USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Duxbury > Town annual report for the town of Duxbury for the year ending 1901-1910 > Part 87
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July 21. At Marshfield, Eugene F. Atwood and Mabel C. Sampson, both of Duxbury, by Rev. Daniel I. Gross.
August 15. At Duxbury, Samuel A. B. Mercer and Genevieve Magee, both of Duxbury, by Rev. Henry H. Haynes.
September 14. At Duxbury, James A. Coe of Port Jefferson,
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N. Y. and Grace L. Cushing of Duxbury, by Rev. William France.
October 2. At Duxbury, James P. Meany and Finette E. Williams, both of Duxbury, by Rev. L. J. Thomas.
November 24. At Kingston, Walter E. S. Frazar and Mary A. Desmond, both of Duxbury, by Rev. Andrew F. Haberstroh ..
December 5. At Duxbury, Arthur O. Edwards and Mary A. Curran, both of Duxbury, by Rev. William France.
December 18. At Kingston, Elliott Ephraim Pratt of King- ston and Josie Simmons of Duxbury, by Rev. S. S. Robins.
December 26. At Duxbury, Walter T. Churchill and Ger- trude A. Glover, both of Duxbury, by Rev. Andrew Hahn.
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ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
OF THE
Town of Duxbury
FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31
1910
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SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
Nathaniel K. Noyes, term expires - 1911
Albert M. Goulding, term expires
1912
John F. Low, term expires 1913
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS. William E. Chaffin, Egypt.
TEACHERS FOR 1910-1911.
Name, School and Post Office Address and Salary.
Herbert E. Walker, Partridge Academy, Millbrook, $1,100.
Alton H. Hartford, Partridge Academy, Duxbury, $700.
Olive Cooper, Partridge Academy, Millbrook, $600.
Ellen W. Downey, Village Grammar, Kingston, $550.
Elizabeth A. Hastings, Village Grammar, Duxbury, $400.
Edith W. Simpson, Tarkiln Grammar, Bryantville, R. F. D., $450.
Mary A. Doherty, Tarkiln Grammar, Bryantville, R. F. D., $425.
Blanche W. Simmons, South Duxbury, Millbrook, $375.
Grace M. Peterson, Island Creek, Millbrook, $400.
Abbie Baker, Ashdod, West Duxbury, $300.
Ruth E. Delano, North Duxbury, North Duxbury, $325.
Sadie E. Paulding, Millbrook, Duxbury, $375.
Mrs. Mary L. Devereux, Point, Duxbury, $400.
Harriet J. Ford, Special Teacher of Drawing, Millbrook, $200.
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
The School Committee of the Town of Duxbury herewith sub- mit their annual report, together with the reports of the Super- intendent of Schools, Principal of Partridge Academy and Duxbury High School, and Supervisor of Drawing, for the year ending December 31, 1910.
The Supervisor of Music asked for a year's leave of absence at the close of the last school year, and, with the hope that she might return at the end of the year, her place has not yet been filled, the music being taught by the various teachers in their separate schools.
At the last annual Town meeting Mr. William J. Alden, who had served on the school committee for fourteen years, declined to stand for a re-election and his place was filled by the election of Mr. John F. Low. Mr. Alden had served the committee . faithfully for a considerable period; he had been secretary of the board ; had had charge of the books and supplies ; had done a large part of the routine work which is necessary in an organ- ization of this kind, with schools scattered over a considerable area ; and had attended to the many calls which were constantly occurring from teachers and pupils as well as parents. No one can appreciate more than those who have attempted to do the work since his retirement how much of a demand must have been made upon his time and patience, and the remaining mem- bers of the committee feel glad of this opportunity to express their appreciation of his services upon the board with them.
During the school year the school board have made some changes in their methods of administration. The granting to them of committee room privileges in the old Library building has enabled them to put their work and methods on a little more businesslike basis than was possible formerly. The books and supplies are now kept there and the teachers make applica- tions for supplies either to the Superintendent or to Mr. Bills, who is the distributing agent for the committee.
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The method of keeping the accounts which has been pursued in the past has been so at variance with the methods employed by the State that the school committee have found it exceedingly difficult to compile and arrange certain statistics which are re- quired by the State Board of Education to be made to them annually. Hence, beginning on July 1, the school committee assumed charge of the funds which the Town had appropriated for school purposes and have held a meeting at 1 p. m. on the first day of each month at their office in the Town Building on St. George street, and the secretary has drawn his orders for approved bills on the treasurer. For the present at least this custom will be continued, and all persons having any bills. against the Town for anything pertaining to school matters will be required to present the same to the school committee at their office on the first day of the month, when, after they are approv- ed, they may receive an order on the treasurer for the money due them. This will account for the changes which the reader will find in the financial report of the school committee's ex- penditures.
The committee feel that there has been a slow but steady im- provement in all the schools for the past year. They have en- deavored to retain the satisfactory teachers as far as possible, even though at a somewhat increased expense in the salary ac- count. The establishment of grammar schools in both the east and west parts of the Town has already begun to show some improvement in the higher standard that it is possible to main- tain at the high school. This was a problem with which the committee had struggled for a number of years but to which they had been unable to find any solution. We believe that a few more years will show a very decided improvement in that direction. We are well aware that this change means the ex- penditure of a larger sum of money than formerly, but if the result attained is what it should be and promises to become, it will be well worth while. Two years ago the State Inspector of High Schools after an examination of our local high school re- ported it to be one year below standard grade. It certainly seems that our boys and girls who are willing to make an effort to obtain a high school education should be given the opportun- ity to obtain what the law requires they should have-a full four years' high school course.
At a joint meeting of the committees of Scituate, Marshfield
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and Duxbury, held April 27, 1910, Mr. William E. Chaffin was unanimously re-elected Superintendent of Schools for the en- suing year.
The Chairman of the Board, who has been a member of the committee for ten years and whose term expires at the annual Town meeting this year, but who is not a candidate for re- election, begs to take this opportunity to make that announce- ment, and also to thank those who have been associated with him in school work for their universal kindness and courtesy in the past.
1
FINANCIAL REPORT OF SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
Appropriation, Support of Schools, $7,750 00
Appropriation, Incidentals, Repairs, etc., 1,500 00
Appropriation, Superintendent, 250 00
Balance, Superintendent, 1909,
250 00
Reimbursement from State, 416 66
Tuition of State children,
56 50
Dividend Dog Fund,
347 01
$10,570 17
Expenditures-
High School instruction,
$2,376 93
Grammar and Primary instruction,
3,883 72
Drawing,
200 00
Music,
120 00
Transportation,
547 90
Fuel,
768 68
Janitor service, High school,
240 00
Janitor service, grammar and primary,
351 55
Cleaning buildings,
67 00
Supervision,
118 95
Clerk, book agent, etc.,
22 45
Superintendent,
546 62
Superintendent's expenses,
5 00
Books, stationery and supplies,
1
533 31
Express,
23 29
Duxbury 5
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Permanent repairs,
46 30
Ordinary repairs,
380 85
Town of Kingston tuition,
60 00
Sundries, census, etc.,
49 58
$10,342 13
$228 04
Overdraft 1909,
894 91
Overdraft 1910,
666 87
STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT OF MASSACHUSETTS
SCHOOL FUND FOR THE YEAR 1910.
Unexpended, Jan. 1, 1910,
$149 87
Received State treasurer's dividend
Mass. school fund Jan., 1910, 563 90
$713 77
Expended-
High school instruction,
$23 07
Primary school instruction,
32 50
Transportation,
510 00
Janitor service,
48 20
Books, stationery and supplies,
100 00
$713 77
We have examined the accounts of the School Committee and find them properly vouched and correctly cast.
ERNEST H. BAILEY, THOMAS W. HERRICK, Auditors.
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SCHOOL CALENDAR, 1911.
Winter Term.
Partridge Academy opens January 2, closes March 24. East Side Schools open January 2, close March 24.
West Side Schools open January 2, close March 24.
Spring Term.
Partridge Academy opens April 3, closes June 23.
East Side Schools open April 3, close June 16.
West Side Schools open April 3, close June 23.
Fall Term.
Partridge Academy opens September 5, closes December 20. East Side Schools open September 18, close Dec 20.
West Side Schools open September 25, close December 20.
Holidays.
Washington's Birthday, Patriot's Day, Memorial Day, Colum- bus Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day following. Winter term opens Jan. 1, 1912.
Superintendent's Office Hours.
First and third Tuesdays of each month, from 12.30 to 1.30 p. m.
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DISTRIBUTUION OF PUPILS, FALL OF 1910.
NUMBER IN GRADE.
SCHOOLS
1
2 3
4
5
6
7
8
Freshmen
Sophomores
Junior
Senior
Room totale
Academy
11
15
11
8
45
Village, Grades 5 and 6
21
13
Village, Grades 7 and 8
24
Tarkiln Grammar
15
8
35
Tarkiln Primary
4
3
4
5
1
17
Millbrook
3
3
9
20
Point
4
3
7
9
23
South Duxbury
€
7
4
14
34
Island Creek
3
6
7
5
24
Ashdod
3
5
3
4
1
16
North Duxbury
3
4
2
2
2
13
Enrollment by Grades
29
31 |
32
46
30
28
29
15
11
1 15
11
8
285
EYE AND EAR TESTS.
Whole number of pupils tested, 273
Number found defective in eyesight,
34
Number found defective in hearing, 1
Number of parents notified, 33
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34
17 12
7
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT
To the School Board-
Gentlemen :- In accordance with your requirements I here- with submit my second annual report of the schools :
Statistics.
Population of Duxbury, census of 1910, 1,688
Number of pupils enrolled in the schools, 307
Number enrolled under 5 years of age 7
Number enrolled over 15 years of age,
39
Number enrolled between 7 and 14,
203
Number enrolled between 5 and 15,
261
Average membership of all the schools,
280.18
Average attendance, 258.09
Percentage of attendance, 92.11
Number of boys completing the grammar school course, 3
Number of girls completing the grammar school course, 5
Number of men teachers required in the schools, 2
Number of women teachers, 11
Number of teachers who have graduated from college,
1
Number of teachers who have graduated from Normal school, 4
Aggregate of months all schools have been kept during school year, 100.1
Average number of months the schools have been kept, 9.2
Number of regular teachers in Academy, 3
Number of different pupils in academy during the year, 50
Number of pupils admitted to freshmen class, Sept., 1909, 20
Number graduated June, 1910, 8
The above comprises substantially the enrollment data re- quired by the State. While the total enrollment of the schools has fallen off some from that reported last year, the average membership, average attendance and the percentage of attend-
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ance each show a gain. The report for last year gave a total enrollment of 322, with an average attendance of 247. This year with a total enrollment of 307, we have an average attend- ance of 258. That is, with a school enrollment of 15 less than last year, we have secured an attendance which averages 11 more pupils for each day of the school year than was the case last year.
Our percentage of attendance is now slightly above the last average reported by the state, but is still below the average of Plymouth County. With constant vigilance we should be able to do better than the average for the county. The great ma- jority of the parents show a commendable interest in keeping their children regularly in school, but progress is still retarded by the absences of a comparatively few pupils, whose parents evidently fail to realize the character building value of regular and punctual attendance at school. It would be a good thing for the schools if the State truant laws were enforced.
Below is given a list of the schools arranged according to their percentages of attendance for the year.
South Duxbury Primary,
94.40
Village Grammar, grades 5 and 6,
93.61
Partridge Academy,
93.29
Tarkiln Primary,
93.22
Village Grammar, grades 7 and 8,
92.20
Millbrook Primary,
91.30
Point Primary,
91.04
Island Creek Primary,
90.90
Ashdod Primary,
90.40
North Duxbury Primary,
90.15
Tarkiln Grammar,
89.92
It seems strange that the Tarkiln Grammar which receives the most transportation of any school in town should fall to the bottom of the list.
There have been quite a number of changes in the teaching force. The new teachers selected are doing creditable work.
The year has been one of healthy progress, uninterrupted by epidemic disease or other serious hindrance. The work of the grades has not changed materially in method since the report of last year. At that time certain lines of improvement were mentioned and those same matters are still continuing to receive much attention. Two things, that were then mentioned and
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which in particular will continue to need the best efforts of our teachers, are the work in intermediate arithmetic and reading in the higher grades. That the importance of this work is realized in other schools is shown by the following from the re- cently issued average of study for the schools of Boston: "This course of study rests upon the belief that arithmetic teaching should aim to train children to an automatic reaction to num- ber facts, and to a high degree of facility in the use of funda- mental operations, to the end that intelligent and skilful appli- cation of abstract numbers may be made to practical problems of every day life." Also from the same: "It should be un- necessary to spend time on the mechanics of reading in the eighth grade; time should be given, therefore to training the pupils to express orally the finest passages in the literature les- son. Happily, the right teaching of the oral reading of such passages subserves the higher purposes of all reading, increasing the ability to take in the sense and sentiment and to feel their force. To express a noble thought nobly and sincerely is a great spiritual experience. When such an experience is realized the supreme purpose of the reading lesson is attained, for genuine warmth of feeling for what is pure and good results in the crea- tion of high ideals, and the possession of high ideals is the first step towards the formation of character. Good reading then is an accomplishment worthy of earnest cultivation." "Of equal honor with him who writes a grand poem is he who reads it grandly," Longfellow has said; and Emerson : "A good reader summons the mighty dead from their tombs and makes them speak to us."
The work in the grammar grades would be much broadened if a small working library could be furnished to the two gram- mar schools.
Continued cooperation between the schools and the Duxbury Free Library also should not be lost sight of.
Since the reorganizing of the schools under my predecessor in office, the grammar schools have been working under favor- able conditions. These schools are now in the hands of com- petent teachers and these graduates, from now on, seeking ad- mission to the Academy, should be fully as well prepared to do high school work as is the average grammar graduate in the towns of this Commonwealth. The Academy will therefore now be able to do a standard year's work in a year.
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There have been instances where assaults have been com- mitted, largely owing, it seems, to parents advising their chil- dren to fight any who called them names or otherwise misused them. Parents will do well to reflect that such advice will in the long run be sure to make more trouble for their own chil- dren than for any one else. School officers are fully aware that one of the most important functions of the school is to maintain friendly relations among its pupils. Both teachers and superin- tendent are earnestly desirious of promoting kindly and cour- teous relations among the pupils, and can be relied upon to correct cases of wrong-doing. Parents will save their children much trouble in the end if they will refer them to the school for the settlement of their differences, instead of pushing them into serious difficulties by advising them to take the law into their own hands. In this connection it might be well to add that the subject of moral education in the schools is of late re- ceiving much attention from the educational world. The cur- rent report of the United States Commissioner of Education gives prominence to this subject. Among other things he says : "I wish to call the especial attention of school authorities to the importance of providing in some way for explicit instruction in this subject in the public schools, not omitting reference to the side of civic and industrial obligations and that of courtesy in manners. Let it be frankly admitted that such explicit teach- ing is the smallest part of the work to be done, but let it not be forgotten that it is also an indispensable part."
The so called three Rs have for generations been considered the ground work of a common English education and they will probably always be so considered, but while we are strenuously endeavoring to reach a high standard of excellence in these sub- jects we should not lose sight of the fact that we are nearing a period of transition in the educational field and that a number of problems, each of vast importance, are pressing for solution. A phase of one of these problems I wish to bring to your atten- tion at this time and feel that I can best do so by quoting as follows from the State report: "It must be confessed that in the past the schools, if not actually belittling rural life, have failed to train pupils to see the opportunities at hand and pre- pare them for happy and successful careers on the farm; nor has the work of the school been sufficiently interesting to hold the majority of the children in school beyond the age of compul-
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sory attendance. The young people have left school able to read, write and cipher, but with no interest in agriculture, nor the slightest scientific training for it. As a consequence, many a country boy is performing unskilled labor in the city. If mar- ried, he is struggling along, trying to educate his children, pay the rent and keep up appearances on $2.50 a day or less ; he will be fortunate if at forty years of age he is even with the world ; he has slight prospect of being able to secure a home or to make provision for old age. If there had been something in the rural school to reveal to him the possibilities of agriculture, to inter- est him in the farm which he deserted, and to begin even in a small way his training for scientific agriculture, his career would have been far different. He would have been assured of a comfortable and attractive home, of a competence, and of a higher standard of living than is possible for him in the city. He would be a man of influence in his community, and happy, because successful in a vocation which he enjoys. The industrial part of the problem is to diffuse and strengthen the spirit and knowledge which are making some men and women eminently successful in the pursuit of agriculture. The social questions involved reach into almost every phase of human life. These are the problems of rural education."
The above is a brief quotation from the report of Julius E. Warren, Appendix C, of the 1908-1909 report of the Mass. State Board of Education. The whole report is most interest- ing and instructive and should be of interest to any interested in rural education. It contains details of the scientific agricul- tural work of some small country schools that cannot fail to be of great benefit. It also contains facts and figures tending to show that modern agriculture is a very profitable business. Duxbury has not a large per cent. of farming land, but it is in the belief that it has sufficient such land to make it worth while to consider this work that the subject has been mentioned.
Work along many vocational lines is now being tried in the schools of this country and it is believed that the time is com- ing when vocational work will be required in all school systems.
Respectfully submitted,
January 10, 1911.
WILLIAM E. CHAFFIN.
REPORT OF PARTRIDGE ACADEMY AND DUXBURY HIGH SCHOOL
Mr. William E. Chaffin, Superintendent of Schools. Dear Sir :-
The following brief report will be for the year 1910, for the reason mentioned in my last report-to bring the report down to the time of its writing.
At the close of the school year in June, a class of nine (9) was graduated with the usual exercises. At the end of this re- port will be found a copy of the programme with the names of the graduates. Of this class one pupil entered the Worcester Polytechnic Institute and another the Mass. Agricultural Col- lege. Both of these pupils were admitted upon certificates. An- other member has been employed as a teacher in one of the primary schools of the town. The class of 1911 has eight (8) members.
In September a class of ten (10) entered from the village grammar school. This class shows the benefit of the better train- ing possible with the present organization of the elementary schools of the town. The small number of this entering class is due partly, at least, to the fact that no class was promoted from the Tarkiln grammar school.
Without criticising the work of any fellow-teacher, I would urge that great care be taken in promoting pupils to the Acad- emy. Nearly all pupils find the high school work hard at first, and with a poor preparation they find it nearly impossible. Dur- ing the time the writer has been principal of the school, a class of seventeen (17) entered the 8th grade, then in the Academy, from one school of the town. Few, if any, of these pupils were fitted to take the work of the grade to which they had been duly promoted, and they "dropped out" until only three (3) of the seventeen (17) remained to enter the senior class. So large a proportion of these pupils would never have left the school if they had had sufficient preparation to do the work with anything like pleasure.
Although the present course of study has not vet been fol- lowed two years, I would suggest some changes in the work of
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the first two years. I believe these changes should be made in order that the transition from grammar to high school work may not be so difficult as it has been for the past two years.
In closing, I thank you and also the School Committee for your help and courtesy during the past year.
Respectfully submitted,
HERBERT E. WALKER,
Principal of Partridge Academy and Duxbury High School.
SUPERVISOR OF DRAWING
Mr. William E. Chaffin, Superintendent of Schools :
Dear Sir :-
In accordance with your request I present the following re- port of the work in drawing during the past year :
No great changes have been made in the program, except in minor details, the general plan being the same as in previous years. It has been my wish to have two lessons a week, but the teachers in the higher grades find it difficult to give the time for it. As the periods are only thirty minutes long and no preparation required, one hour a week seems little enough time to keep the hand in practice, and the interest up.
The course in our schools may be briefly outlined as follows : During the fall months the greater part of the work is drawn from nature. Flowers, fruits and vegetables were drawn and painted. Some of these studies were used later as motives for design in the Thanksgiving and Christmas work. This fall all the grades with the exception of grade one, did a printed al- phabet ; this we find very useful through the year for our book covers, posters, and ornamental initials. December was devoted to work in construction. Various useful objects were designed and constructed, then taken home by pupils to be used as Christ- mas gifts.
During the winter term construction was continued in the first four grades, the children making furniture on the prin- cipal of intersecting planes. They furnished a doll house of four rooms, adding pictures, rugs and curtains, and took great pleasure in doing it. The house furnished at the Ashdod school took the first prize at the Marshfield Fair.
The grammar grades took mechanical drawing, including simple problems and working drawings from objects.
With the coming of spring nature work was taken up again, using these studies in practical design the last six weeks of the term. The aim of the course has been to develop the ability to
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observe, the power to express, and an appreciation of the beauti- ful. We do not expect to produce artists. These are always the exception, but we hope "to produce draughtsmen and crafts- men and to arouse an intelligent pleasure in things beautiful."
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