmer to learn newer ways of farming. The farmer yawns and says, "Why, I am not farming half as well as I can now." The condition confronting us is one in which the student knows the difference; the task is to get him to do what is best. This is a matter of attitudes, appreciation; of sin- cerity, loyalty, determination; of cooperation between the home, school and community ; of understanding our culture and social structure. Attitudes have their origins from so many devious occurrences in life that it is impossible to explain them at times. Nevertheless, by example, precepts, information and activity, we try to instill in our students characteristics of good citizenship revered by the community.
We can also evaluate our program on two other bases; instructional and personnel. The instructional program here was aimed at providing an instructional and learning environment which would meet individual pupil needs. We are not so naive as to think we meet every pupil's need but we provide the common individual needs. To illus- trate, we provide learning experiences in English for what- ever the learning level of the child. From experience and a comprehensive testing program we know that children at any grade level have a learning achievement that varies considerably. For each student, instructional materials are provided at his or her level of learning.
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SCHOOL REPORT
Our program provides learning experiences to challenge the academically talented, the average and the below average pupil. Some pupils are gifted in art or music, others have motor coordination which can be de- veloped into technical skills, others have verbal skills as shown in English, History and languages; others find interest and opportunity in other areas. Within the lim- itations of plant, personnel and means, we provide the type of education suited to the needs of the pupil and the desires of our society.
Finally, what makes the preceding items possible, to a significant degree, is the quality of the personnel. We do not measure our staff by the number of degrees they hold, their length of service, their sex or their age. A staff dedicated to the service of youth, bent upon imparting the traditions and experiences of mankind, reaching out for new horizons in learning, searching for better ways to inspire and encourage, is an invaluable asset. This has been our goal and we submit that, within the limits of prudence, we have achieved that goal.
PART II
PUPIL ENROLLMENTS AND FUTURE NEEDS
In the short space of three years we have seen our pupil population grow from 655 pupils in 1958 to a maximum of 790 during the first few weeks of September, 1960. The impact of this figure Projected Enrollments is that it exceeds the 1955 enroll- Year Number ment projections submitted to and 1958 615 accepted by the School Building 1959 647 Assistance Commission in deter- 1960 657 mining the size and facilities for 1961 714 this school. The table shown on 1962 727 the right shows these figures. 1963 742
1964
750
1965
777
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TOWN OF MERRIMAC
Expressed as percentages, the actual enrollments exceed the projected enrollments for 1958, 1959 and 1960 as shown on the right.
In 1958 by 7%
In 1959 by 14 %
In 1960 by 18 %
The question arises as to the consistency of further growth and its rate. There is no doubt that the next ten years will show a steady growth barring extremely unusual circumstances. The evidence for this prediction is:
1. The combined total of pupils in Grade One in Groveland, Merrimac and West Newbury is over 200 pupils. This is also true of Grade Two. The number of dropouts before Grade Nine is negligible.
2. On December 20, 1960, there were 1,095 pupils in the three elementary schools which send pupils to this school. If every child continued his education, by the year 1967 we could expect 1,095 pupils in Grades Seven through Twelve.
3. Official projected enrollments for the three towns predict over 200 pupils will annually enroll in Grade One for at least six years.
Significantly, more pupils entered in first grade of every town than our projections expected.
4. With more than 200 pupils in Grade Two and at least that amount predicted for that grade for years to follow, starting in 1965 we can expect 200 or more seventh graders annually.
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SCHOOL REPORT
5. The actual and expected long-range enrollments indicate the number of pupils to equal or exceed the totals shown below.
Actual Enrollments
Projected Enrollments
10/1/58
655
1961
830
10/1/59
730
1962
860
10/1/60
775
1963
890
1964
920
1965
950
1966
975
1967
1000
6. If the projected pupils for the next four years are combined with the pupils presently in Grades One and Two, there will be about 1,450 pupils in the three elemen- tary schools by 1964.
The line graph shown on the next page illustrates the effect of our pupil growth in relation to the numbers ex- pected in 1955. The data from which the line graph was plotted is shown below.
PENTUCKET REGIONAL SCHOOL
Year
1955 Projection
Actual Enrollment
Tuition Students
1958
615
655 (10/1)
8
1959
647
730 (10/1)
9
1960
657
775 (10/1)
9
1961
714
Projected-830
1962
727
860
1963
742
890
1964
750
920
1965
775
950
1966
975
1967
1,000
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TOWN OF MERRIMAC
1000ł
.
/
975
...
950
925
N
900
U
-
M
B
875
E
R
850
-
0
825
/
800
S
T
275
U
D
250
N
T
S
725
700
675
650
625
600
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
Y
EAR
Enrollmente
Projected
Actual Enrollments
1955 Projection
Graph of Pentucket Regional School |Enrollmentsl
The weight of the evidence is clear. Additional educational facilities will be required in the near future. In considering these additional requirements, we are for- tunate that the common facilities of the present structure
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SCHOOL REPORT
are adequate for some time longer. However, additional classrooms are imperative.
A critical re-evaluation of all aspects of our facilities, program, plans, etc., will be started before the Annual Reports are published. We will keep the people of this region informed of our deliberations at every stage. We assure the people that every possible solution will be in- vestigated, including the year-around school year, platoon- ing, and every other possible solution that has been pro- posed here or elsewhere. When we have completed our investigations with the assistance of as many people as possible, we will recommend a suggested solution which will be submitted to the voters for further action.
Your School Committee acknowledges and is grateful for the assistance that many citizens and town fathers have provided to make the education of our children effective. The interest in and the concern of parents for their children determines the level of education provided within any community.
Although singling out the contributions of any one individual or group does not do justice to the many efforts in behalf of the children here, we make note at this time of the Pentucket Scholarship Foundation which has con- cretely shown our students the interest and concern of their neighbors in the student's success in life.
Pentucket Regional School Committee ALLAN P. JARVIS, Chairman MRS. BARBARA GOVE JOHN F. COLE KENNETH G. FOWLE CARL G. OLSON MRS. VIRGINIA WEBSTER HAROLD A. BILODEAU
PAUL B. CONDON SYDNEY A. O'NEILL
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TOWN OF MERRIMAC
REPORT OF THE PRINCIPAL
This Annual Report is herewith presented for 2 purposes. 1) To see the picture as it is now and 2) to take a realistic view of the immediate future for the Pentucket Regional School.
As the School Committee Report in this bulletin will show, the enrollment figures for the school are unavoidably far in advance of the anticipated growth as determined when the educational and building specifications were set forth. Since the school opened in 1958 with 655 students, the enrollment has grown to the present figure of 775, which on the projections was to have been the enrollment in 1965. Thus, you can see that we are 5 years in advance in reaching the maximum size of student body for the maximum educational quality.
Before going into the effects of this and before looking ahead one or two years, let us see what has been accom- plished for the past 21/2 to 3 years.
We have followed as diligently as possible, the educa- tional specifications set forth by the committee when the school was planned. In doing this, we have provided the following :
1. In the junior high, we have given all students a foundation upon which can be built a sound high school education, preparing students for work, the armed forces or for further education. We have provided these young- sters with solid experiences in Mathematics, Science, English and Social Studies. We have grouped them according to ability and achievement, in order to provide them with learnings that are commensurate with their
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SCHOOL REPORT
ability and in order to challenge them in so far as possible. We have given them valuable experiences and background material in Music, Art, Home Economics, Physical Educa- tion and Industrail Arts. This total experience is necessary in order to attempt to insure the appreciation of and advancement of our civilization and our democratic way of life. Furthermore, beginning last year with small groups and expanding this year into all groups of the junior high, conversational French was offered. This is valuable especially for those who will make a study of language in the high school. Its value will increase even more as students come to us from the elementary schools having had conversational French there for one, two, three or more years.
This continuity of education, in order to be effective at all, must be continued. In order to meet the needs of these youngsters entering our junior high, we must also continue our program of meeting the students as they are and taking them ahead as far and as fast as they can go. If we should find ourselves in a position of being unable to group them in order to accomplish this purpose, we would be in a position of educational stagnation and our stand- ards would deteriorate at an alarming rate.
We have a program of acceleration and enrichment in the junior high. The areas of Mathematics and Science are accelerated, and the areas of English and Social Studies are enriched. This program is continuous into and thru the high school years.
We have at the present time groups in both freshmen and sophomore classes who are accelerated in mathe- matics and sicence and whose program calls for continuous acceleration. In English and social studies, these groups follow a program of enrichment. Our experience has shown us so far that this is of tremendous value to them and to the future as these students go on to college and go out into our society.
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TOWN OF MERRIMAC
We are also, in the high school, providing these students with a broad education as well as one that goes into depth. Since students are not locked into educational tracks, and since they are encouraged to broaden into other fields, they are participating in areas such as Art, Music, business education, home economics and industrial arts, and at the same time getting their basic skills in the strict academic subject of mathematics and English and science and social studies.
Guidance has been the key to this program of provid- ing the best education based on the needs and abilities of our students.
Students who have been graduated and have gone on to school, as well as those who have gone out to work, have volunteered their comments expressing their appre- ciation for the quality education they are receiving. The value of such an education can not be determined in pure monetary standards.
Now let us look at the actual situation for this year and for the next few years. This building was constructed for the purpose of providing a good education for approx- imately 750 to 800 students. This year's enrollment, as previously stated, was 775. Next year the enrollment figures will reach between 830 and 850 students and the following year 860 and 880, and from then on upward even more. This means that we are going to be over- crowded. At the present time, all rooms in this building are being used almost all of the school day. In fact, the cafeteria is being used for study hall 23 out of 30 periods. Because of the fact that we must serve lunch in the cafete- ria each day, we can only use this room 2 more periods per week or a total of 25 periods out of the 30. In addition to the cafeteria, we also use classrooms for study halls. If there were a way to eliminate study halls, we would be the first to use it, but to do so, would require more teachers, more rooms and more money.
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SCHOOL REPORT
Next year, our high school enrollment will jump approximately by 60 pupils. Since study halls involve high school students primarily, our problem will be even greater. The effect that these 60 students will have upon other aspects of high school education are equally import- ant. We shall need more teachers in the high school area as well as more textbooks and materials, and we shall have to find more classrooms.
Furthermore, we have the following problems: 1) We shall probably have to curtail Physical Education for either high school or junior high since there is neither the time nor the space to provide this for all students. In such areas as are listed below, there will also be problems because in these areas both high school and junior high must share the facilities provided. The Industrial Arts Shops will be pressed for space and time; because of the very nature of the area and of the instruction, classes must out of necessity be fairly small.
There will be next year in the junior high 12 groups of students rather than 11. These groups must participate in the shop area as well as in the Physical Education areas; thus, we either curtail the high school or the junior high school. It is not educationally sound to curtail either. In the Home Economic areas, certain problems will also be rather acute, as it will be especially in the Art area. If we are to curtail the high school in order that the junior high may get this foundation, we are penalizing the high school students because of this. The same situation applies if we give preference to high school over junior high.
Our problems are further confounded by the lack of classrooms available to provide adequate instruction areas for these extra students. Clearly what is needed is more space to provide an adequate education for the influx of new students coming to the school. The alternative to this would mean a definite deterioration in the quality of
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TOWN OF MERRIMAC
education if we should have to abandon our present pro- cedure of providing depth and breadth of education for all students.
We might well have to curtail our grouping and thus throw all types of students together. This would defeat our purpose of providing the type of education that we know is good. We would find ourselves in the situation that was in evidence before this school was built. Our program of enrichment and acceleration might well have to be either curtailed or eliminated. Many students would have to be deprived of the opportunity of studying in the direction best suited to their needs and to their future. Our science program which has been carefully built up, would have to be curtailed. Our language program would have to be very restrictive and available only to those who would be fortunate enough to have the right type of schedule, and in any event, either the junior high or high school or both would suffer because of the curtailment or elimination of what we feel are the quality aspects of a good education. Our reading program would also have to be eliminated completely for there would be no room available for the operation of this program.
Our whole schedule and philosophy of quality educa- tion would have to be scrapped. Even with proper and full guidance services, our students would be unable to secure the quality education they desire and need; thus, unless a vigorous program is planned now for the immediate future, can we maintain the quality education we now have. The alternative is a split session plus a drastic curtailment and elimination of many aspects of the quality education now being provided for our youth.
Respectfully submitted,
PAUL H. FARRIS
Principal
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SCHOOL REPORT
REPORT OF THE SCHOOL NURSE
It is difficult to measure the value of school health services, for so many of these areas cannot be easily de- fined. Facts and figures such as are listed below can give a partial picture of the school health program, yet these figures alone do not show the results. After two full school years is it possible to make some comparisons and the following is in evidence.
1. The general health of the students has improved. This fact is evident after physical examination and also by the fact that there were approximately five-hundred fewer student sick calls at the Health Office during this second year.
2. A higher percentage of students with vision losses, hearing losses and other physical defects, found by school examination, are receiving medical treatment.
3. A growing awareness that a sound body is as vital as an educated mind.
School Health Services:
Individual health consultations
Nurse-Teacher Conferences
First Aid and Illness
1,178
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TOWN OF MERRIMAC
Dismissals and Exclusions
57
Home Visits 31
Physical Examinations - Grades 7 and 10
School Physician 267
Family Physician 12
Pre-Athletic Examinations - School Physician
113
Massachusetts Hearing Tests 778
Massachusetts Hearing Retests
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