USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Ipswich > Town annual report of Ipswich 1925 > Part 8
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We have gone another step farther in the department of music. Any pupil of the Junior or Senior High Schools, and in fact, the work is not confined to these grades, may receive credit towards a diploma for work done outside of school hours in either vocal or instrumental music. Credits for this work, in order to have any force or value, must be certified by the parent, the music instructor, and the principal of the school. This puts music in the same rank with the other subjects in the curriculum and brings an outside agent into the school faculty, thereby ex- tending its field of influence.
Reading is another subject that we are stressing at the
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present time. Arrangements have been made with Mrs. Baxter of the Public Library to furnish the books to be used by the pu- pils in their efforts to secure certain grade certificates. The pupil who reads five books, most of which are non-fiction, and reports upon them, receives a certificate. Upon reading and reporting upon twenty books, with the same proportion of non- fiction, he receives the large State certificate. In many places private individuals, clubs, and other organizations, extend this list to thirty books by offering small prizes such as medals, books, etc. This is a very valuable piece of constructive work. It sup- plements the work of the school, provides a source of pleasure and information, develops a taste for good literature, and estab- lishes the reading habit. This, too, is outside work.
Efforts along new lines have not been confined to the pupils alone. The teachers have been permitted to have a part in these professional improvements. Last October the Committee very generously agreed to pay the expense of an instructor from Tufts College for a course in Sociology to be given to the school teach- ers of the town and to all other of our townspeople who cared to join the class.
Miss McKee, a graduate of the college, and who is at pres- ent working for a doctor's degree, was recommended for the work.' She is a young woman of good personality, has had considerable practical experience in this line, is fully competent, and is devoted to her work. From the very first she created a very favorable impression, and everything was progressing finely until personal illness overtook her, This caused a slight break in class meetings. She resumed her work a little later, when the death of her mother compelled her to give up the work. Ten- tative arrangements have been made, and it is hoped that the course may be completed by Professor Skinner of the same col- lege. Owing to the fact that the college recess comes at this time, work by the class will not be resumed until Feb. 17.
Too much in favor of these after-school courses cannot be
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said. They are coming to be more generally recognized through- out the country as a means of professional opportunity and ad- vancement. In not a few instances they are taking the place of the summer school, and I am inclined to this view. At the end of the summer term teachers as a rule are unfitted for further mental work; they should rest, and try to regain that physical and mental vigor so necessary for the work of the coming year. These afternoon classes come as a break in the monotony of every day teaching, give variety to the work, and furnish a sup- ply of available mental capital which can be put to immediate use.
At this point l pause in my report to insert those of the principals, the supervisors, and the various other school officials.
MANNING HIGH SCHOOL.
January 20, 1926
Joseph I. Horton,
Superintendent of Schools,
Ipswich, Massachusetts.
Dear Sir :-
It is with pleasure that I submit to you, and through you to the citizens of Ipswich, my sixth annual report.
The mechanical administration is not so far different from that of the past years; and even though I can see some improve- ment and gain, I realize there are many things in which we are failing to go ahead as we should.
The enrollment of the school this year is appreciably greater than at any previous time during my connection with
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the school, We have an enrollment of 274. Of this number 40 are seniors; 60 are juniors; 69 are sophomores; and 105 are freshmen. Of the total, 156 are girls, and 118 are boys.
I believe any thinking person will realize that the efficiency of the school is increased with the increase in numbers up to a certain level. Probably the high school of about 300 pupils is the most economical school to run from the standpoint of cost and value to the pupil.
The school of from three to four hundred pupils allows for an enriched program, with a satisfactory distribution of pupils in a class. It is recognized that each teacher in high school work should have about 125 pupils a day, or five classes of 25 pupils each. In the small school, in order to offer any variety of sub- jects, we of necessity have to run small classes of less than 25 pupils. This makes it necessary to give some teachers more than five classes. This year the size of the school is such that I can divide the classes satisfactorily; and even though I could make a program to divide the school more efficiently, I find it necessary to make smaller divisions to fit the class rooms. At present, to divide the classes as they should be divided, we need nine large class rooms, whereas we have only four. We have an increasing interest in the science work, and have labor- atory desks for only twelve pupils. There are eleven rooms in the building, including the basement --- which can hardly be called a room --- and the assembly hall, which is used every per- iod in the day for classes.
I am not stating these facts in the spirit of fault-finding, but because I believe very few outside the school realize the con- ditions under which our high school pupils are working. I have publicly stated that we have nothing to call a laboratory, and I believe no one can truthfully deny the statement.
Last spring we had an official visit from the State Supervisor of Secondary Education. His report as a whole was very grati- fying. He had no criticism of the organization, nor of the work
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of the school as a whole; but he did point out some very serious defects in the physical equipment of the school. First, he criti- cized our library, in that we are expected to have five books per pupil in our reference library, whereas we cannot show one book for each pupil. Secondly, maps and other equipment are lacking.
I wish at this time to say we appreciate the efforts of our school committee to overcome some of these unsatisfactory con- ditions.
We have been granted a few new reference books, and one set of maps; but if we hope to maintain our standing with the state department we must continue to add to our equipment each year even more than we have during the past year.
It is agreed that the work of the public school system is di- vided more or less into two parts. The work of the first eight years is devoted to teaching the child the fundamentals, or to giving to him the tools with which he is later to work. The high school is supposed to arouse the individual to some desire to make use of those fundamentals he has at hand. It is hard to draw the line; the grades must start a desire in the child for something beyond; and on the other hand the high school must devote much time to drill and review of those fundamentals.
I take much pleasure in watching the changes that take place in the individuals who enter our high school. No two in- dividuals are just alike; and no two individuals have the same home training. In general our methods in school have to be the same for all, and we try to help the individual to adjust himself to the general plan. I feel that the majority readily adjust them- selves, but the very small minority of pupils that do not adjust themselves use up the time of the teachers and of other pupils wastefully.
I study these cases especially; for usually they lead to special attention, and sometimes to discipline. I find in general that they are due to a well meaning but unwise home influence. Our
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real problems are invariably from those boys or girls who are so pampered and helped at home, that they have no initiative of their own. They are not made to do for themselves. Parents, in some cases, do algebra, read books, and write essays, so that the child will not have to exert himself. We cannot help that boy or girl. The child must learn by doing for himself.
In spite of the temporary failures in school, I feel that a ma- jority of our graduates are going out with a resolve to be good for something. Each year our colleges and other higher institu- tions are trying more and more to study and put into practice methods which will more satisfactorily weed out the unfit before they enter the institution, but even under the most careful study they are accepting many who cannot do the work. The num- ber of freshmen in college dropped during the first half year is alarming. The high school principals of the state have made a study of the causes of these failures. The colleges were asked to express their opinions as to the cause of failure. The answer seemed to be that the change from home life and the direct su- pervision of the school leaves the college freshman floundering and he does not settle down to work. Statistics published by Harvard College show that the pupils coming to them are about equal in number from the public high school and from the pre- paratory school. The preparatory schools, moreover, are rep- resented in the group of failures by a greater number than is the public high school.
I feel that there are many reasons for the above results, but the pupil who has the ability and learns to work by himself, will not fail. During the Christmas vacation I had the pleasure of meeting with the class of 1923, at a reunion dinner. Twenty of the twenty-six graduates attended the dinner, and the spirit of interest in the school was very sincere. Each one present related experiences since graduation, and I am proud to say for them that each is doing some real worth-while work. Seven of the class are in college; two have graduated from Normal School
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and are at present teaching, while one is still there in the longer course. I cannot think of a single person who has graduated in in the last five years who is not doing something worth while. At least our high school is not training for the loafer class. The graduates of last year are situated as follows:
Name
Present Occupation
Mary Beals
Wheaton College
Natalie Brown
Mark Hayes
Mildred Pickard
Harry Merson
Margaret Phelan
Mary Woleyko
66
Jennie Jiankountzos
Philip Ewing
Shirley Hale
Bernard Phelan
Peter Pasukonis
Robert Shaw
Dorothy Merry
Mary Munroe
Audrey Patterson
Mildred Jedrey
Elsie Hull
John Callahan
Edmund Witham Thomas Doyle
Beatrice Ricker
Isabelle Swasey
Thomas Henley
Angie Wile
George Christopher
Holy Cross Working Dartmouth College Salem Normal
Stroudsburg Normal Essex Aggie School Lowell Textile School Essex Aggie School Burdett Business College Hollander's, Boston Miss Pierce's School Salem Commercial Salem Hospital Training Gordon's Store Crane's Estate E. E. Gray G. L. Hoyt, New York At Home Office Geo. B. Brown F. E. Wood Office Work, Providence, R. I. General Electric Co.
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Robert Hills Alice Mullens Bertha Savory
Hayward Hosiery Hosiery Shop
Office of Judge Hayes
Of the above class some are working at present with the idea of earning money to go to college next year. Some who are working now are taking special courses along lines in which they wish to develop.
From graduation program following this report you will no- tice that the system of giving honors was somewhat changed from previous years. We feel that it is rather unfair to pick one of a group as valedictorian and another as salutatorian, where there are often four or more doing equally good work. Con- sequently we have established the system most generally in use in the state. By this system the honor pupils are given notice on the program, but the graduation parts are given to those who have shown special ability in speaking or writing as well as in general scholarship.
There has been a continuous growth in the work in athletics during the last four years. We have tried to keep in mind the greatest good to the greatest number, and although it is best at present to have interscholastic contests, the real value comes to that large group of boys that go through the training.
I think there is no doubt that the training which these boys are getting is of as much value as any other one thing they re- ceive from school training. We cannot hope to get the best results until we have some suitable place in which these boys can work during the winter.
The girls have responded very well to what little work in athletics we have been able to give them; but I feel that we have failed as yet to make any satisfactory provision for them.
The work carried on by the special teachers and supervisors will be taken up in detail in the individual reports but as I made a change in the program this year hoping to stimulate more definite interest in the domestic and manual arts I wish to state
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results as they appear. The demand for domestic science was greater than we were able to meet with the facilities at hand. There seems to be very little interest in the high school manual training and I doubt if it is best to continue this in our curric- ilum. It does not seem fair to take a teacher's time two periods a day for only seven pupils.
The work in extra curricula activities such as dramatics, school paper, assemblies, social events, and many other school interests might well be taken up here but I do not know where to begin or end. I will say, however, the teachers are devoting much time out of school hours to help broaden the school life.
In conclusion allow me to express my appreciation of the interest, effort, and very definite support you have given the high school work.
Respectfully submitted, RALPH C. WHIPPLE. Principal.
FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL COMMENCEMENT OF MANNING HIGH SCHOOL THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 1925
Cadets on Parade
Marching Song
School Chorus
Invocation
Rev. S. A. MacDougall
Essay
"Abeun t Studia in Mores" Mark Hayes
Books as Educators
Essay
Natalie Brown
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Carmena Wilson
Glee Club
Essay
"Dux Femina Facti"
Essay
Mary Beals Patriotism Yesterday and Today
Harry Merson
Esmerelda
Levey
Address
School Chorus "Four Questions and Four Answers"
Herbert C. Libby, B. A., Litt. D.
Presentation of Prizes
Presentation of Diplomas
Joseph W. Ross, Chairman of School Committee Benediction
Rev. S. A. MacDougall
GRADUATING CLASS OF 1925
COLLEGE COURSE
*Mary Antoinette Beals *Natalie Harriett Brown
George Mark Hayes Mildred Mary Pickard
GENERAL COURSE
John Augustus Callahan Thomas Benedict Doyle Philip Evans Ewing Nathan Shirley Hale Thomas Levi Henley Elsie Marguerite Hull
Peter Martin Pasukonis Bernard Michael Phelan Margaret Mary Phelan Beatrice M. E. Ricker Robert Gove Shaw Isabelle Dodge Swasey
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Mildred Lena Jedrey *Angie Wile
Jennie Antoinette Jianakountzos
Dorothy Ann Merry
George Edmund Witham
*Harry Stewart Merson
Mary Sophia Woleyko Mary Melissa Munroe
Audrey Marguerite Patterson
COMMERCIAL COURSE
George Christopher
Alice Helene Mullins
Robert Donald Hills
Bertha Blake Savory
CLASS OFFICERS
George Mark Hayes, President Natalie Harriet Brown, Vice President Mildred Lena Jedrey, Secretary Philip Evans Ewing, Treasurer
*Pupils who have maintained a rank of 85 per cent. or above for four years.
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL.
To the Superintendent of Schools, Ipswich, Mass.
Dear Sir :- Once again I submit a report of the work of the Junior High School.
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As space is limited I will mention briefly a few changes made necessary this past year. The greatest change, perhaps, is in the reorganization of classes, whereby each teacher has two grades in her room. The teacher conducts a recitation with half of the pupils while the other half is studying. Many edu- cational leaders believe this plan has many advantages over the one grade room. One advantage advocated is that boys and girls better learn how to study under the supervision of the teacher; a second is that they unconsciously imbibe a great deal of knowledge from the recitations of the upper classes. At pres- ent the scheme is working very well. It enables us to promote by subject. If a pupil cannot do the work of the grade, he can easily be placed in a lower class, and an unusually bright child can be transferred to a higher class. We shall be able to judge more fully of the merits of this plan next year.
Early in the year pupils were graded according to tests given in arithmetic, English, history and geography. The pupils needing the most help were placed in a room where the great- est amount of time could be devoted to them individually. Seven grade six pupils of the Burley School, were added to this class, due to the lack of seating capacity in their own school. When a vacancy occurs in the other classes a child doing good work is transferred from this room to fill the vacancy.
Our increased enrollment again this year has made it im- possible to accommodate all the pupils in the five class rooms. It was necessary to install desks in the dressing room of the hall where twenty pupils are now under the care of a teacher. Al- though the class is small in numbers it is handicapped in other ways.
A change in music periods was also very imperative. We have no room or assembly hall large enough to seat our pupils for chorus work. Each Wednesday when the supervisor comes, we pass to the Manning School "Assembly Hall where we are
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obtaining unusually good results in three-part singing with the large chorus.
During the evening session of schools, educational week, we were much gratified to meet nearly one hundred and fifty friends and parents of our pupils, who availed themselves of the oppor- tunity to visit the various rooms. If these same people with any others, would visit at least once or twice more before the close of the school year how much closer might be the bonds of un- derstanding and friendship between teacher and pupil, and this relationship would result in greater benefits to the pupils.
The dramatization of Hiawatha given three years ago was repeated with as much success as formerly, at our graduation in June. Sixty-eight pupils received diplomas and these with few exceptions entered the senior high school in September.
This year we are stressing the work of citizenship through character building in our daily program. Instruction is given along the lines laid down in our course of study in health, self- control, self-reliance, reliability, clean play, duty, good-workman- ship, team work, kindness, obedience and loyalty. Thus the pupils get training and practice in the cardinal virtues. They are taught to live and work together in the spirit of good fellow-
ship and mutual helpfulness. They will carry with them those things which have been built into their hearts and souls, which make for the highest types of womanhood and manhood and good citizenship. They may forget the academic work, but if we can make these ideals become a part of their very nature by habit, they will never lose them. Much depends on the teacher. Scholarship is not a sufficient qualification. A successful junior high teacher must have a strong personality, large sympathy with and understanding of the peculiarities of these boys and girls. We try to create the very best environment possible for them. Our pupils are being trained in leadership through lead- ing and directing their companions as patrols. Citizenship also comes by co-operating with student leaders.
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A program of the graduation exercises and a list of the graduates follow.
Respectfully submitted, KATHARINE F. SULLIVAN.
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION JUNE 23, 1925
Programme
1. Invocation
2. Piano Solo
Rev. P. J. Durcan Mary Levesque
3. Drama -" HIAWATHA " Act 1.
.. Smoking the Peace Pipe Act 2.
Scene 1. Hiawatha's Childhood
Scene 2. Hiawatha's Hunting
Music "Happy Birds"
Junior High School Chorus Act 3.
Scene 1. The Advice of Nokomis
Scene 2. Hiawatha's Wooing
Music Violin Solo Dorothy Richard
Act 4.
The Wedding Feast and The Picture Writing
Music Daybreak Junior High School Chorus
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Act 5. The Famine Act 6. The White Man's Foot and Hiawatha's: Departure
4. Awarding of Diplomas Chairman of School Committee
5. Music Class Song
6. Benediction Rev. Frederick J. Kenyon
GRADUATES OF JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL, JUNE, 1925
William Angelos
Jarvis Appleton
Ruth Beals
Ralph Bowen
Walter Budzianoski
Paul Callahan Mary Clancy
Camille Comeau
John Comeau
Isabel Cummings
Barbara Damon Harold Davey Myrtle Hebb Justin Hull Mary Klosowski Sophie Kobos
Edith Richardson Lavinia Robisheau Rufina Pollard Frances Ross Mary Stone Walter Waz Sylvester White Chester Wile William Yenacopoulous Helen Zervas Stella Zylka Doris Jedrey Stella Bartnicki Eleanor Brocklebank Marshall Brown Gertrude Ciolek
IPSWICH SCHOOL REPORT
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Margaret Lord
Stanley Machaj Antolina Merchut
Emily Minichiello
Lillian Newman
Edna Paine Leonard Phelan
Mildred Mansfield
John Roper Stanley Wegzyn
David Williams
Tina Maniates
Mary Gallant Evelyn Hebb
Helen Lord
Dorothy Perkins
Hilda Saunders
Frank Raymond
Arthur Cole Evelyn Comeau
Louis Galanis Pauline Greenberg Marguerite Haskell Samuel Koffman Arthur Lemieux Dorothy Richard Elizabeth Smith Olive Wells Doris Zuoski
Matthew Dabrowski John Heard May Levesque Harold Mosher Fred Pickard Anthony Starsiak Alec Szklarz
DEPARTMENT OF HYGIENE AND MEDICAL INSPECTION
PHYSICIAN'S REPORT.
To the Superintednent of Schools, Dear Sir :---
In reviewing the records of the physical examina- tions of the pupils, it is interesting to find that there has been each year an improvement in the general health. These exam- ination records have been made continuously since 1914. Two
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or three years ago the State Department of Education prepared a form which was approved by the State Department of Health, which is used for the records. Except for slight modification it is precisely the same as the form first adopted, and shows at a glance the health status of the pupil each year.
The intensive public health work carried on by Federal, State and Municipal agencies is now bearing fruit in healthier children than were found a decade ago. This is most prom- ising for the future.
Representatives of Public Health Work from both State and Federal Health Departments have visited our schools and have made many helpful suggestions for developing the work.
Perhaps the most important piece of work that has been done is the survey made by the Federal Government to deter- mine the extent of the "Goiter Menace" throughout the country. This of course is a scientific question that cannot be discussed in a brief report like this. Suffice it to say that Ipswich was one of the towns chosen, and the survey was made by Dr. Taylor of the United States Public Health Service. Ipswich got a clean sheet so far as goiter is concerned; and Dr. Taylor spoke in praise of the general good health apparent among the children.
The law regarding vaccination against small pox has been complied with. Every child has either been vaccinated or has been certified as an unfit subject for vaccination.
Three years ago a limited number of children took the "Schick" test for diphtheria susceptibility; and the majority of those found susceptible were immunized. The Board of Health offered to provide the same tests last year and the year before but nothing was done. The Board of Health again offers to have the tests made. It is not compulsory, but parents owe it to their children to have them protected against diphtheria.
Number of pupils examined for record 1340
Number examined at schools by request of
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nurse or teacher 136
Number of labor certificate examinations 24
The reader is referred to the nurse's report which gives more detailed information.
Respectfully submitted,
GEORGE E. MacARTHUR, M. D.
Ipswich, January 21, 1926.
SCHOOL NURSE'S REPORT.
To the Superintendent of Schools,
Dear Sir :---
The report of my work as School Nurse for the year ending December 31, 1925, is as follows:
School visits
270
Class visits
455
Home visits
318
.
Inspections
17169
Talks
284
Consultations
24
Treatments
180
Weighed and Measured
3413
Notices sent to parents
973
Taken to Dental Clinics
46
Assisted Doctor at Physical Examinations
1340
Respectfully submitted,
MARTHA J. STEWART, R. N
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[Were it not for the fact that the School Nurse and her work in this community are so well and favorably known, I would again be tempted to make some comments upon the character of her report as I did last year. Without wishing to incur her displeasure, or in any way subjecting her to public scrutiny, l feel that I must add just a word of appreciation in which I know that many of our townspeople would gladly join me. But l am bound to respect her wishes in the matter; and with a modesty as simple as her own, I am going to say that she is the most efficient person in the whole school outfit. With her, it is ser- vice above self, and this service, too, is frequently given at the expense of physical weakness and pain, No self-sacrifice seems too great for her. By her works she has gained a name and a character that will endure .- Joseph I. Horton.]
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