USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Ipswich > Town annual report of Ipswich 1929 > Part 9
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It should be understood that this privilege is avail- able for the pre-school child as well as for children of school age.
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In closing we are pleased to advise you that these opportunities are open and free to all parents who wish to avail themeselves of them. The School Physician and the School Nurse stand ready to give all necessary informa- tion and service gratuitously. Should the number of ap- plicants be so large as to overtax the time and efforts of the School Physician, he has the option of calling in an- other physician from the State Department of Health to assist him.
The opportunity is hereby tendered you whereby you may save yourself many an hour of anxious watching, expense, and the possible loss of dear ones. If your com- mittee is favorably disposed towards this measure, a cam- paign of publicity will be undertaken and every parent in town will be duly notified of our intentions.
A few weeks since a group of suspected T. B. chil- dren was taken to Hamilton to be X-rayed. So far as I have been informed, no report of their condition has been received. We hope it will show much improvement.
Another clinic of this sort should be undertaken as soon as the weather permits. I regret to say that the material for such an examination is awaiting the oppor- tunity.
A series of Health lectures is being given at the present time. Dr. Moore opened the course last Wed- nesday, and other lectures will follow on Wednesdays of each week until the course is completed.
Notice of the Spring Round Up for children who are to enter school for the first time next September will be given through the local papers and by the principals of the various schools. We hope all such parents will co- operate in this movement as many handicaps may thus be removed and the child himself given a good start in his school career.
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I point with no small degree of civic pride to the efficiency of this department of our school system. Its record of service is most creditable. I doubt if any com- munity of the size of our own receives as much in real constructive welfare work as is being accomplished here. The personnel of this department has always cooperated whole-heartedly in every undertaking looking to the bet- terment of health conditions, and are worthy of your continued respect and confidence.
Some Modern Trends and Tendencies in Education
The needs and the arguments for a new high school building were so thoroughly canvassed and set forth in last year's School Report that I deem it unnecessary to repeat what was written at that time. Housing condi- tions remain nearly the same. There is the same over- crowding except in the lower grades, and many of both the academic and social activities of the schools as a whole are retarded and impaired by reason of these con- ditions. And so by alluding to but a single phase of the situation, I shall pass on to a more important considera- tion of the building project and thereby avoid much use- less repetition.
The single feature to which I urge your most seri- ous investigation is this: Build the new school building large enough to provide for future growth-for 500 pu- pils at least. The reasons for this recommendation I shall endeavor to definitely set forth later on.
In the first place, Ipswich should have learned from experience that sufficient consideration has not been giv- en in the past to this phase of schoolhouse construction. To prove this let a few facts be submitted.
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It matters not where we begin. This same condition is to be found in every building of the whole school sys- tem.
The Winthrop School was enlarged from a four-room building to one of more than double the original size. Six rooms besides those of the principal and school nurse have been added here-double the number provided at. first.
The Manning School outstrips the Winthrop in this particular ; I couldn't tell off hand how many rooms there are in this building. I know there is no room anywhere under that roof for more.
The Burley School, not to be outdone by other build- ings, has added six, thus increasing its seating capacity by 150 percent. Two of these rooms are in the base- ment, however. This school is a little more fortunate than some others, because by extending wings towards the north four more rooms may be added. All of these would be above ground, and the building, as a whole, would lose little or nothing from an architectural point of view.
We come now to the Shatswell School, the last and certainly most expensive and attractive one in the whole list. There were just five vacant seats on the opening day. These have been filled and a room of forty desks has been provided in the basement.
I cannot go farther. My list is completed. But where will you find more uniformity in building practice than is here displayed. It is a full 100 percent of the cases, but, more than that in rooms added to the original buildings. I feel that this exhibit entitles my recom- mendation to full consideration.
These observations or deductions have been drawn from the experience of the past. But what of the future !
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Are there any signs or indications along the horizon that this phenomenal growth in school attendance is about to be interrupted or to cease either wholly or in part? I am no prophet, to be sure, but all the information I can gather gives my prophesying an opposite slant. There is no escaping the conviction that the growth in school pop- ulations has but just begun. In the next ten years it will be found that more children will be attending school than at any time in the past. They will begin earlier and con- tinue later, and parents as well as children will in in- creasing measure enjoy the opportunities offered by the schools of the future. This last may seem like a preposter- ous statement, but we have a student attending the Shoe- making School at Lynn who is 36 years of age. There may be a remote possibility that, after learning his trade, he may open a shop here in Ipswich and even become self- supporting and self-respecting. This is only one of the many evidences of what the schools, of not only Massa- chusetts but of nearly all the States, are doing to over- come this incubus of unemployement and to furnish a solution of one of the most vexatious problems that is en- gaging the minds of statesmen everywhere.
No one will be rash enough to predict just what our schools will be ten years hence. But a well defined and distinctive trend towards the manual or the industrial is everywhere in evidence. The practical results already achieved, the growing public demand for the adoption of such an educational program, together with a quick- ened consciousness as to what is just and right, will in- evitably lead to an expansion of the school curriculum to include not one but many of the manual arts. This way lies progress and national stability; the other leads to chaos and disaster.
For years Germany has led the world in the teach-
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ing of the industrial arts. To-day she has, possibly, one of the best and most comprehensive school systems to be found anywhere. In fact, nearly every European coun- try is far in advance of this nation in this line of educa- tional work .
But we are beginning to realize our situation and are making some commendable and significant advances.
This progress is not due solely to the foresight of those in charge of our educational well-being and growth though it originated with them. Booker T. Washington's name will always stand out in boldest relief as one of the famous pioneers in this line of educational work. The success which he achieved in this field was perhaps the largest factor in elevating a whole race of people from abject misery and degradation to a condition of material prosperity and self-respect. The value of his work and the means by which it was accomplished are recognized and admitted by all.
But what gives this movement its greatest signifi- cance is the fact that business men generally in order to keep pace with the stream of economic changes, have resorted to the most aggressive educational campaigns for the building up of their business personnel. Techni- cal schools and vocational schools have been lifted to a place of real importance in our educational program. The number of pupils in American vocational schools has risen from 265,000 in 1920 to 752,000 in 1926. The last five years have shown even a higher ratio of increase.
Two Ipswich boys graduated from the Beverly vo- cational school the past year. One of them, a graduate of our grammar school, was leading his class, and his pay slip amounted to $16.05 for the week in which I visited the school. This was only one half of his earnings; the other half remained with the company. Will you tell
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me what his earnings would have been without this voca- tional training? More than that, he is eligible to a per- manent position in the company at good wages and with excellent chances of promotion.
This report is already too long, but I cannot refrain from pointing out the immense possibilities of substantial growth and domestic prosperity and happiness that must result from a rational extension of this program. Here- with is presented the golden opportunity for the advance- ment of every material, social, and moral interest, and the development of every natural and historical resourse with which Old Ipswich has been so wonderfully endowed. Best of all, the State bears one-half the expense.
In furtherance of this idea, may I not urge upon you the necessity of visiting some one or more up-to-date high schools that some of the many valuable features which they combine may be embodied in our own school.
I have asked the Linebrook Parent-Teachers' Asso- ciation and the President of the S. P. C. C. as represent- ing auxiliary agents of the School Department, to give me an outline of the work accomplished by these organiza- tions during the year. This they have consented to do, and the record of their valuable social welfare work may be found farther on as a part of this report.
Acknowledgments
The smooth running of a school system depends upon the proper and complete functioning of every individual part. Failure anywhere is bound to be reflected some- where along the line and to the inconvenience and loss of energy and productive power of all the rest. And so to whatever degree harmonious relations have been main-
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tained and substantial intellectual growth has been ac- complished, they have been achieved by reason of the united efforts of all in these directions.
Therefore no one should be, nor is, excluded from the list of those to whom my thanks and my gratitude are singularly and collectively due. So to all, irrespec- tive of place or position, whether officially connected to the school or not, I herewith tender my sincere thanks.
We come now to a phase of our school work that for continued effort and an unbroken record of splendid ser- vice should entitle it to the rank of a department in itself. I speak now of our Dental Clinic that has been sponsored for so many years by our chairman, Dr. E. J. Smith, and his associates in that profession.
I have exhausted my stock of encomiums for the work they have done, and I have repeatedly called at- tention to the superior position their service has given our school system as a whole. May the time be near at hand when some public and authoritative recognition shall be given them as an integral part of a school system which their voluntary and individual efforts have been so in- strumental in building up.
To Mr. Bleuvelt. whose increasing helpfulness has been manifested in so many ways, and to his department as a whole for assistance on special occasions, we are exceedingly grateful. No better place or time for es- tablishing the proper relationship between the Police and the general public can be found than that which is presented by the public school.
To Mr. Tozer, the Supervisor of Attendance, and my right-hand man, I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness for innumerable favors and timely assistance.
To my teachers whose loyalty and devotion to the varied interests of the school and the community, whose
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sympathy and helpfulness have blessed many a home, whose walk and conversation are above reproach, and whose objective in life is to build up a sturdy and vigor- ous manhood and womanhood, I join with scores in this community in tendering my implicit confidence and my grateful thanks.
To you, also, members of the School Board and to you, Mr. Chairman, in particular, I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness not only for your counsel and support, but for your continued confidence and good will.
Respectfully submitted, JOSEPH I. HORTON,
Superintendent of Schools.
MANNING HIGH SCHOOL
Mr. Joseph I. Horton,
Superintendent of Schools,
Ipswich, Mass.,
Dear Sir:
I herewith submit my tenth annual report as princi- pal of your high school.
I try to review in my own mind the work of the school from year to year, and I realize that many of our
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problems are still unsolved. I cannot help but feel that these problems remain unsolved because so small a pro- portion of our citizens take any interest in them. I sup- pose it is only natural that we have a tendency to be interested in those things that affect us as individuals. As a result therefore about the only interest manifest to us is from those few individuals who have children whom they wish to send to college or to some higher institution of learning.
We have been fortunate in seeing the greater part of these pupils satisfy the desire of parents. We also ralize that these pupils are handicapped when they enter other schools because of lack of vital experiences in their training. This group of pupils constitutes a very small part of our school, not more than seven percent. These pupils take subjects in school that have always been found in the traditional preparatory school and , so far as their mastery of subject matter is concerned, they have prepared themselves for college. Upon entrance to col- lege, however, they find that their experiences have been limited in comparison with the group they now meet. They have had very little opportunity for physical de- velopment. They are at loss in trying to meet the re- quirements of physical work in their new environment, and consequently do satisfactory work in this field. They have had no opportunity to do library work in their high school course and they are unable to compete with others in their study of reference books. Those entering technical schools find for the first time that they have missed the training provided in a science laboratory.
There is no doubt that the small high shool caters to the above group and we have catered to this group in so far as we have equipment. We have a school popula- tion at present large enough to expect some notice of
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the large proportion not going to college. In other words we can well broaden our curriculum to interest all types of pupils of high school age in our community without seriously increasing the per pupil cost. Recent study has proved that up to 1916 only 10 percent of the people of high school age throughout the country were enrolled in any high school. At present 43 percent of the people of this age throughout the country are enrolled, and in California 75 percent are members or some secondary school.
I believe it is very evident to anyone interested in the problem that the old type of high school work is not adaptable to the greater part of the pupils of high school age. There is no limit to the types of training being in- troduced into our high schools and even then the schools cannot keep up with the demands of society upon them. Ipswich is no exception and if we look at the problem fairly we have to admit that we are trying to throw this whole group of pupils of secondary school age into one mould hoping that they will get some things to enable them to compete with the rest of the world. We are try- ing to meet the problem of the present with the equip- ment of nearly sixty years ago. In fact I feel certain that the young men and women of Ipswich are going out into the world with school experiences not far different from those school experiences of twenty or thirty years ago.
For the most part our homes are managed far dif- ferently from those periods; even in the past ten years our methods of lighting have changed from oil to electri- city, our methods of heating have changed, and in fact we can think of very few conditions in our home, social or business conditions that have not changed. Industry has changed to the extent that one man trained for the
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work is putting out a production equal to that of hun- dreds fifteen years ago.
Our people are beginning to talk of the retirement of people from business and labor at the age of forty with the idea that they will be supported by the state. Those interested in a higher intelligence among our people say that the time to absorb the unemployed is during the ear- ly years by increasing the school age, and whether or not our legislators pass laws, the fact remains that more of our young people are going to school than ever before. We have no means of knowing what is going to happen in the next few years, but we do realize that the intelli- gent person is very seldom a problem in our social life. A study recently made in our own state shows that only twenty percent of all criminals have ever reached high school and a negligible number of these have graduated from high school. I believe that the thinking person will admit that the high school throughout the country is go- ing a long way towards helping men and women to be- come adjusted to the social and economic life of our country.
Ipswich has its share in the solution of the problem of education and even though I realize that the average person simply takes the school for granted as a part of our social development with little thought of needs and results, I do hope that some very serious study of our problem may be carried on this year. I wish that even fifty people in Ipswich would study our high school by at least one full day's visit and follow that visit with a visit to at least one progressive high school outside of Ipswich. Those of us connected with school work make an effort to give to the pupils of Ipswich a training similar to that of those from other communities with whom they are to compete. We visit other schools, see the school build --
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ings, study their program and methods of instruction. We try to interpret the ideas we receive in terms of our own community and school equipment. We cannot do the work of the Citizens of Ipswich in solving their problem. We cannot even help a great deal until interested citi- zens get a basis upon which to form judgment. I feel that at present more of our people are thinking of our needs in the high school than at any previous time:
There are those who express themselves on the ques- tion of needs for a new high school building. Some of these expressions show very definite thought and study; some show only a selfish feeling with no study of the situation. I sincerely feel that we have reached that condition in Ipswich in which a further postponement of definite action in providing for the needs of the high school will be serious.
I follow our pupils from the time they enter high school to the time they become settled in their life work. I try to see those characteristics of the individual that will injure his chances to become a useful member of society. School output is not far different from the out- put of a factory and our output must find a market. We must look farther than the manufacturer, for the indi- vidual is bound to remain in society for some time. He must be of value to society or he becomes a burden. The commodity manufactured and put on the market will take its place according to the demand, but if there is no demand, it is an easy matter to do away with pro- duction, and such a commodity ceases to exist.
The school problem is to put out a higher grade and a greater volume of useful citizens.
I am not going to take space to review the various needs of our school at this time as I am optimistic enough to believe that many of our so called small prob-
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lems of school administration will be overcome in the near future by provisions of a gymnasium, an auditori- um, a library, and laboratories in a modern high school building.
School opened this fall with an enrollment of 330 pupils as shown in the tabulation for the four years of high school grade. The Supervisor of Secondary Edu- cation of the State recently said to me, "Where do you put them all? That building is suitable for about 200 pupils." I have seen the enrollment of our school grow from 152 in 1920 to 330 in the fall of 1929, and I feel that in many ways the efficiency of our organization has grown in proportion. We have been able to equalize more nearly the class divisions in so far as the size of rooms will allow. We utilize equipment for the various classes with a larger number of pupils in each class. We have more divisions in the classes making it possible for a larger proportion of pupils to receive instruction in the work in which they are interested.
We are making an effort to carry on in athletics for both boys and girls, and we are indeed fortunate to have the use of town hall for basket ball. Very few of our pupils have any definite physical work outside of school. It is only natural that any live boy or girl is going to seek some sort of recreation and expression of physical ener- gy. I believe some provision for the direction of activity of this sort must be made and our only place seems to be town hall.
I will refer you to the report of Mr. Tozer in regard to the work in music as all of our musical organizations are directly under his supervision. I wish to say however that the results in this department are very gratifying and there is need of a more extensive program to give oppor- tunity to more individuals to develop in music.
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The other activities of the school have been carried on with the individual teachers as advisors. We endeav- or to give pupils an opportunity to experience the organ- ization and development of clubs, to plan and manage their own activities, and to meet some of the problems in school life that they will later meet in their larger com- munity life.
After all, the real pleasure and satisfaction come with the development and finally graduation of our pupils It is interesting to follow our graduates for at least one year and I herewith submit the list of last year's gradu- ates as occupied at present :
CLASS OF 1929
William Angelos
At Home
Russell Arnold
Benjamin H. Davis's
Ruth Arthur
Salem Normal
Norman Baxter
Hawthorne Institute
George Booth
Northeastern
Elizabeth Boynton
Miss Pierce's Secretarial School
Pauline Burke Fred Casali
Salem Commercial
At Home
Bessie Chionopoulos
United 1-99c Store
Gertrude Ciolek
Salem Normal
Camille Comeau
General Electric
John Comeau
Hawthorne Institute and First National Store
Evelyn Cummings
Elizabeth Curran
Library Bureau, Cambridge Salem Commercial
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IPSWICH SCHOOL REPORT - -
Barbara Damon
Roland Daniels
Wellesley At Home
Dorothy Dunn Louis Galanis
Massachusetts School of Art At Home
Joseph Gaffney William Geanakakis
Hills the Painter
Christos Georgoplos
At Home
Myrtle Hebb
Salem Commercial
Doris Jedrey
Burdett
Sophie Kobos
Salem Normal
William Karchonas
At Home
Marion Kinnear
Melrose Hospital
Mae Levesque
At Home
Joseph Lenehan
Northeastern
Margaret Lord
Salem Normal
Stanley Machaj
Tuft's College
William Marr
At Home
Alliston Mansfield
Hayward's
Mildred Mansfield
O. A. Davis
James Merson
Dartmouth -
Emily Minichiello
Salem Commercial
Wilfred Poor
Sandler's Shoe Co.
.
Gertrude Phelan
At Home
1
Frank Raymond
Lowell Textile Institute
-
Frances Ross
Salem Normal
Gertrude Riley
Training for Nursing
Emily Saunders
Salem Children's Hospital
Hilda Saunders
Salem Children's Hospital
Eleanor Sheppard
D. A. Grady Co.
Anthony Sklarz
Sandler's Shoe Co.
Elizabeth Smith
At Home
Walter Waz
At Home
Dorothy Willcomb
Miss Pierce's Secretarial School -
General Electric
Evelyn Hebb
E. B. Currier, Insurance
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IPSWICH SCHOOL REPORT
David Williams
Marcorelle's Store
Chester Wile
Merrill's Farm
Helen Zervas
United 1-99c Store
Stella Zylka
Salem Normal
Anthony Starsiak
Moved to Boston
This is the largest class ever to graduate from our high school and in spite of very limited opportunities for work in Ipswich at present, these people have for the most part found some useful occupation. Reports have come to the school regarding some of last year's gradu- . ates and on the whole the results are very pleasing.
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