USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Ipswich > Town annual report of Ipswich 1916-1918 > Part 32
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During the summer two Field Days were held for pig club members. The first of these was at Upland Farms in July, Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Howard of the Agricultural School faculty taking charge. Mr. Kennedy gave a talk on judging a good pig, A judging team for the County Field Day was also formed.
In August the Essex County boys and girls Field Day was held at Hathorne. Three of our boys were on the pig judging team, two of them taking first and third prizes.
The first of December when the state contest closed thirty- two boys and girls out of forty who joined completed their rec- ords which were sent to the state pig club leaders. We are hoping that Ipswich will again win one or more of the prizes offered by the state and county.
In November Mr. Dean, the state poultry leader, and Mr. Howard addressed the upper grades on poultry raising. At present twelve children belong to the state poultry club, though many more are raising poultry.
We are hoping that when the spring of 1919 opens both children and parents will renew their efforts along the lines just mentioned, not only for the production of food but for their own health, strength and knowledge through intelligent labor in the sunshine and the open air. As Commissioner Claxton
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says, it is good for children to work joyously out of doors with their feet in the soil, their heads in the sunshine and their lungs filled with good fresh air; to work until they are tired and hun- gry and they will eat heartily and sleep soundly as a result.
Respectfully submitted,
KATHARINE F. SULLIVAN.
DOMESTIC SCIENCE DEPARTMENT.
To the Superintendent of Schools,
Dear Sir :-
The work done this year in this department has been of a very practical nature. In the fall of the year a great deal of canning and preserving was done for various townspeo- ple. They furnished all the materials and the girls did the work. In this way the girls gained a practical as well as theo- retical knowledge of canning, preserving and jelly making.
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Corn was the only vegetable that was canned. Among other work done were the following things: peaches canned, pears canned, apple and quince preserve, apple jelly, apple jam, car- rot marmalade, citron melon preserve, apple and raisin marma- lade, raisin and cranberry marmalade. More work would have been done along this line but for the closing of schools because of influenza.
Since finishing canning and preserving, dishes have been prepared that the pupils can make at home. The most econom- ical recipes are chosen, economical in that they are cheap in price and at the same time furnish a high food value. The combining of different dishes is studied so that the pupil may make up simple menus.
The food materials which are used in the class are studied with regard to their origin and preparation for market. In this way the pupil learns the nature of the material she is using and can handle it to a better advantage.
The actual cooking of certain articles of food that require a long time has to be omitted because of the length of the pe- riods devoted to cookery. The methods of making are ex- plained and the pupils are encouraged to try them out at home. The pupils report the results of their work at home and in this way the home and the school are brought closer together.
Instruction in housekeeping is correlated with that of the preparation of food. The pupil must acquire habits of neat- ness and efficiency while they are practicing cooking and house- keeping. Dish-washing, sweeping, cleaning, fire-building, and in fact the care of all parts of the household equipment is taken up in the classes.
The making of a hospital bed with a patient in it is taught in all the classes. This teaches the girl to 'be of great assist- ance when there is sickness in the home,
The work in the High School is along the same lines as
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that of the grades, but is somewhat more advanced. The girls in the High School that are taking the course in cookery this year have a good working knowledge of the art of cookery and they can be depended upon to do very good work. In addition to their regular work the "Victory Girls" had a candy sale and in this way earned part of their Victory money which they had pledged.
This course has been planned with the aim to make the girls neat and efficient housekeepers.
·
Respectfully submitted,
ALICE K. LOCKWOOD.
SEWING DEPARTMENT.
The work of the Sewing classes is planned to teach the girls to be able to make their own clothes in the most efficient way. This requires a study of the following things: choice of material best suited for the garment to be made, the use of com- mercial patterns, planning and cutting of the material, the
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fundamental stitches and how to apply them in garment mak- ing.
The first stitches are taught in the 5th grade. The child · learns the stitches on a practice piece and then applies them on the article she is making. The following articles are made in the first year of sewing: bean bags, school bags, sewing bags, bibs, aprons and petticoats. After making three of the articles named the child has learned to make the following stitches in the correct way: basting. back-stitching. hemming, over-casting, over-handing and the running stitch.
In the 6th grade the stitches are practiced more to develop speed and accuracy in making them. Chemises, nightgowns and bloomers are made in this year's work. After one article is completed by hand the pupils will learn to stitch on the ma- chine and use it in making other garments.
In the 7th grade the girls get still further practice in the use of the machines while making their cooking outfit which con- sists of an apron, cap, towel and holder.
In the 8th grade various articles of clothing are made in- cluding underwear, blouses, skirts and dresses. The work this year, however, has been confined mostly to Red Cross Sewing, an account of wich is given further on in this report.
The High School has had two classes in sewing. The work is of a somewhat broader scope, and quite a variety of gar- ments is made from underwear to dresses.
Repair work and darning are taught in every class, gar- ments being brought from home to be repaired. The making over of clothes is also taught, as this teaches the girls to be thrifty.
This course is planned not only to teach the girl to be able to make her own clothes, but also to do all the sewing that has to be done in caring for the home.
ALICE K. LOCKWOOD.
REPORT OF THE JUNIOR RED CROSS.
During the month of December an auxiliary of the Junior Red Cross was organized in the Junior High School. The memberships were earned partly by 25 cent membership fees, partly by work previously done for the Red Cross. In the drive for Senior membership, the part of the Janior member was to get all the members of his family interested so that they would become members of the Senior Red Cross.
There has been more call for sewing than knitting so far this year, so the work done has been along those lines. The members have completed ten pairs of bed socks for soldiers, and ten chemises for the refugees. The next lot of sewing is to be a quota of flannelette petticoats for the refugee children. A great deal more work will be completed before the end of the year.
Some knitting is being done this year. Socks, mufflers, wash cloths and babies' bonnets have been knit. One Afghan has been finished and sent in to the Red Cross headquarters. Another one is now in the process of making.
It is planned to have the members of the Junior Red Cross give a few entertainments on Friday afternoons. These will be instructive and will keep up the interest of pupils in the work for the Red Cross.
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The children enjoy doing this work. It encourages a spirit of helpfulness and at the same time they are gaining practical experience.
ALICE K. LOCKWOOD.
MANUAL TRAINING DEPARTMENT.
This department was not reopened until December 1, when Mr. Arthur W. Gould took charge of the work.
As he has held this position for only a short time, he has asked to be excused from writing a formal report and his re- quest has been granted. He much prefers that opinion of the quality of his work be based upon the actual inspection of the work itself and an opportunity for doing so will be furnished by the School Exhibition to be held sometime in the month of May.
We wish to say however that in our opinion he is doing ex- cellent work. He has started at the beginning and is working along useful and practical lines. The boys are showing an un- usual interest in their work. as the number of applicants for this course is constantly increasing, and this, too, in the face of very exacting oircumstances.
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The classes are orderly and and attentive and take a com- mendable pride in their work. We feel sure that his pupils are receiving a training in accuracy and carefulness that will be re- flected in all their school exercises.
The present number in this department is 155.
JOSEPH I. HORTON.
DRAWING DEPARTMENT.
To the Superintendent of Schools,
Dear Sir :-
The subject of drawing includes representation, construct- ive work, design, decoration. picture study, and picture mak- ing.
Drawing is being taught in all the grades. Children work with interest and produce desired results if they see a tangible result from their work. For this reason the greater part of the work results in a series of projects, ex., the design work appears in the decoration of constructed objects, the constructive work in a series of objects which bear relation to each other as "A Dutch Village" and "A Dining Room," the objects of which may be arranged on a sand table. The object drawing appears
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in booklets or in the form of advertisements .. Drill work is given whenever necessary during the development of the pro- jects. In this way, it is hoped not to lessen the amount or min- imize the importance of the drill work, but to vitalize it and to make its use apparent to the children. The quality of the work should show the result of the added earnestness and interest.
Why teach the drawing? To furnish pupils with a new language of expression (pictures) which is understood by all people in the world, hence a more universal language than one of words.
Drawing given to the average pupil under average con- ditions gives him skill which may be practically applied in many fields. We do not teach drawing to make artists or near artists of the pupils, although we do discover the exceptionally gifted ones and encourage them in that line. We teach draw- ing so that teachers, milliners, dress-makers, illustrators, print- ers, tailors, silversmiths, embroiderers. builders, plumbers, en- gineers, real estate salesmen and contractors may find skill in drawing of surpassing value in increasing the success of their vocation.
A person able to sketch with the pencil what is in his mind makes him more intelligible, more forceful and more efficient.
Drawing creates refining influence in the care, beauty and orderliness of the home and is reflected in a person's personal appearance.
lt teaches discrimination and good taste in the selection of colors in draperies, wall papers, rugs, furniture and dress.
Drawing properly outlined and taught not only aids one's practical bread-winning power, but makes life more enjoyable because it means so much towards culture and refinement.
Mechanical Drawing.
The pupils in the Mechanical class are working with great
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enthusiasm and interest. The course we wish to cover this year includes the drawing of three views of simple objects, objects with oblique surfaces, assembly drawings, scale drawings from blue prints making drawings larger, scale drawings from ob- jects making drawings smaller, cylindrical work and machine drawing. The machine drawing work is especially interesting. In some lessons one or two views of a machine will be given to the pupils and they are to visualize and work out the third view. In other lessons pupils will work directly from a piece of machinery. The pupils plan the arrangement of their sheets. They learn to print properly and carefully.
Those boys who intend to go to our higher schools of ed- ucation such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Wentworth School and the Worcester Polytechnic need all the Mechanical Drawing they can get during the High School course. There are those boys who do go to these schools with- out the preparation in the High School, and they find it exceed- ingly hard to complete the work in the required time, and some have to go another year.
Respectfully submitted,
GEORGIA L. BLAISDELL.
MUSIC REPORT.
To the Superintendent of Schools,
Ipswich, Mass. 1 My Dear Sir :-
In reply to your request. I am submitting to you my report of the music in the schools of Ipswich for the past year.
No changes have been made in the grades during the year. We are using the New Educational Music Course throughout the town and the results are most satisfactory. More time is being devoted to individual work in the first six grades than ever before, as it seems to your supervisor that if the individual is thoroughly familiar with the fundamental principles of music, good class-singing must necessarily result. To this end, the teachers are instructed with each and every pupil, and the child is obliged to do the same amount of individual work in music as in his other studies. This, of course, does not hinder his class singing. Quite the opposite is true. As a whole, the
grade work seems to be progressing very smoothly. Your su- pervisor visits the Linebrook and Candlewood schools once each month and expects to obtain good results.
At the present writing, the Junior High School is preparing a concert to be given in connection with the Senior High, under
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the name of the Junior Liberty Chorus. Community singing seems to have come to us in leaps and bounds and it is only fitting that our younger people should take an active part in this. Consequently, the Junior and Senior High School com- bined, with a chorus of approximately four hundred voices, have formed themselves into a junior liberty chorus. The suc- cess of this chorus may be very readily seen at our concert to be given in the Opera House, Ipswich, February 14. Again, the chorus is available for use at any time the public feels it could use them. Liberty Loan drives, Red Cross meetings, a welcome to the boys coming home, all of these could be helped by the use of the chorus.
Concerts were given last year by both the Junior and Sen- ior High Schools which were surely a great success. The Jun- ior High knows that a year must not go by without their annual concert and I know that the people look forward to it. As ev- idence, the interest taken in that given last year. Too much credit cannot be given Miss Sullivan, principal of the school, for her untiring efforts to help.
May I say a few words in regard to the music in the High School. At the present time, music is compulsory. I meet the chorus once a week and the pupils secure some instruction in singing each morning under the very able direction of Miss Lewis. It is a pleasure to meet this class each week, and to the person who has not heard them during their Thursday morning period, I must confess I think it would be a revelation. Their interest is keen, and with the assistance of all the teachers who meet with them, we cannot help but get fine results.
The Glee Club this year is larger than ever, with a mem- bership of nearly fifty. They meet each week and under the direction of the leader, Miss Lillian Brown, are preparing for their annual concert. I cannot speak too highly of the co-oper- , ation of the principal, Mr. Marston, who has been of such
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inestimable assistance to me in bringing about these results.
The High School Orchestra, under the leadership of Miss Lewis, is far in advance of anything as yet attempted in this line in our High School. They have furnished the music for various entertainments in the assembly hall and every encouragement should be given them to continue their good work. If the in- centive could be given for outside study of some instrument as is done in quite a few other cities and towns, even bands could be formed as well as orchestras. Perhaps it might be advisa- ble to consider this matter.
In closing, I wish to thank you personally for your assist- ance to me in all my work. With such co-operation as I have received, we must obtain results.
Respectfully submitted,
ARTHUR H. TOZER, Supervisor of Music.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION.
Ipswich School Department,
Joseph I. Horton,
Superintendent,
Dear Sir :- I beg to submit my first report as director of physical education in the Public Schools of Ipswich. In doing this I would gratefully acknowledge the hearty reception which this new work has received by masters, principals, teachers and pu- pils, and express to you my appreciation of your effective man- agement in making teachers and pupils take hold in a very ef- ficient manner.
The object of our system of physical education is manifold. Its first aim must be to promote health. This means that there must be sufficient daily physical exercise, if necessary several times repeated during the sessions, to insure physiological ef- ficiency of the vital machinery of every child. Sedentary occu- pations naturally slow down the vital processes in the body and this can only be efficiently counteracted by vigorous exercises which involve the large muscles of the body, which will stimu- late circulation, respiration and ventilation and the elimination of waste product of metabolism. If every child can exercise sufficiently often during school hours, every day, we insure our
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pupils effectively against lowering of vitality. This should finally result in the development of surplus vitality. This every child should possess, if we do not want him to break down under prolonged and intense mental training with the accompanying nervous drain due to sedentary occupation.
The second aim is plain physical education. It is mental training inasmuch as it aims to develop a subconscious unyield- ing habit of poise and bearing and economic, graceful and ac- ( urate use of body movements. This is best accomplished by d ill and regimentation, and by frequent repetitions of definite exercises in response to exact instructions and by the employ- ment of definite commands, demanding precise reactions. There are a great many faults in poise and locomotion common to many children due to too much sedentary work, to clothing, to shces, to lack of home chores, etc., which we meet best by a series of well defined exercises. Here we must rely upon our teachers and upon our brighter boy and girl leaders to learn enough about the science of gymnastics to be of help to every pupil in learning to do the setting-up and corrective exercises correctly. As I have said this means drill and regimentation, and to become effective we must work to develop the proper understanding of the value of good poise and graceful move- ment. We must develop a pride and ambition to be physically well-set-up, and help each child to learn the value of self-dis- cipline.
The third aim coincides with that of our general American educational aim, inasmuch as it aims at the emancipation from external restraint and guidance and making each child a free and self-reliant member of society. To do this the child must develop good mental and moral habits, and the most important mental habit is application and concentration. As a member of society each individual must learn the value of co-oeration, and of obedience to law, of loyalty to leadership and national
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ideals, and of patriotism.
The third aim then must be stimulation of attention and volitional neuro-muscular reactions. This we can secure only by insisting upon instant and accurate response to all formal commands. If this is not secured-if, for instance, a boy res- ponds by imitating his neighbor's response instead of thinking out his own response for himself - we cultivate habits of mental laziness. This may cause weakening of the powers of concen- tration and would defeat our purpose of developing concentra- tion.
The great pedagogical value of formal physical exercises lies in the fact that we can easily unify all the mental, physical, and moral powers of a child by demanding a concentrated ef- fort of all these qualities upon motor problems, which through the habitual work of generations of ancestors has become a fundamental faculty of the human brain in its auto-organization of its nerve centers.
A further value of formal exercises lies in the fact that con- certed actions of a number of people responding together ac- curately and rhythmically is always stimulating to individual ef- forts and thus become a great pedagogical force. In its high- est perfection rhythmical co-operation causes a great saving of kinetic energy of the weaker. members of a group. This can easily be observed when prolonged efforts are required, such as in marching, hiking, and singing by a number of persons.
For this reason we must try to secure symmetrical response from every pupil in a given group. The average ability of a class for certain reactions must determine the speed and com- plexity of the mass exercises. To go too fast would defeat the purpose of mass exercises and may strain individual children.
There is today hardly need for more arguments in favor of more out-door school work, but there is still much need of a better understanding by the general public of the high
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educational value of motor activities in the development of an efficient central nervous system, and the great influence which organized play may exert in the building of character. Organ- ized exercises not only insure an equal opportunity for every child, be he weak or strong, but it gives the teacher an oppor- tun'ty to know the real child - the child as he unbends during : pontaneous action, as he unfolds during intense application and when close to nature. The school room child is a prod- uct of an artificial environment. The playground child is a product of fundamental emotions and hereditary instincts. To get hygienic results with normal children no means can possibly surpass in value such vigorous outdoor activities as running, leaping, skipping, bending, twisting, and reaching, especially if they are the result of spontaneous interest and unconscious ap- plication. Wehave, therefore, in the plays and games of chil- dren and the sports and athletic activities of youth a most ex- cellent agent in maintaining physiological efficiency during school hours.
Play, as a method of recreation and of physical training is · unsurpassed, because it uses established co-ordinations and fun- damental muscles, especially if a variety of games is practiced. It develops vital and functional strength rather than mere mus- cular strength, on account of the large extent to which the ma- jority of the big groups of muscles are involved. It is at least equal to gymnastics so far as these are used as prevent.ve measures, because play and games are a fundamentel demand in the life of young children, and it is only because school inter- feres too much with these fundamental elements of child lite that later corrective measures become necessary. If our educa- tional methods and laboratories and machinery conformed more to elementary child life, less corrective measures would be needed.
But we appreciate also, since the advent of experimental
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psychology and pedagogy, that a rational, wholesome, safe, and sane motor life throughout childhood affects beneficially not only the child's health, in the commonly accepted sense of this term, but that it affects equally as favorably the intellectual and moral life. We appreciate more than ever that moral strength is dependent upon physical health, that character is in the main a "plexis of motor habits," that "man is what he does;" in other words, we know that in order to be really efficient men we must not only be healthy in body, but must have a healthy and. rational mind. Rational, safe, and sane mentality is the out- come of a rational motor life, i.e., rational play life. The motor experiences of childhood determine to a large extent our habits and our character.
Plato said, "The play of children has the mightiest influence on the maintenance or non-maintenance of laws." It is this emphasis on the benefit of play, this great ethical force, which the judges of juvenile courts see in the playground activities, and it is for this reason that I believe in making play a part of our school education. Unlike other cultural agencies for the development of the moral side of man, we return to the funda- mental activities of the body to get the highest type of charac- ter. If we once appreciate that mind, body and soul are inter- dependent, we shall see that the soul can best be reached through well-directed and organized physical activities in which the whole child is interested. Physical education offers more opportunities for ethical culture than any other agency bccause it never separates these three parts.
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