USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Swampscott > Town annual report of Swampscott 1930 > Part 17
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23
First, as regards our school housing. During this period the new Machon School of nine rooms and auditorium has been completed, the Hadley Annex of eight rooms has been projected and built, thus allow- ing the entire Hadley School for the use of our Junior High, and the Stanley School of eight rooms and auditorium has replaced the old four-room Palmer building. These are all modern brick buildings, with up-to-date heating, ventilation and lighting, devised to facilitate mod- ern instruction and planned with regard to the future of the districts they serve. Few towns have more adequate elementary and junior high school housing than has Swampscott. Increasing attention is being given to the up-keep of our buildings. In the decade now ending $58,877.19 has been expended for repairs and replacements under a definite progressive policy, and $2,000 has been spent similarly for the development and adornment of school grounds.
Additions to our instructional staff have been equally noteworthy, as we find that during this period the average size of our elementary classes has been reduced from 45 to 33 pupils per teacher, our junior high faculty increased from 14 to 22 members and our senior high faculty from 12 to 19. In addition, we have added two teachers of physical education, with another one planned for this coming year; provided full-time clerks in junior and senior high schools; freed the principals of the Machon and Stanley Schools from classroom assign- ments, thus giving them full time for supervision in their respective buildings; engaged a music supervisor on full time rather than part time, and a part time penmanship supervisor; provided a full time teacher-librarian for the junior high school; established two special classes for retarded children and an opportunity class for gifted chil- dren; provided building assistants in the Hadley and Machon schools, where certain elementary classes are large; insured the better care of our buildings by increasing our staff of custodians by one full-time assistant and four part-time assistants, three of the latter being char women; instituted manual training for boys and domestic science and art for girls in the high school; introduced a comprehensive course of general science in the junior high school, equipped a laboratory and engaged a well trained teacher for this department.
157
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
1930]
The Past Year
The school year now ending has been characterized by the clearcut policy of the committee to strengthen the teaching staff. The 1930 budget was planned with this in mind, the finance committee co-operated fully and the voters of the town willingly appropriated the increased amount which this policy made necessary. Briefly, this plan found expression in two ways; first, by the reduction of the size of classes in the college preparatory divisions of the junior and senior high schools by engaging additional teachers; and, secondly, by attempting to fill these positions and all others made vacant by resignations by teachers whose personality, training and experience would seem to indicate that they could properly be said to increase the efficiency of our schools. To do this the salary schedule adopted by a previous committee was rescinded and each new teacher's salary was adjusted on the basis of his or her individual qualifications for the position under consideration. In this procedure we are following the policy that is in vogue in the business and industrial world, one that is logical and business-like and seemingly not open to criticism from any angle.
The appended list shows the teachers who left our service during the past year, those who are new to our system, and the places in which these latter were formerly engaged. A perusal of this list will show that we drew many of these members of our staff from communities larger than Swampscott, which would not have been possible had it not been for the new policy of the committee.
Resigned or Transferred
New to System
Previously Engaged At
High
Roscoe E. Lovell
John L. Miller
Helen M. Kelley
Elizabeth E. Blan- chard
Bartholomew F. Mc- Ardle
Eastern Jr. High, Lynn
Marion T. Childs (Mrs.)
Amy D. Thissell
Evelyn A. Hill Dorothy C. O'Keefe Mildred Maus
Lynn Classical High School Mansfield High School Chelsea High School Framingham Jr. High School
Cleora Price
Junior High School E. Marion Bryant
Attleboro Jr. High School
Dorothy R. Powell Alma Matson Harry O. Swett Gertrude L. Herron
Elisabeth Maddison
Sterling Jr. High School
Marion E. Tyler
Salem, Massachusetts
Marjorie Nichols
Grafton Jr. High School
Dorothy F. Tower
Hadley Elementary
Docia A. Botkin
North Manchester, Ind.
Agnes T. Santry (Mrs.)
Clarke School
Ada S. Lewis
Adelaide V. Bennett
Cranford, New Jersey
Dorothy F. Tower
Hadley School Viola Anderson
South Orange, New Jersey
Machon School Ada S. Lewis
Clarke School, Swamp- scott
Hazel F. Paine
Arthur G. Cronk Walter R. Henshaw Helen C. Lingham
Haverhill High School Holyoke High School Amherst High School
158
TOWN DOCUMENTS
[Dec. 31
In October, 1930, an important addition to our instructional units was provided by the opening of a second special class room at the Machon school. The first room of this nature was established at this building in 1921, and since that time children from all our elementary buildings assigned to this type of work have been receiving instruction in one group, handicapped by the differences in ages and sizes of the members of the class. By the establishment of a second class here we have been enabled to admit more children to the special training pro- vided and to make the groups more homogeneous from the standpoint of their mental and physical characteristics. As several of the members of these classes live in the remote school districts of the town, auto- mobile transportation to and from the Machon School has been pro- vided by the department, with the result that we have encountered fewer parental objections to membership in these groups and have achieved far more prompt and regular attendance by the pupils.
The Junior High School has been strengthened this year by the employment of Mrs. Agnes Santry as librarian, and the development of this department of the school under her direction to a point of real efficiency. Mrs. Santry has been assisted in her work of organization by Mrs. McQuarrie of the State Department, and we have today as the result of the efforts of these two the nucleus of a very fine school library.
As in other recent years our teachers have taken advantage of the educational opportunities available in Boston, Cambridge and Lynn by enrolling for professional courses in gratifying numbers. The ed- ucational staff at present is well equipped professionally for the work they are doing in the classrooms. Our buildings are receiving more and better care, due to the employment of part time char women to supplement the work of the regular janitors.
As the progress of our High School is always of interest to those who follow the development of our schools the following tabulations from the report of Mr. Gray will be worthy of consideration. The first shows the results attained in the 1930 College Board Examinations and the second lists the members of the 1930 graduating class who are in post secondary schools and colleges. Briefly summarized these figures show that 74.6% of all college board examinations taken were passed by our high school pupils and that 41 of the 75 graduates of the school are continuing their education in higher institutions.
Results of College Board Examinations June 1930
Subject
R*
C*
X*
Passed . Failed
Per Cent. 44.3
English
4
2
3
4
5
Latin Cp. 4
1
2
0
3
0
100
Latin Cp. 3
2
4
1
4
3
57.
Latin Cp. 2
0
1
0
1
0
100.
Latin Cp. H
1
()
0
1
0
100.
French Cp. 3
5
0
2
5
2
70.1
French B
0
2
0
1/
1
50.
French Cp. 2
7
2
1
9
1
90.
Math. A
4
5
4
10
3
76.9
Math. D
0
3
1
3
1
75.
Math. F
1
2
()
2
1
66-7/3
History D
8
()
1
8
1
88.8
Chemistry
0
1
2
1
2
33 1/3
Physics
6
1
0
7
0
100.
39
25
15
59
20
74.6
R-Those who were recommended to take the examinations: C- Those who were given consent to take the examinations: X-Those who took examinations on their own responsibility.
159
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
1930]
Members of. Class of 1930 in Post-Secondary Schools
Antioch
1 Mount Holyoke
Barnard
1 Northeastern University 3
Bentley
1 Norwich 1
Boston University
2 Practical Arts
4
Bryant & Stratton
1 Miss Pierce's Secretarial School 2
Chandler Secretarial School
3 Radcliffe
2
Garland School of Homemaking
1 Salem Normal School
1
Jackson
2 Simmons 1
Katherine Gibbs
5 Skidmore
1
LaSalle Seminary
1 Tufts
Mass. Agricultural College
2
Wellesley
1
Looking Ahead
It is a comparatively simple matter to present lists of things that we should like to have. It is not as simple to present a list of those additions to our staff and equipment which are essential to the proper maintenance of our schools, particularly this year when industrial con- ditions require that we use every effort to avoid unnecessary expen- diture. However, our school population increases and must be provided for, and our school system, like all other human institutions, cannot stand still; it must either improve or go back. We prefer that it improve and believe that the citizens of the town share this sentiment.
This coming year we shall require at least three additional teachers in the Junior High School to take care of increased enrollment, the larger number of divisions and to provide for the extension of the physical training program, as recently approved by the committee. Mr. Gray calls attention in his report, and it has been pointed out before, that a similar provision should be made in our Senior High School.
The topic of a new high school building has been discussed so many times in former reports that little new can be said now except that the need is greater with the opening of each school year and that we are seriously hampering the cause of secondary education in Swamp- scott by continuing the use of the present high school plant. Our high school principal estimates that next year that school will have approx- imately 400 pupils; it is already working to capacity; we should have an additional teacher next year, but no class room is available for use,- indeed we are now using by special permission of the Department of Public Safety one room previously condemned because of insufficient light and ventilation. We submit to the citizens of the town the earnest plea that relief in the form of a new high school building is the im- perative and immediate need of the school department.
Another matter meriting serious consideration at this time is the question of financing our high school athletics. A recent decision by the Supreme Court has made it illegal for school departments to pur- chase equipment for the various athletic teams, with the result that Swampscott, in common with other cities and towns, is obliged to depend upon gate receipts for the financing of its athletic program. It is, of course, apparent that with no enclosed field we cannot hope to collect sufficient funds to carry on our interscholastic sports. It is my belief that this problem can best be solved by an act of the legis- lature giving the town authority to appropriate money for the purposes above outlined, as has been done in the case of the city of Cambridge. Immediate consideration of this matter is requested.
The recommendation made a year ago relative to additional play- space around the Hadley School and a gymnasium for the Junior High School are here repeated, but it is suggested that definite action on these matters be deferred until the question of the proposed new high school is determined.
In closing this report may I commend to the committee the mem- bers of our teaching and supervisory staff who have consistently sought to maintain our schools at a high level of efficiency.
Respectfully submitted,
HAROLD F. DOW.
1
Mass. Institute of Technology 3
1
160
TOWN DOCUMENTS
[Dec. 31
REPORT OF ATTENDANCE OFFICER
To the School Committee of Swampscott:
Ladies and Gentlemen :- I herewith submit a report of attendance for the year ending December 22, 1930.
Visits to homes
149
Absences due to illness
79
Absences due to unsuitable clothing
17
Habitual tardiness
14
Truancy Cases taken to court
1
Total
149
Respectfully submitted, MARY K. HAMMOND, Attendance Officer.
SWAMPSCOTT'S SCHOOL DOLLAR-1925-1930
1925 56.c
1926
1927 61.8c
1928
1929
1930
Administration and
supervision
22.3
20.9
16.7
16.8
16.6
15.2
Operation
11.4
11.
11.2
11.2
10.
10.4
Books and supplies
5.3
5.5
5.7
5.8
5.9
5.9
Repairs, etc.
2.5
1.9
2.3
3.
2.3
1.5
New Equipment
0.8
0.8
0.2
1.2
0.9
0.7
Auxiliary agencies
1.7
2.9
2.1
1.
3.3
3.
100.c
100.c
100.c
100.c
100.c
100.c
CENSUS-October 1, 1930
Number of boys 5 years of age or over and under 16
852
Number of girls 5 years of age or over and under 16 Total
1,761
Number of boys 5 years of age or over and under 7 Number of girls 5 years of age or over and under 7
173
Total
309
Number of boys 7 years of age or over and under 14 Number of girls 7 years of age or over and under 14
580
Total
1,158
Number of boys 14 years of age or over and under 16 Number of girls 14 years of age or over and under 16
156
Total
294
PUPILS ENROLLED, November, 1930
Sophomore 149
Junior 108
Senior 98
P. G. 2
Total 357
Junior High
162
131 413
Gr.
Gr.
Gr.
Gr.
Gr.
Special
1
2
3
4
5
Adv. Rtd. Total
Clarke
48
53
41
28
28
39
237
Hadley
30
44
43
42
33
34
14
240
Machon
38
34
40
29
38
38
25 242
Stanley
27
36
33
23
32
30
181
900
High
357
Junior High
413
Elementary
900
Total
1,670
High
Class I
Class III
Total
Class II 120
61.c
61.c
63.3c
Teachers' salaries
57.c
909
136
578
138
Gr. 6
38
1930]
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
161
AGE GRADE TABLE-October 1, 1930
19 &
Grand
Grade Sex 5 6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15 16 17
18 over Tot. Tot.
1
F 25
52
3
12
2
3
6
5
3
F
30
34
11
2
1 3
2
4
F
15 36 12
38
9
5 2
5
M F M F
24 1 16
27
15
5
1
6
M
F
M'
2
14
31
15
6 .
2
1
13 60
9
M
3
8
17
8
10 1 6 1 2
1- - 77-149
11
M
1
6
17
9 3- 36
12
25
26
5 1- 60 96
Special M
3
1
1
2
2
1
3
Class F
2
2
2
1
Opp'tun- M
3
2
1
6
ity Class F M
19
56
81
75
58
76
68
81
55
70
48
36
12 4-815
F
25
80
88
61
78
66
71
76 65
54
83
72
61
43
6
2-855-1670
Grand Tot. 44 135 169 136 136 142 139 141 135 138 142 109
SWAMPSCOTT SCHOOL DEPARTMENT DIRECTORY High School
Lee T. Gray, Principal
Maebelle Adams
Arthur G. Cronk
Charles F. Cuddy
Harriet M. Dillon
James H. Dunn
Amy D. Thissell
Walter R. Henshaw
Mary P. Thompson
Evelyn A. Hill
Bertha I. Wales (Mrs.) Marjorie White
Junior High School
Alice L. Shaw, Principal Jean G. Allen
Docia A. Botkin
E. Marion Bryant
Crandall P. Nodwell
Marion P. Burlingame
Lena M. Patchett (Mrs.) Agnes T. Santry (Mrs.)
Leonie M. Chandonnet S. Perry Congdon
Dorothy F. Tower
Beatrice L. Cook
Marion E. Tyler
Edith M. Craig (Mrs.)
Mary C. Warmber
Helen Warren
8
F
1 17
20
9
23
1 1 20
39
9
+
1
74-134
72
10
F
+ 1
26
33 31 13 25
19 24
9 1- 45
M F
3
10 62- 107
15 8- 23
4
4
8- 14
79
18
6
8
2
1
63 -- 129
65 78- 143 91
+ 19 .. 40 25 3
5 19
34
6
+
37 19 2 2
11
2 . 2 5
7
M
9 34
12
10
- 66 - 80 -- 146 79 87- 166 84
2
MI F
19
41
5
1
15 50
28 48
26
47
8
78 -- 162 60 62- 122 66
70- 161 70 48- 118
M F
19
3 2 1
Mildred Maus Bartholomew F. McArdle Dorothy C. O'Keefe A. Lillian Rideout Ilah E. Spinney
Helen C. Lingham
George E. Hutchinson Elisabeth Maddison Marjorie Nichols
Cleora A. Crooker Alice T. Durgin
28
162
TOWN DOCUMENTS
[Dec. 31
Clarke School
Blanche E. Doyle, Principal
Adelaide V. Bennett
Edith A. Farnum
Helen A. Hayes
Helen B. Lewis
Eleanor C. Parsons
Melvina G. Pearson (Mrs.) Katie Sanborn
Katherine F. Wilson
Hadley School
Viola Anderson
Margaret E. Durgin
Phyllis G. Smith
Amy M. Fenwick
Mabel F. Verry
Ruth K. James
Marion F. Newcomb
Ada S. Lewis
Marion J. Champion
Hazel D. Chase (Mrs.)
Elsie B. Oakes (Mrs.)
Mary Gandolfo
Elva M. Shantz
Mabel S. Knight
M. Elizabeth Williams
Stanley School
Louise C. Stanley, Principal
Charlotte N. Conners
Grace M. Farrell
Alice M. Gove
Supervisors
Flora A. Boynton
Clara B. Fowler
Esther Nazarian
Physical Education Art Music
Superintendent of Schools
Harold F. Dow
Gladys V. Brown
Marion E. Clinch
Frances M. Newell
L. T. Holder Herbert E. Wood
John F. Wilson Iber Chapman Simeon J. Strong Harold Wheeler
Secretaries
Hadley School High School Superintendent of Schools
Janitors
High School Hadley School
Hadley School Clarke School
Machon School
Stanley School
Anna F. Willey
Machon School
Mary I. Perkins, Principal
Elizabeth Platt
Elsie A. Meaney
Jessie C. Martin
Emma W. Parry A. Thelma Smith (Mrs.)
163
REPORT OF HIGH SCHOOL COMMITTEE
1930]
High School Committee
The subject of a new High School having been under consideration for several years, it will be reviewed briefly for the convenience of the citizens.
In Year 1928
A special committee on the needs for a new High School, con- sisting of one member from each precinct, together with the School Committee, was appointed by the town in 1928. After a thorough investigation it was reported that the present High School is inadequate, not well located, and not in accordance with modern high school standards.
In Year 1929
At the annual meeting of 1929 the report of the special committee was adopted, and it was voted to appoint a building committee of five citizens with power to employ an architect to make plans; to obtain estimates of cost and recommend a suitable location for a new High School. The report of this committee appears in full in the annual town report of 1929, with cuts showing the proposed building and the arrange- ment of rooms. The Phillips Park site was recommended as best adapted and most available, and as it is the property of the town would not involve the purchase of land.
In Year 1930
At the adjourned town meeting of April 8, 1930, objections as to expense, disposition of the Phillips High School and the location re- commended were made, principally by the Finance Committee, with the result that this important project was delayed for a time.
On Article 74, however, it was voted to continue the High School building committee, with instructions "to investigate and consider mat- ters that may arise from time to time in connection with the question of establishing a new High School building and what use, if any, may be made of the present High School building for any other purpose."
Subsequently, joint meetings of the committee and the School Committee were held, and on May 27 the latter passed the following vote at a regular meeting: "After due consideration the committee has come to the conclusion that the Phillips High School could well be used for elementary school purposes within a few years."
At the adjourned annual town meeting of April 8 it was also voted to appoint a committee to consist of the "Chairman of the Selectmen, Acting Chairman of the School Committee, Chairman of the High School Committee, one Town meeting member from each precinct and one voter not a Town Meeting member from each precinct, to select a suitable location for the proposed new High School." This committee held many meetings with a public hearing. It also visited and studied all sites in various parts of the town, proposed either by the members of the committee or citizens.
Their unanimous recommendation was "that the town vote to transfer Phillips Park from the Park Department to the School Depart- ment; said park to be used as a site for the proposed new High School building, playground, athletic field and parking area."
During this interval two special bills were drawn by the Board of Selectmen and presented to the legislature; one, to permit the town to borrow money for high school purposes outside the debt limit; the other, to permit the town to use Phillips Park for school purposes. These bills were promptly enacted, and are to be found in Chapters 262 and 310 respectively of the Acts of 1930.
164
TOWN DOCUMENTS
|Dec. 31
In the same interval the committee decided to place the gymnasium at the rear of the auditorium instead of beneath.
The committees having been prompt and diligent in carrying out the instructions of the town, the legislative bills and other details having been acted upon, and as the time was favorable from the standpoint of building cost, it was decided to call a special town meeting to consider the entire proposition.
This meeting was held on June 24, and although the High School cominittee and the site committee submitted thorough and accurate re- ports, it was evident that an agreement could not be reached. The mat- ter was referred back to the High School Committee by the following vote: "That the building committee give further consideration to this project for the purpose of obtaining plans and specifications that will allow the erection of a High School building at a cost not to exceed $350,000."
In accordance with these instructions the High School committee has held frequent meetings, and submits the following report.
REPORT OF HIGH SCHOOL COMMITTEE
At the first meeting of the committee, held shortly after the town meeting, it was decided to continue with Cram & Ferguson as architects, both on account of their high standing and the splendid co-operation which they have given in the preparation of plans and assistance to the committee. The value of their services has been much in excess of the appropriation which was made available by the town for prelimin- ary drawings. It was also decided to review the entire project.
As the cost of a High School or similar structure depends largely on the number of rooms, educational requirements, capacity as to num- ber of students and the like, and as the School Committee is in the best position to supply such information, members of the committee and school executives were invited to attend all meetings until the basic requirements of the problem could be set forth.
Certain changes and rearrangement of the rooms were made and, as stated, it was decided to place the gymnasium at the rear of the auditorium. These necessarily caused some increase in the cubage, otherwise the School Committee expressed the opinion that the original specifications should not be reduced.
The seating capacity of the auditorium, including the gallery, is 760. The building committee is of the opinion that this should be in- creased to at least 900, as it will undoubtedly be used from time to time for community purposes, a custom adopted in many municipalities. Town meetings could also be held here, thus doing away with the need for an auditorium in a new Town Hall which must be built before long.
If a large auditorium is provided in the High School the proposed Town Hall need then only contain offices, the Police Station and pos- sibly the Fire Department, thus greatly reducing the initial expense. The increase in the size of the auditorium would not add greatly to the cost if done at this time. It should be kept in mind, however, that the arrangement of the auditorium and the gymnasium, as shown on the first floor plan, will permit the seating of a considerable number on chairs on the floor of the gymnasium. These seats being at the rear of the platform are not so desirable and the increased capacity of the auditorium to 900 is therefore strongly recommended. The School Committee also reviewed the matter of equipment and the furniture, submitting a new schedule.
The revised specifications were submitted to the architects who embodied them in new layouts, together with a change in the front of the building, omitting some of the ornamental features. The new drawings and plans are embodied in this report. From the experience of the committee, it can be stated that the cost of a modern High School building of Class A construction is to a large degree independent of the style of architecture or the architect. The regular fee of the latter is fixed.
Cram & Ferguson, Architects
----
--
T
-
PROPOSED HIGH SCHOOL
TYV DYM
ANUAL TOWWW
HEATING
MECHANICAL DOWG
mnr
TALE
DYS
WWEN
-
LANG.IL 15
-
-
-
MBOYS
DL W. 20
10
ADY
CIVICS 35
35
15
ยท CORRIDOR
-
..
WECATES 20
2.0
234
IDDEIGN ANGUAGE 30
-
GROUND FLOOR PLAN PROPOSED HIGH SCHOOL
DOOM
SILLS GYMNASIUM
BOYS GRAMAS TOKM
CVIVOC EXTENSION
FUTURE 61 %.14
STAGE
--
1
AUDITORIUMY SEATS
POCP.
-
BOOKKEEPING 35
BOYS
PHYSICS 24
ENGLISH 35
ENGLISH 35
CUPOLLES
-
GIRLS
TYPE. WRITING 24
STENOGRAPHY 30
ADNWHIS TDAILY PUBLIC
LECTUOC ROOM 50
CHICASTRY 24
TYPLWRITING 24
-
FIRST FLOOR PLAN PROPOSED HIGH SCHOOL
UPPER PART OF GYMNASIUM
/ UPPED PART OF STAGE
UPPLO PART OF AUDITORIUM
SUPPLY
ADIUM
GALLEDY 58471 190
COOKING
BOYS
BIOLOGY 24
CORRIDOR
ENGLISH 35
ENGLISH 35
BOOTH
OF
BOOKS
LOUSE WALD DEM
STUDY HALL 50
LIBRARY 50
STOCKS
STUDY HALL SO
MCN TEACHUDS
-
SEWING
FOLLIGN LANGUAGE 30
SECOND FLOOR PLAN PROPOSED HIGH SCHOOL
165
REPORT OF HIGH SCHOOL COMMITTEE
1930]
The furniture and equipment would be ordered directly by the town. Based on present prices, preliminary bids have been received, in- dicating that a Class A High School to meet present requirements and provide for a reasonable future growth, would be approximately $440,000. with $40,000 additional for furniture and equipment, or a total of $480,000.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.