USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Duxbury > Town annual report for the town of Duxbury for the year ending 1951-1955 > Part 49
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From outside the "official family" of the School Department we have received much help indeed. The Parent-Teachers Assoc- iation has been extremely active and helpful as have the various
6
advisory groups that have been set up in our major educational fields. While the Duxbury Council for Public Schools has been comparatively inactive throughout this past year we recognize in this organization still another group of Duxbury citizens who stand ready to build better schools for Duxbury.
We do feel that perhaps the outstanding job in the interest of Duxbury education during this past year has been done by the Building Committee of which Mr. Edward B. Hutton is Chairman. This Committee consisting of Mr. Hutton, Mr. Warren B. Stetson, Mrs. J. Alvin Borgeson, Mrs. Stanley H. Merry, Mr. G. Lincoln Dow, Mr. Jackson S. Kent and Mr. Earle C. Grenquist, has worked tirelessly over the past two years with Mr. William B. Coffin the architect of our elementary school addition and with Dr. Handy and other members of the school department and the School Committee to produce a building of which we can all be proud. We sincerely hope that all of our citizens who have not done so will soon avail themselves of the opportunity to visit the wonderful classrooms designed by Mr. Coffin and built under the direction of this committee. It seems to us that far too few citizens recognize the hours and days of effort put in by committees of this type who are appointed to such serious jobs in the interest of the town only to be comparatively forgotten when the job has been done. We thank this committee in particular for its constant efforts to maintain liaison with us and with the school administra- tive personnel so that no stone might be left unturned to provide Duxbury with a building that is totally in keeping with its plans for the future.
Many other groups in the town have contributed to our schools during the year. Scholarship funds are growing. Gifts of equip- ment, services, and money are being received constantly. We have had fine cooperation from all other town agencies and have offered our full cooperation in return.
We should like to close by making a general appeal to all the citizens of our town to continue their interest in our schools as
.
7
they have in the past. We are conscious of the great debt that is owed to all citizens and tax payers by the graduates of Duxbury Schools as well as by the school department personnel for Dux- bury's willingness to pay the bills in order to provide a good edu- cation for its young people. Without the town's support none of the buildings would have been possible and probably much of our progress through the years from an educational point of view would have been impossible. We face the future with confidence, knowing that this interest and support will continue as long as our job is well done. We urge those of our citizens who are also par- ents of our pupils to take an ever increasing interest in the direct problems of their own youngsters, and we hope these parents will make a maximum effort to avail themselves of the opportunities that have been freely offered by our administrative staff and teachers to tackle all common problems together. Finally it is our hope that you the citizens of our community will feel free to con- tact your School Committee members with your suggestions and your comments to the end that we may do an even better job for everyone in the years ahead.
Respectfully submitted,
MORRISON M. BUMP, Chairman
ELIZABETH U. NICKERSON, Secretary
ALBERT P. RICHARDS
EARLE C. GRENQUIST
DOMINIC E. LaGRECA
Duxbury School Committee
8
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
Honorable School Committee Duxbury, Massachusetts
Gentlemen :
Educating the youth of a small community like Duxbury pre- sents problems which are not unlike those which confront a large town or city. In fact, problems here seem to typify those found in · the country as a whole.
First, there is the obvious and continuing problem of numbers of young people to be educated. Throughout the country this problem is one of increasing concern. It is reported that Elemen- tary school enrollments were increased by more than a million pupils in the country as a whole at the start of the school year. The birth rate is continuing to rise, and, it is predicted that an increase of this magnitude can be expected each year in the fore- seeable future. The effect of this rising birth rate is just beginning to be felt at the high school level. By 1960 statistics indicate that in the country generally there will be four students in our high schools where there are now three. In Duxbury, the number of young people in our elementary schools has increased more than fifty percent in the last five years. Next September the first large elementary school class will be admitted to the high school and growth in that unit will proceed rapidly.
The second major problem grows out of the first. While en- rollments are increasing the number of people preparing to teach is decreasing. One report indicates that the annual output of el- ementary and high school teachers has dropped twenty-six percent in the last five years. The National Education Association in 1954
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WING, BUILT 1954
9
estimated that to provide replacements for those teachers leaving the profession; to provide for the increase in elementary school population; and to relieve overcrowding, enrich instructional programs, and replace unqualified teachers 165,000 additional teachers were required. The situation at the high school level in- dicated a need for 50,000 additional teachers. Educational insti- tutions provided a total of only 53,000 persons qualified for ele- mentary and high school teaching. And it is interesting to note further that fifty-seven percent of all of the graduates of all of our institutions of higher learning in 1954 would have to go into teaching if we were to meet the above deficit. All of this points to increased competition among communities to secure the services of good teachers. This in turn indicates the need for adequate salary schedules. It is my hope that in Duxbury we shall be able to maintain good salary schedules and keep competitive with other school systems for the best teachers available and not com- petitive for just the average.
The problem of providing adequate facilities is no less serious. Spur-of-the-moment efforts to accommodate an increasing school population may result in the quality of the educational program being neglected. Makeshift buildings, overcrowded classrooms, obsolete equipment and inadequate instructional materials may lower the quality of instruction. In Duxbury, however, we have been most fortunate in this regard. Unlike many towns and cities our pupils are adequately housed. While many new school build- ings are filled to capacity as soon as completed, this year we have two vacant classrooms at the elementary level and adequate space at the high school level. Our problem is one of keeping ahead so that we shall not be forced to use makeshift accommodations or have overcrowded classrooms. To do this will require long range planning and continued study of our population growth. What in- fluence the proposed new expressway from Boston will have on our population growth is a matter of concern in this regard. The Duxbury Council for Public Schools is now studying long range population trends in Duxbury as they influence the growth of our schools. This report should be most helpful.
10
The problem of maintaining a sound and suitable curriculum is complicated by the demands placed upon our schools. We have long cherished the ideal of educating all American youth so far as their individual capacities and interests will permit. Over the years our attempts to realize this ideal have produced a great increase in the proportion of young people attending secondary schools. In 1900 two out of every ten youngsters of high school age were in school. Today it is eight out of ten.
This increase in the proportion of our population attending school has brought us the additional problem of students having wide ranges of ability and interest coming from a variety of back- grounds. This variety has produced difficult questions regarding the nature and extent of the school curriculum. It is not too many years ago that the college preparatory program was about all that was offered in high schools. Today, this program is only one of several available to students. Keeping the curriculum in adjust- ment with pupil needs and interests is a continuing problem and one which requires our close attention. One of the ways we are trying to do this in Duxbury is through the guidance provided by our lay advisory committees. Four such committees are now in operation and their members work on curriculum problems with teachers and administrators. The results have been most helpful and appreciation is hereby extended to those who have participated in these meetings.
Further consideration of these problems together with related statistical data are presented in the following pages.
I should like to take this opportunity to thank you for your cooperation and good counsel during the year just closed. I am confident that we are moving ahead together for better schools.
Respectfully yours,
EVERETT L. HANDY,
Superintendent of Schools.
11
PERSONNEL
The most significant change in the number of pupils to be edu- cated in Duxbury in the foreseeable future will most likely be at the high school level. Classes will continue to be large at the ele- mentary level, but this has now become the pattern in these grades and it seems unlikely that this pattern will be different in the years ahead. High School classes, on the other hand have been rela- tively small. Seventh grade classes have ranged in size from forty to sixty-one in the last five years. During the same time period
GROWTH OF HIGH SCHOOL ENROLLMENT, 1950 - 1958
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
12
senior or twelfth grade clasess varied in size from twenty-four to thirty. In September 1955 about eighty-five pupils will enter high school raising the total high school membership to approximately three hundred. Large classes will follow each year with a result- ing sharp increase in total enrollment.
This increase in enrollment will mean more of just about everything - more class sections, more classrooms used, more teachers needed, more supplies required and more textbooks nec- essary. More important than all this, however, is the challenge to the community to provide that kind of an educational program which will meet the needs and interests of these young people. There will be more bright pupils, but there will be more average pupils too. There will be more who want to prepare for college, but there will be an increasing number who have other goals in · mind. To provide the amount and the kind of educational pro- grams these young people need is a task which will be no less challenging and interesting because it will be difficult. It will be a first concern for us.
The following tabulation indicates the growth in school popu- lation over the nine year period from October 1, 1949, to October 1, 1957. Kindergarten enrollments for period 1954-57 based on figures supplied by the State School Building Authority.
Grade
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956 80
1957
K
54
58
72
108
59
95
105
98
1
72
68
77
79
114
73
95
105
80
50
73
70
79
76
102
73
95
105
3
52
52
76
74
87
75
102
73
95
33
56
5.5
89
75
81
75
102
73
5
53
42
60
54
85
74
81
75
102
6
38
56
38
62
52
79
74
81
75
Total
352
405
448
545
548
579
605
611
628
41
40
54
40
56
61
79
74
81
8
39
40
34
47
43
51
61
79
74
9
39
40
35
40
39
37
51
61
79
10
26
39
33
36
41
41
37
51
61
11
26
28
32
33
31
33
41
37
51
12
23
24
26
27
30
28
33
41
37
Total
194
211
214
223
240
251
302
343
383
Grand
Total
546
616
662
768
788
830
907
954
1011
13
REPORT OF SCHOOL CENSUS
The following report of children in town and enrollment is based upon the school census taken October 1, 1954.
5 years and under 7 years
7 years and under 16 years
Illiterate Minors 16 years or over and under 21
Number of boys living in Duxbury
107
310
0
Number of girls living in Duxbury
107
304
2
Total in residence
214
614
2
Distribution of above:
"Public School Mem- bership
200
567
0
In Continuation School Membership
0
0
0
In Vocational School
0
0
0
** In Private and Parochial Schools
12
43
0
In State and County
Institutions
0
1
0
Not in any school
2
3
2
* Does not include pupils over sixteen years of age.
** Does not include private kindergartens.
In October of this year a study of the high school pupil popu- lation (Grade 7 - 12) was made to discover how many pupils were
14
dropping out and why. The study showed the following numbers of pupils entering and leaving over a five year period.
1. Thirty-two boys and fifteen girls or a total of forty-seven pupils left because their families moved away.
2. During the same five year period fifty-eight pupils trans- ferred to the Duxbury High School from other high schools because their families moved here.
3. Twenty-two boys and five girls or a total of twenty-seven pupils left to attend private schools.
4. Sixteen boys and six girls or a total of twenty-two left for reasons other than those given above. Usually such pupils leave because of poor scholarship or for economic reasons.
One conclusion to be drawn from this study is the need for further follow-up to find out:
1. Why pupils left to enter private schools.
2. What specific problems caused pupils to drop out for other reasons.
A second and obvious conclusion is that over the years more families with children are moving into Duxbury than are moving away.
One of the most significant facts about our teacher personnel is that eight faculty members will be eligible for tenure this year. This is indicative of more stability in the teaching personnel than has been the case for a number of years. In spite of this evidence of lessening turnover among our teachers there are problems still largely unsolved which influence stability in our teaching force. One of these is the matter of social relations in the community. Year after year single teachers report that they find little oppor-
15
tunity for social contacts in Duxbury. A second problem concerns young married couples with growing families. These people find it difficult to get along on a teacher's pay without taking on extra jobs. Regular job opportunities in other fields at higher pay are tempting to such teachers. Housing is a third problem that pre- sents difficulties for our staff. This year at least three families are living outside of Duxbury because of the difficulty of getting hous- ing they can afford to finance. Such problems require our com- bined efforts if we are to solve them successfully.
In 1950 there were forty-six persons on the school staff. Five years later, in 1954, that number increased to sixty-five. It is ex- pected that next year this number will increase by three. Two ad- ditional high school teachers and one additional kindergarten teacher will be required. A tabulation of those now employed follows.
Distribution of School Personnel - 1954
Elementary School Teachers
22
High School Teachers
13
Supervisors
4
Superintendents
1
Principals
2
Special Instructors (part-time )
4
Janitors (full-time )
4
Janitors (part-time )
2
Clerks
2
Dentists
2
Physicians
1
Nurses
1
Attendance Officers
1
Lunchroom Staff
6
Total
65
ELEMENTARY TEACHERS
Telephone 581
Years of Service in Duxbury
Name J. Donald DeLong
Principal
B.M.E., New England Conservatory of Music; M. A., Florida State University 2
Mrs. Marion K. Baker
Kindergarten
Perry Kindergarten School
2
Mrs. Dorothy J. Scott
Kindergarten
New England Conservatory of Music, Curtis Institute of Music 2
Mrs. Lucy E. Ellis
Kindergarten
B. S., Maryland State Teachers' College
0
Mrs. Lena A. Macomber
Grade One
Salem Normal School, Bridgewater State Teachers' College 13
Mrs. Mildred E. Glass Grade One
Bridgewater Normal School, Bridgewater State : Teachers' College 4
16
Mrs. Caroline L. Fife Grade One
B. S. in Ed., Ohio State University
2
Mrs. M. Abbie Peckham
Grade Two
Partridge Academy, Hyannis Normal
44
Mrs. Flora Ann Wood
Grade Two
A. B., Tufts College
5
Miss Clare E. Donovan
Grade Two
B. S., Lesley College
0
Miss Evelyn Marinus
Grade Two
Lesley College
0
Miss Mary I. Clark
Grade Three
B. S., Lesley College
0
Mrs. Emily P. Loring
Grade Three
Bridegwater State Teachers' College
2
Mrs. Beatrice A. Chase
Grade Three
Lesley College, Boston University
3
Mrs. Alice L. O'Neil
Grade Four
North Adams Normal School; Bridgewater State Teachers' College 14
Mrs. Barbara P. Cooper
Grade Four
B. S., Salem State Teachers' College
0
Miss Irmajane Wrenn
Grade Four
B. S., and M. Ed., Boston University
0
Mr. Alfred J. DeCastro
Grade Five
B. S., Boston College 1
Mrs. Helen L. De Wolf
Grade Five
B. S., Bridgewater State Teachers' College
0
Position
Training
CLASSROOM, NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WING
Mr. Robert A. Wheeler Grade Five Grade Six
Mr. Kenneth W. Lovejoy
Mr. James F. Queeny
Grade Six
Mr. Robert J. Smith
Grade Six
A. B., Harvard University 0
A. B., University of Massachusetts, M. Ed., Fitch- burg State Teachers' College 0 B. A., Harvard University; M. A., Trinity College, Dublin 1 B. S., Springfield College, M. A., Columbia University 0
HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS Telephone 346
Name
Position
Training
Years of Service in Duxbury 5
Mr. Rodney R. Wood
Principal
Physical Education
A. B., M. Ed., M. A. Tufts B.S., in Ed., M. Ed., Boston University; Bloomsberg State Teachers' College 15
Mrs. Elinor K. Churchill
Dean of Girls, Commercial
B. S., Boston University
3
17
Mr. Pelton Goudey
Science
B. S., Bowling Green University
1
Mrs. Florence J. Harrison
Languages, English
A. B., Maturite Reale, College DeGeneve ; A. M., Middlebury College 3
Mr. Walter T. Kennedy
Social Studies
B. S., Providence College
2
Mr. Leslie W. Larson
Mathematics, Science
B. S., M. Ed., University of Maine
0
Mr. Robert B. Mendenhall
Asst. Principal, Social Studies
B., S., in Ed., Boston University; M. in Ed., Boston University
20 2 0
Mr. Ralph D. Prigge
English
A. B., Trinity College
Mr. Albert Rothfuss
Science, Mathematics
B. S., Northeastern University
2
Mrs. Irene Sherwood
English
B. A., University of New Hampshire; M. A., Columbia University 0
Mr. Seth N. Snipe
Commercial
B. S., in Ed., University of Maine 0
Mrs. Henrietta Wheeler
Vocational, Household Arts
B. S., Farmington State Teachers' College
1
Mr. Ralph N. Blakeman
Mr. Francis S. Churchill
Shop
B. S., In Ed., Boston Teachers' College 1
SUPERVISORS
Name
Position
Training
Years of Service in Duxbury
Mrs. Josephine L. Bush
Remedial Reading
A. B., University of Washington; A. M., Teachers'
College, Columbia University
4
Miss Margaret M. Coleman
Physical Education
B. S. in Ed., Boston University 2
Miss Anna B. Davis Art
B. S., Art Ed., Rhode Island School of Design 0
Mr. Roger E. Jarvis Music
B. M., Ed., Westminster College
1
CLERKS
Mrs. Muriel O. Ferrell
Miss Helen F. Hanigan
High School Superintendent's Office
Partridge Academy; Bryant and Stratton 9
0
18
Norwich Academy; Packard Commercial School
19
JANITORS
Name
Charles W. Schwab
Ellis F. Harrison
Charles E. Delano
Frederick Rauh
Elementary School Janitor
0
Head Janitor, High School 3
High School Janitor 0
HEALTH SERVICE
Miss Susan E. Carter, R.N.
School Nurse, Tel. 175 or 465 12
Dr. Walter E. Deacon
School Physician, Tel. 84-W 5
Dr. Francis C. Ortolani
School Dentist 1
School Dentist 0
Dr. Gillis K. Turner
School Dentist (in Military Service) 5
SPECIAL SERVICE
Mrs. Elesebeth Bencordo
Librarian 9
Harry Iovinelli
Band Instructor 3
Mrs. Emily Mc Wade
Tutor of Physically Handicapped Children 2
Mass. Audubon Society
Mr. Harry Levi
Science Courses-Elementary 4
Handwriting Instructor 4
Earl W. Chandler
Attendance Officer
19
T. Waldo Herrick
Transportation 29
Mrs. Ella S. Donovan
Americanization Classes 8
LUNCHROOM STAFF
Mrs. Thelma P. Redlon
Manager 6
Mrs. Gladys R. MacKeown
Cook
12
Mrs. Marie Caron
Assistant
8
Mrs. Laila Wadsworth
Assistant
3
Mrs. Verna Schwab
Assistant
0
Miss Doris M. Viall
Assistant
0
EVENING PRACTICAL ARTS
Mrs. Barbara Arnold
Mrs. Hazelle Kingston
Mrs. Roger Griswold
Decorated Ware
Rug Hooking
Rug Braiding
Years of Service in Duxbury
Position
Head Janitor, Elementary
8
Elementary School Janitor 9
Elementary School Janitor
2
Michael J. Sheehan
Russell Edwards
Dr. Lloyd B. Chaisson
Miss Ardelle Wilbur
20
CURRICULUM
To adjust the school curriculum to the needs of individual pupils and at the same time keep it in accord with the require- ments of society is a task involving continuous study while still going ahead with the job of day to day teaching. This year the following studies and committee activities were carried on:
1. At the elementary school level a study of the teaching of spelling has been going on under the direction of Miss Irmajane Wrenn, teacher of grade four.
2. Several elementary grade level meetings have been con- ducted under the direction of the school principal, Mr. DeLong. These were evening meetings to tell parents about the work done at each grade level and to seek their re- actions concerning it.
3. At the high school level four citizen advisory committees met with teachers and school administrators to discuss the curriculum. The names of these advisory committees and their lay members are listed below.
Shop Advisory Committee: Winthrop B. Coffin, David Marshall, Francis Swift, Herbert C. Wirt and Jackson Kent. Vocational Household Arts Committee: Mrs. Earle Gren- quist, Mrs. Stanley Merry, and Mrs. Edwin Sampson. Commercial Advisory Committee: Edward Waddell, George Chapin, George Carter, and Albert Vinal.
College Preparatory Advisory Committee: Mrs. Albert P. Richards, Mrs. Henry Craig, Mrs. Howell Dupuy, C. Russ- ell Eddy, Edward Butler, Lincoln Dow, Robert Fox and Professor Lyle K. Bush.
4. A study was made of the numbers dropping out of high school before graduating. The results have been mentioned earlier in this report.
5. A further study made this year shows the number of grad- uates of the Duxbury High School now attending colleges and universities.
21
Members of Duxbury High School graduates now enrolled
Colleges and Universities
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1
Northeastern University
3
University of Miami 2
Boston University
4
Dartmouth College
1
Wheelock College
1
Boston School of Occupational Therapy (Tufts) 1
University of Rochester
1
Mt. Holyoke College
2
McGill University
1
Tufts College
1
Amherst College
1
University of Massachusetts
1
Wabash University
1
University of Syracuse
1
William and Mary
1
Bryn Maur 1
Total number of different colleges and
universities attended 16
Total number of graduates in attendance
24
In our remedial reading program one hundred three elemen- tary school pupils were referred to the instructor for testing, diag- nosis and instruction. Test results showed fifteen of these children reading two years below grade, and thirty-two reading from one to two years below grade. All were given remedial instruction in small groups or on an individual basis. Since September, twenty- seven formal conferences were held with parents, and ninety-eight written reports were sent home.
22
Some indications of the value of the remedial program are:
1. Fifty-three children with known reading disabilities have received an estimated total of thirty-four hours each of specific remedial instruction -- or a total of 1802 teach- ing hours.
2. Nine children have been returned to the classroom reading groups because of improvement or more equitable regroup- ing within the grade.
Note: Tests to measure progress were given to determine readiness to reenter regular reading group. Recommenda- tion for grouping and the adjustment of materials were offered upon reentry. Follow-up conferences with teachers, and visits to grades were made to study reactions to pro- cedure.
3. Reading materials were assembled in one room, inven- toried, evaluated and graded for more effective and more prompt distribution to classrooms where need for review or slow-learning needs existed.
4. Professional books on reading, phonics and spelling are available for reference or borrowing by teachers who are using this service more and more.
5. Sample worksheets, games, devices and drills are on dis- play. A file of these is in the process of being organized and teachers have agreed to pool and share their best examples.
6. A Remedial Reading Lending Library has been established and is proving its worth in increased interest and enjoy- ment. Sixty-seven new juvenile books were bought, which have been catalogued according to vocabulary level and interest level. Almost every child receiving remedial in- struction has read from one to four of these books.
23
Teachers are borrowing those pertaining to their social studies or science units for the use of their slow readers. The recorded circulation of these books already, since December 10th, is eighty-six.
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