USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Middleborough > Town annual report of Middleborough, Massachusetts 1926 > Part 2
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Voted that the annual school report for the year 1926 include photographs of Hon. George W. Stetson, Charles H. Bates, Superintendent of Schools, and the old and new High School Buildings together with brief sketches of the life and services of Messrs. Stetson and Bates.
Voted that the Chairman of the School Board, the Super- intendent of Schools and the Principal of the High School be a Committee to arrange for the dedication exercises of the new High School building and that $100 be asked for in the annual budget for meeting the expense of the same.
The following resolutions on the death of George W. Stetson, Chairman of the Board, were adopted :
RESOLUTIONS ON THE DEATH OF GEORGE WARD STETSON
WHEREAS: The All-Wise Ruler of the Universe has called from our midst one who has been closely associated with this Board for many years as a member, and during recent years and at the time of his death as its Chairman;
AND WHEREAS: This Board, recognizing his special fitness for such duties, his faithful services, his wise counsel,
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his genial nature that made the association with him a mem- ory long to be cherished, would in some permanent form re- cord their great appreciation of his sterling character, his faithful attention to duty, his fairmindedness, his large heart- edness, and his upright Christian character, exemplified in a life of good deeds ;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED : That in the pass- ing of George Ward Stetson, this town has lost one of its most worthy citizens, the School Board one of its most valuable members, and the teachers and the schools a loyal friend and staunch supporter. Not often does it happen that a life so well spent begins and ends in the same locality.
Throughout that life the same democratic spirit, the same courtesy to everyone, the same thoughtfulness for others, the same helpful interest in everything for the good of his fellowmen, have always marked his earthly career. Such lives are a blessing and leave behind them lessons of true living.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED : That these resolutions be spread upon the records of the School Board and a copy of the same sent to the family of the deceased to whom in this time of their great bereavement the heartfelt sympathy of the members of this Board is sincerely tendered.
CHARLES H. BATES,
Secretary of School Board.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Financial Statement of the School Board for the year ending December 31, 1926.
To the Citizens of Middleboro :
Under the charter of the present form of town govern- ment only a part of the estimated expenditures in the annual budget is estimated by the School Board. The estimated ex-
Photo by Thibault Studio
Old High School
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penditures for the other items in the School budget are pre- pared by the town manager, under whose direction those ex- penditures are made. The appropriations and expenditures of those items under control of the School Board are as fol- lows :
Salary of Superintendent
$3,100.00
$3,300.00
Salary of Janitors
5,300.00
5,375.50
Salary of Teachers
74,000
73,201.30
Salary of School Physician
400.00
400.00
Salary of School Nurse
500.00
500.00
Salary of Attendance Officer
30.00
30.00
Salary of Census Enumerator
120.00
120.00
Books
3,200.00
3,194.55
Vocational Class
300.00
263.27
Tuition
1,200.00
1,210.74
Transportation
11,000.00
11,434.24
The total appropriations for the above items were $99,- 150.00
The total expenditures were $99,029.60.
Unexpended balance is $120.40.
The 1927 budget for these items is as follows :
Salary of Superintendent of Schools
$ 3,500.00
Salary of Teachers
76,980.00
Salary of Janitors
6,600.00
Books
3,500.00
Tuition
1,200.00
Census
120.00
Vocational Class
300.00
Salary of Attendance Officer
30.00
Salary of School Physician
400.00
Salary of School Nurse
500.00
Transportation
12,000.00
Dedication High School Building
100.00
Piano for High School
1,000.00
$106,830.00
7,680.00
Increase
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The increase in some of the above items over 1926 is caused by increase in salaries, as well as by cost of a new piano and cost of janitor service for new High School build- ing, salaries of additional teachers for fall term, increased cost of books, owing to changes and larger pupil enrollment, and increased expense in transportation owing to larger in- dividual transportation to High School, and payment by the town of the premium on liability policies required by law to be taken out by the drivers of School motor conveyances.
Respectfully submitted,
CHARLES H. BATES, Superintendent of Schools.
THE OLD HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING
The present High School building was erected in 1886- 87 and dedicated September 2, 1887. The School Committee's report of that year says, "The High School building which in its appointments and its adaptation to school work is an honor to the intelligence and spirit of the town was dedicated with appropriate and interesting ceremonies September 2. 1887.''
The report of the Superintendent of Schools of that year says, "We have to congratulate ourselves that we have come to the time when Middleborough can point to her school accommodations with some degree of pride. It is with pleas- ure that we record that this year has seen the completion of a new High School building situated upon one of the finest lots in town, with grounds which must commend themselves to the taste of all who delight in the beautiful."
The cost of this building was $32,218.45, divided as fol- lows : Construction, grading, and sewer, $30,610.30; and furnishings, $1,608.15.
It was used for many years as a high and grammar school building, the grammar school occupying the four rooms on
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the lower level and the High School the Assembly Hall and two recitation rooms on the second floor. Later two labora- tories, a physical and a chemical, and an additional recita- tion room were finished in the attic. In 1907 the gram- mar schools were moved to the new School Street building and the building used exclusively for High School purposes since then. There were three teachers in September 1887, and an enrollment of 104, the largest enrollment up to that time in the history of the school. There were three courses of study introduced that year comprising English, Classical and College courses. The teachers were Mr. A. K. Potter, Jr., principal, and Miss Zilpha Chase and Miss Mary Chase, assistants. The graduating class of that year numbered four. The cost of teaching, fuel and care that year was $2,346.54; of transportation of 33 pupils, $381.97; and the amount received from tuition of out of town pupils, $188.20. In comparison with today there are now 14 teachers, with two more next year, 386 pupils with an estimated enrollment next year of 425, and the total expenditures for the year ending June 23, 1926, were $29,297.32.
With the occupancy of the new building by the High School an opportunity will be given for the introduction of more practical subjects in the school courses of study so that a modified form of Junior High School can be made a part of the school system and the seventh and eighth grades be given these courses in this building which can still be appro- priately called "High School."
MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING
The quotation from the School report of 1887 referring to the old High School building-"We have to congratulate ourselves that we have come to the time when Middleborough can point to her school accommodations with some degree of pride," is certainly applicable in referring to that handsome and commodious edifice which is now in process of construc- tion on North Main Street.
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After years of endeavor and of disappointments in try- ing to secure the necessary appropriation for a school build- ing adequate for the growing needs of the school it has come to pass that the long felt need is at last to be filled.
With its occupancy will come the opportunity for a complete readjustment of the school system and the handi- capping of pupils by half-time and double shifts arrange- ments will be a thing of the past, and the opportunity for better and wider courses of study, with smaller schools and classes, and more time for individual instruction will result in giving better schools and better fitted pupils.
Few people fully realize the changes to be brought about and the educational opportunities that will be made possible as the result of this new building.
The School Board has voted to name this building "The Middleborough Memorial High School" in honor of those who were a part of that grand army in the World War, who were residents of this town. As many of them were educated in our schools and some of them were graduates of this school it seems a very fitting and appropriate recognition of their heroic services and sacrifices. The Board has also voted to have the auditorium named "The Walter Sampson Audi- torium" in honor of Walter Sampson who for nearly thirty- three years was the efficient principal of the school, and who brought the standard of the school for worthwhile results to a high state of excellency. It seems fitting that this school, of which he is a graduate, and whose reputation for thorough- ness and well prepared scholarship gained it a rank as one of the leading secondary schools of the State, should thus hold his name in memory. Another honor richly deserved has also been given by the School Board in voting to call the Science department "The Leonard O. Tillson Science Depart- ment." Mr. Tillson is now on his twenty-eighth year of service in this school, of which he, too, is a graduate and has given to his work as a science teacher efficient and conscien- tious efforts. .
New High School
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A description of the building prepared by the architect, William H. McLean :
MIDDLEBOROUGH MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL
The new High School Building is of the Colonial style of architecture, which is so fitting to the Towns of New Eng- land and especially those in this section of Massachusetts. The exterior is of high-grade red water-struck brick; the roof is of slate, and with the exterior cornice and other trimmings finished in white paint, makes a most pleasant and harmo- nious color scheme for the building.
The building is of second class construction with fire- proof steel and concrete stairs and stair vestibule walls of brick throughout. The foundations of the building are of concrete. The exterior walls are of heavy Terra Cotta tile 8 inches thick with 4 inches of water-struck brick on the out- side, the hollow tile insulating the building against heat and cold and is fire-proof. The first floor of the building and roof over the auditorium are of slow-burning mill construc- tion. All interior wood partitions throughout and ceilings are plastered with hard plaster on wire lath. The black- boards are of natural slate. Floors throughout the building are of the best clear maple. The finish throughout the build- ing is North Carolina Pine, and around all the doors and window openings is finished with metal corner beads and is known as the hospital type. In angles of all walls and floors, the base is finished with a sanitary cove.
On the first floor level of the building at the front is the main entrance, through which one enters the lobby, from which access may be had to the gym gallery and corridors on this floor, or to the stairway to the auditorium on the sec- ond floor. Opening from the lobby is the administration suite with a public waiting room and a private office for the Prin- cipal.
The pupils' entrances are located on the sides and rear of the building and give access to the fireproof stair halls
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connecting all floors and to the corridors from which open the various classrooms, gymnasium, and the auditorium. On the first floor, besides the rooms already spoken of, there are five classrooms and two recitation rooms, and a suite of three large rooms given over to the commercial department. En- trances to the gymnasium and the gallery on three sides of the gymnasium are also from this floor. There are also toilet rooms and store rooms on this level.
Each classroom and other rooms that contain home seats for pupils is equipped with a wardrobe for the pupils' hats and coats, and this wardrobe is fitted with sliding doors and is heated and ventilated, insuring warm, dry clothing in stormy weather.
On the second floor there are six class rooms, a recita- tion room, a fine library, chemistry laboratory, physics lab- oratory, and a laboratory lecture room; Auditorium seats approximately 550, 380 on the floor and 170 in the balcony. The stage is ample size for school dramatics and community activities. Toilet rooms for boys and girls, and an emergency room which will be used also by the school doctor, nurse and dentist, are located on this floor. The laboratory layout is especially well adapted to its use, each laboratory having its own preparation and stock room and dark room, the lecture room being placed between the laboratories and accessable to both and from the corridor. The lecture room floor is stepped up for seats so each pupil has an unobstructed view of the demonstration desk. Rest rooms for both men and women teachers are provided with adjacent toilets.
On the third floor are three classrooms, storage rooms and entrance to the balcony of the auditorium. The balcony can also be entered by open stairway from rear of auditorium floor.
All the classrooms and recitation rooms are in accord- ance with the standard as approved by the National Board of Education, seating 35 or 40 pupils each, according to size.
In the rear basement are the gymnasium, the locker, shower, and toilet rooms for both boys and girls, a room for
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the gymnasium instructor, an unfinished room to be later used for a shop, and the boiler room and fuel storage space. There are four exits from the basement corridors and an ad- ditional exit from the girls' and boys' locker room, so that access may be had to these locker rooms, showers and the toilet rooms without having to open up the whole school build- ing, making these accommodations accessable in connection with an outdoor playground during the periods when school is not in session. The gymnasium may also be used during the evening or vacation periods without having to open up the whole building.
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
Middleboro, Massachusetts, January 6, 1927.
To the Members of the School Board :
The annual report of the Superintendent of Schools for the year ending December 31, 1926, is respectfully submitted.
As I completed last November a quarter of a century of service as Superintendent of the Public Schools of Middle- boro I have briefly reviewed in this report the more impor- tant changes in my administration during the time.
A comparison of enrollment of pupils and number of teachers of the year 1901 with that of 1926 will be of interes :.
In 1901 there were 1277 enrolled, last year 1866, a gain of 589.
In 1901 there were 133 pupils in the High School: 1144 in the Elementary schools. Last year there were 340 in the High School, a gain of 207, and 1526 in the Elementary Schools, a gain of 382. There were four teachers in the High School, 32 in the Elementary and one supervisor in 1901, while in 1926 there were 14 in the High School, 37 in the Ele- mentary Schools and three supervisors. The cost of all schools in 1907 was $26,112.00, while the appropriation last year was $114,425.75.
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Some of the outstanding features of my term of service may be briefly summarized :
In the High School the courses of study have been revised from time to time, new courses added, up-to-date text books and equipment supplied and the general character of the work adjusted to meet the requirements for admission to higher institutions of learning and the needs of the time. During this time the school has always been rated in class "A" by the State Department of Education, and its gradu- ates who had attained the required percent have been admit- ted to colleges and normal schools on the certificate of the principal. The increasing enrollment and new studies have called for more teachers from time to time so that from four teachers in 1901, there will be next September, 16. From an enrollment of 133 in 1901, the membership next September will probably be 425.
A Commercial course starting with one teacher and hav- ing now three teachers has been for several years a success- ful feature of the school work and has enrolled a large per- entage of the pupils. A new laboratory and an additional re- citation room have been finished in the attic of the building and the two laboratories are now combined and the former chemical laboratory is now used for a typewriting depart- ment. Drawing has been made an active part of the school work under the charge of a trained supervisor.
The musical activities have been carried on with marked success, and the vocal and instrumental work is favorably demonstrated in the two public concerts given each year. The school has excellent glee clubs, a fine orchestra, and the latest addition is a boys' band. The establishment of two scholarships, the Anne White Washburn and the Cabot Club scholarships, has given opportunity for aiding those grad- uates of the school desirous of entering higher institutions of learning.
The school for years has been rated as one of the best secondary schools in the state.
The occupancy of the new building will make possible
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many new lines of work and lead more pupils to take advan- tage of these wider opportunities. I regard as a pleasing cul- mination of my services the realization of having a new High School building after so many years of ceaseless labor. Ideal- ly located with the future prospects for physical and intellec- tual development so promising it is destined I believe to be an institution of which the town will well be proud. May it prove a blessing to the present and succeeding generations!
In the Elementary Schools many changes have taken place but only a few can be referred to because of lack of space in this report.
The age of admission to the first grade has been raised approximately to five years and eight months which has re- sulted in a more advanced course for that grade and an oppor- tunity for doing better work by reason of having older chil- dren.
The number of grades has been reduced from nine to eight, so that a 12-grade system is now in vogue, 8 years in the elementary schools and 4 in the High School.
Supervisors in drawing and penmanship, in addition to that in music, added during my first year of service, are now in charge of those subjects.
The Palmer system of writing has been introduced an.l is under the direction of a trained Supervisor.
The course of study has been several times revised and more modern methods adopted.
The Aldine system of reading has been introduced, new text-books adopted, and much supplementary reading has enriched the reading program.
The policy of having several of the Central Schools in charge of two teachers, a principal and an assistant, has been discontinued and now each teacher has her own room and pupils, a very desirable change with less burden on the teach- er, and better opportunity for progress of the pupils.
The raising of the standard of work in the Suburban Schools has been a marked feature of my administration. Formerly every school, excepting the two at North Middle-
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boro where the upper grades attend the Pratt Free School, had nine grades. Now only 4 of these schools have all the grades and the other 8 have from 2 to 5 grades, giving more time for the recitations and more opportunity for individual instruction. The upper grades attend the Central Schools in graded rooms where they can better receive the training to fit them for the High School.
The teachers in these schools are now experienced in their work and receive a compensation equal to that received by teachers in the Central Schools.
Formerly a Training Class was conducted under super- vision of the Superintendent in which graduates of the High School took a year's course in instruction and observation work in the central grades and were assigned after their train- ing to vacancies, if any, in the Suburban Schools, generally caused by those former graduates of the Training Class who had been successful in such positions being transferred to the Central Schools. These positions paid the teachers $7.00 a week and were regarded as a sort of training school. Now all is changed and there is a more permanent teaching force in these schools. In fact several have taught in these schools for several years.
It is apparent that under the present conditions the standard has been greatly improved.
The three supervisors visit all these schools for personal instruction and inspection and the pupils there are receiving the same benefits in these lines as those at the center.
Several years ago an appropriation was made for a school physician, and later for a school nurse. The health work is under the direction of the school physician. Frequent examinations of pupils are made. Follow-up work at the homes of pupils is a feature of the work. Much attention is being given to the nutrition problem. The weighing of chil- dren at stated times, the annual examinations for defects of sight and hearing, tonsile and adenoids, the furnishing of milk for under-weight pupils, these things are building up
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the health of the children in our schools and is one of the praiseworthy activities of modern education.
The salaries of the teachers, both in the High and Ele- mentary Schools, have been several times revised so that the wage now received is more nearly that paid in towns the size of Middleboro, although still below the maximum salary in those towns.
A Teachers' Association has been an interesting factor in our work. Nearly all the teachers are members. Its social activities serve to bring them into closer fellowship and makes the body more like a united family, with a common purpose.
The Parent-Teacher Association is a very vigorous organ- ization formed during my administration, and has a branch in nearly every suburban district and one also at Forest Street and the West Side. They have done much for the improvement of the school equipment and to bring the homes and the schools into a better understanding. I hope they will long continue.
An additional feature in educational work is the Evening Practical Arts Class for Women. This has been organized for several years. Instruction has been given in millinery and dressmaking and this year a course in home decoration is offered. It is under the efficient direction of Miss Helen N. Rose who at my request has submitted a report of the class for this year's report. The excellent results obtained and the opportunity given for receiving such practical instruction for so many of the townspeople fully justify the annual ap- propriation of $300.00, one-half of which is reimbursed the town by the state.
Of the teachers who were in service when I came here only five now remain, two out of the four in the High School, Mr. Leonard O. Tillson and Miss Grace Allen and three out of the thirty-two in the Elementary Schools, Miss Eleanor A. Barden, Mrs. Lottie N. Lang and Miss Lucy E. Merrihew.
Teachers' meetings have been important aids and factors in the improvement of the schools. These include general meetings, principals' meetings, grade meetings and suburb-
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an institutes. Over 600 of these meetings have been held in the last twenty-five years.
The Superintendent has made in that time over 20,000 visits to the schools.
The congestion problem has confronted me nearly every year of my administration. Scarcely a year but what some plan calling for part time or double shift has been in opera- tion.
During this time although an eight-room building was erected in 1907, a single and double portable buildings erec- ted, two rooms in the Town House taken for school purposes the Chapel building used for a time for two schools, divisions of rooms in the Union Street building and High School, there have been from 200 to 400 pupils several years on a part day schooling. Even two of the Suburban Schools for a few years were on a part time schedule. But this state of affairs is now history and the future outlook is bright with promise for a full day schooling, in smaller schools, for every boy and girl in Middleboro.
Four new suburban buildings have replaced old build- ings, each modern in every way. Five suburban schools have been closed and the pupils in those districts carried to other schools. The old double seats and desks in some of the cen- tral rooms and in all of the suburban schools have been re- placed by single seats and desks, many of them of the ad- justable type.
The segregation of all ninth grade pupils in the Town House School under the charge of a principal and an assistant with work carried on under the department plan was a val- uable feature of school work for several years, and would prove of value if the same plan was again carried out.
The cooperative attitude of the press towards all school activities has been a great help in disseminating school news. During this time many columns of "School Notes" have been printed in the Middleboro Gazette and much space given by out of town papers. Such publicity always gives more intel-
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