USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Swampscott > Town annual report of Swampscott 1933 > Part 8
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1933]
but by taking advantage of prices. That is particularly true of all supplies and repairs contracted for early in the year. There has been a constant rise since midsummer in these lines, to the extent that some items, notably certain papers, have gone up as much as 130% over what we paid for our year's supply. Several repair jobs were let at prices 25% to 50% less than similar jobs cost the pre- ceding year, and considerably less than they can be done for now. Inevitably, therefore, to carry on as we have this year more money must be appropriated to obtain the same results.
In general, I feel that every reduction in personnel this year has been justifiable. The Opportunity Class had never proven itself. For six years we had been selecting our best third grade pupils and attempting to put them through the next two grades in one year. Actual check-up of results showed that more than fifty percent of these children never attained honor grades from that time on. There has been no overcrowding of Junior High School classes as a result of dropping a teacher in that organization. The extra assistant at the Hadley School, while splendid to have, was actually a luxury. Small enrollment of pupils in High School Domestic Science did not justify the continuance of these classes under a separate teacher if the Junior High School teacher had time to give to them. There was just enough Manual Arts for one man, and all High School classes were therefore transferred to the Junior High School shops.
It is not to be expected that this reduction can be permanent, however. The most obvious fact in planning for next year is that Manual Arts cannot go on as it is. The department has had a sud- den growth. Shifting the classes to a location that resembled a work-shop, as at the Hadley School, resulted in the inevitable flow of boys to this course. We have in our sophomore class alone al- most as many boys taking shop work as we have previously had from the entire high school in any one year. It is the usual thing this fall for our shop to be open and usually crowded with boys at work as late as four o'clock in the afternoon. The prospect for next year is for two sections at least, and possibly three sections, of high school boys. The situation precludes the possibility of one man doing all the work, because there are not school hours enough in the day. Consequently, we shall need an assistant in this department. In fact, we need him immediately. Furthermore, the situation precludes the possibility of getting along with the facilities we have. More than any other one immediate thing, we need additional shop space. The limited quarters at the High School served as an unsatisfactory makeshift when classes did not exceed eight boys. They are out of the question for eighteen. It is my recommendation that the Commit- tee include in this year's budget a sum sufficient to erect on the High School lot either a portable or other structure suitable for use as a shop.
We have maintained the schedule of repairs laid out last Jan- uary. By far the most important undertaking was replacing the old heater at the Clarke School. An entirely modern system was in- stalled during the summer, and the antiquated hot air heaters were abandoned. The new system has worked to our entire satisfaction during this early part of the winter, and appears to be all that en- gineer and contractor promised in efficiency. The fuel saving will be reflected in our budget. Other major items completed were:
90
TOWN DOCUMENTS
[Dec. 31
Rebuilding Junior High School ventilator hoods.
Painting Junior High School annex exterior.
Painting all classrooms at High School.
Pointing brick and stone work on Junior High School, northeast side and portion of front.
Weatherstripping northwest side of Stanley School.
Elimination of tower leaks at Stanley School.
Elimination of roof leaks at the High School.
The list for next year should include:
Elimination of tower leaks at the High School.
Pointing of brick and stone work on southeast corner of High School.
Painting exterior of High School.
Painting basement and stair wells of High School. (After tower leaks are overcome.)
Plaster patching and painting three classrooms and the corri- dors at Junior High School.
Renew water supply to High School. (This item, included for 1933, was postponed to observe effect of the new standpipe on the amount of water obtainable in the building. There has been no ap- preciable change.)
In addition to these items your Committee might well consider the advisability of installing at some time a mechanical stoker at the Junior High School. We are consistently advised that savings in fuel alone will pay the capital cost on such apparatus in four years. In that case, the investment should be worth making.
The year has been marked by the retirement of four of our vet- eran teachers, Miss Mabel Knight, Miss Mabel Verry, Mr. S. Perry Congdon and Miss A. Lillian Rideout. Their combined years of ser- vice in the schools of Swampscott had reached the imposing total of 139.
Miss Knight came to Swampscott in 1894 as a teacher in the Phillips School (now the High School). Miss Verry came as a teach- er to the old Pine Street School two years later. They chose to retire on the same date, July 8, 1933.
Mr. Congdon was elected Supervisor of Manual Arts when that department was established in 1910, resigning as a member of the School Committee to accept that position. He had been chairman of the committee which built the Hadley Junior High School. His resig- nation as a teacher was effective July 1, 1933.
Miss Rideout was elected teacher of Latin at the High School in 1892. Since that time she has continuously taught the classics in that building. Although her decision to retire was made in midsummer, she continued her services into the fall as a matter of accommoda- tion to us, and retired November 1, 1933.
Other teachers who left for other reasons were: Miss Evelyn Kellett (position abolished); Miss Docia Botkin (to be married); Mrs. Thelma Smith (moving away); Miss Mary Gandolfo (to accept a po- sition in Lynn); Miss Alice Gove (to be married); Miss Helen War- ren (leave of absence because of illness); Mrs. Bertha Wales (posi- tion abolished).
New teachers on our force are: Miss Hilda Hennigar, assistant at the Machon School; Miss Florence Knutson, grade two at the Stanley School; Mrs. Harriet Vatcher, grade five at the Stanley School; Mr. Brooks K. Blossom, High School Latin; Miss Lois Cox, Junior High School; Miss Dorothea Jacques, Domestic Science.
91
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
1933]
The conditions under which athletic contests at the High School must be conducted are becoming so near to intolerable as to require more than passing attention from this Committee. The situation is that under certain conditions of weather there is no field in Swamp- scott suitable either for football or for girls' field hockey.
The custom has been for years to play football at Jackson Park. While not ideal, that field has been at least reasonably satisfactory and could be played on. For two years in succession I joined with the athletic authorities at the High School in recommending that that field be enclosed. The cost would have been comparatively small-not more than $3500 .- and would have answered our purpose. For some reason the project never reached the Town Meeting-just why, I never was able to discover to my own satisfaction. This year a clay baseball diamond was built, including in its area part of the football field. At the request of the Park Department our games were trans- ferred to Phillips Park which by November first became a morass of black slimy mud. Ultimately we were allowed to return to Jack- son Park, only to find that the clay on the diamond, when wet with rain or with sun-thawed frost, was even more treacherous than the mud.
Field hockey has been played at Abbott Park. This field is a bowl deliberately designed to hold water for a winter skating rink. Conse- quently for several days after a rain its surface is slimy and quite impossible for girls to use with safety in any game involving quick action. Even more annoying than that-and more dangerous-is the presence each afternoon of a gang of young men from seventeen to twenty-five years old who insist on using the same field for football, utterly disregarding the presence of the girls. Girls have been struck in the face by the ball and knocked down by the players. Entreaties of the physical director have been of no avail. She has personally had to go to the police station to beg for police assistance on more than one occasion, but the difficulties have subsided only during the presence of an officer.
These conditions are not only discouraging, but utterly disgust- ing to players, coaches and managers alike. Presumably nobody is concerned about the case but themselves, so they continue to play as best they may under conditions that subject them and their oppo- nents to hazards much beyond the normal hazards of the game. They find it an occasion for relief when the schedule calls for them to play elsewhere than at home.
Fortunately, in practically every case their opponents are better situated. There has been but one occasion this fall when a game could not have been transferred away to our advantage so far as the condition of a field was concerned. Had the Thanksgiving Day game been scheduled for our field there would have been no choice but to transfer or to cancel. Decisions on such matters ordinarily must be made on short notice, due to the whims of the weather, and should be made by those who have the best knowledge of the situation as a whole.
I recommend to you that your Committee authorize the principal of the High School, the faculty manager of athletics, and the coach of any high school athletic team to transfer to the best available site any game scheduled to be played at Swampscott, whenever in their joint opinions such transfer is to the best interests of the team that is to play the game.
In these closing weeks of the year there has been developed the so-called Federal Emergency Relief in Education. Under this, as out-
92
TOWN DOCUMENTS
[Dec. 31
lined, a certain small sum is available for employment of qualified persons. In actual practice, however, no project is acceptable which in any way parallels any normal legitimate school activity. Moreover, the State Emergency Relief Administration (quoting from the in- structions issued for our guidance) "will determine eligibility for employment on the basis of definite need of relief. It is necessary that care should be taken to select only those persons, having com- petency to teach, whose need of relief is serious."
There seem to be three teachers registered as unemployed for the present moment in Swampscott, but up to the present time it has been impossible to find a project that is at the same time within their field of training and within the limits designated by the Relief Administration. My latest advice from the State House has been to await developments.
The Committee has taken what I regard as a progressive step by authorizing the assignment of teachers to teach at home pupils so physically handicapped that they cannot attend school. Such ac- tion is authorized under the General Laws relating to education.
At the present time there are two pupils in Swampscott eligible for such assistance. The policy of the Committee in assigning to these pupils teachers of experience rather than novices is to be com- mended. If any children are entitled to the best, certainly pupils thus handicapped are.
Mr. Gray's detailed report on the college entrance examination situation indicates that twenty-six individual examinations were taken in June. Of these, seven resulted in failures, five of which oc- curred in Latin. The Latin situation, as you know, is now in the pro- cess of a reconstruction which we hope will bring better results in the future. The results on all Scholastic Aptitude tests were satisfac- tory.
There were one hundred and four members of the graduating class, and thirty-two of them are now enrolled in post secondary schools and colleges.
We have been extremely fortunate in having the services of Dr. Richard Palmer in examining children for defective vision. Dr. Palmer has given freely of his own time, and has made available without charge the services of clinics with which he is connected. As a result of his generosity fifty-five children have been equipped with glasses who ordinarily might not have had them. Dr. Palmer has examined our entire Junior High School and is now examining our second grades, all without expense to the town.
Our financial statement for the year indicates an unexpended balance of $2,600.40 with receipts and expenditures as follows: Appropriation-General
Clarke School Heating Appropriation
$179,770.00 5,000.00
Total
$184,770.00
,
1933]
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
93
Expenditures :
General Control
$6,887.02
Instructional Service
139,853.04
Operation of Plants
18,212.63
Maintenance
6,541.07
Capital Outlay
679.06
Auxiliary Agencies
5,010.98
Clarke School Heating
4,985.80
$182,169.60
Unexpended balance
$2,600.40
General Receipts of the Department
$48.10
Tuition Received
1,148.91
Refund on English Speaking Classes
63.33
Refund from State Department of Education
235.56
State Refund to Town on Account of schools
15,900.00
Net Cost of Schools
$164,773.70
Respectfully submitted,
FRANK L. MANSUR, Superintendent of Schools.
Report of School Nurse
To the Members of the School Committee:
Mrs. Ingelfinger and Gentlemen:
It is my privilege to submit to you at this time my second an- nual report as school nurse and attendance adjustor. The following facts seem worthy of your attention:
Examinations
Regular visits
203
Extra visits
250
Number sent to physician
150
Number excluded
125*
Notes sent to parents
586
Homes visited
357*
*Reasons for Exclusions
Illness
65
Pediculosis
28
Infection
14
Contagious Disease
6
Scabies
4
Uncleanliness
3
Impetigo
2
Injury
2
Lack of Care
1
Reasons for Home Visits
Illness
84
Attendance
59
Vision
49
Clinic Arrangements
48
Contagious Disease
38
Uncleanliness
12
Infection
14
Impetigo
10
General Care
12
Summer Camp Arrangements
5
..
125
.
$17,395.90
94
TOWN DOCUMENTS
[Dec. 31
Pediculosis
10
Scabies
4
Injury
3
Tardiness
1
Chronic Appendix . .
2
Miscellaneous
6
Physical Examinations
Defects Found:
Curvature of Spine
38
Pronated Feet
28
Diseased Tonsils
17
Vision
70
Heart
.
19
Tubercular Symptons
26
Miscellaneous
.
225
Disposition of Defects Found:
Under Treatment
126
Tonsils Removed
10
Vision Corrected by Glasses
63
X-ray for Tuberculosis
26
225
Cases treated in Clinics
72
Schick Tests
207
Examinations of Retarded Children
12
Examinations for Vision
1,400
A great deal of attention has been given to school children as well as homes for possible neglect due to the present financial con- ditions, and when necessary, aid has been given by organized socie- ties, with the result that our children are in excellent physical condi- tion.
Report of Attendance
Home Visits 59
Unexcused absences 38
Truants 27
Cases in Court 1
Unexcused absences may be attributed largely to a maladjust- ment of the parents to the school as well as the child, brought about largely by ignorance and poverty. It is interesting to note that when contact is made with the home in almost every instance the child contributes to the adjustment and is keenly interested in bettering his home conditions. These cases require repeated visits and ap- proaches from various angles.
Respectfully submitted,
MARY K. HAMMOND, R.N., School Nurse, Attendance Adjustor.
School Census-October 1, 1933
Number of boys 5 years of age or over and under 7 117
Number of girls 5 years of age or over and under 7 111
Total 228
Number of boys 7 years of age or over and under 14 574
Number of girls 7 years of age or over and under 14 571
Total
1,145
. .
27
357 1,450
1933]
Number of boys 14 years of age or over and under 16 Number of girls 14 years of age or over and under 16 165
Total
339
Grand Total
1,712
Number of boys 5 years of age or over and under 16
865
Number of girls 5 years of age or over and under 16
847
1,712
Pupils Enrolled-November 1933
High School
Sophomores 179
Juniors 121 Class I 143
Seniors 102 Class II 139 5 36
P. G. 13 Class III 132 6 Spec. Cl.
Total 415 Total 414 Total
Junior High School Grades
1
2
3
4 32
Clarke School
37
29
52
223
Hadley School
36
32
31
35
37
37 38 35
20
Machon School
35
32
33
34
39
23
231
Stanley School
31
46
34
32
34
34
211
High School
415
Junior High School
414
Elementary
874
Total
1,703
AGE-GRADE TABLE-October 1, 1933
19 &
Grand
Grade
Sex
5
6
7
8
9
10
11 12
13
14 15
16
17
M
22
43
7
.
·
..
. .
·
. .
. .
..
- 72 64 136
1
F
19
42
2
1
·
.
4
. .
.
.
2
F
·
4
14
40
12
7
·
·
. .
3
1
2
1
5
3
4
1
.
. .
4
1
27 5
22 9
10 29 39 13 23 1
5 2 16 11 34 27 16 15
. . 8 . . 12
·
1
. .
·
.
135
9
131
10
180
11
M F M F
M F M
F
Special
M
. .
. .
1
1
1
2
.
M
23
65
57
68
61
81
68
60
83
63
69
73
55
46 43
20
7-847
F
19
65
58
73
74
81
56
4
1
1
3
.
. .
.
.
. .
Class
F
. .
·
.
8 18 32
6 8 4
1 ·
- 5-40 - 62 6 7 14 9
102
Post Grad.
M F M F
M
8
F M F
14 26 6 33 3
1
. . 12 . . 14
5 3 5
68 66 77 68 54 79 73 71 79 62 67 76 65 70 63
145
3
F
22
35
11
18
23
26
38
15
38
22
39 22
38
10
6
141 143
7
2
23
2
. .
4
5
3
4
18 3 29 38 36 15
4
23
24 7 20 24 11 20
1
. .
3
4
. .
1
70
62
89
17 37
4-833 11-1680 1680
.
·
M
1
18
23
32
11
.
·
8
11
133
4
F
M F
144
5
M
1
35
10
·
134
M
.
. .
4 2 13 12
. - 68 ..- 111 1- 69 1- 58
2 1- 62 120
12
. .
.
..
. .
1
3 78
. 81
42 130 115 141 135 162 124 143 141 150 143 117
95
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
174
13
3
:1 1
23
1
. .
12
5
.
18 Over Tot. Tot.
874
96
TOWN DOCUMENTS
[Dec. 31
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT DIRECTORY
High School
Lee T. Gray, Principal
Maebelle Adams
Brooks K. Blossom
Bartholomew F. McArdle
Dorothy C. O'Keefe
Mildred J. O'Leary
Agnes T. Santry
Ilah E. Spinney
Amy D. Thissell
Marjorie White
Junior High School
Alice L. Shaw, Principal
Jean G. Allan
Viola Anderson
Dorothea Jacques
Mary G. Boyce
Florence L. Melanson
E. Marion Bryant
Marion P. Burlingame
Lena M. Patchett
Eleanor Pettingill
Marjorie Richardson
Eleanor Sanborn
Mary Sexton
Dorothy F. Tower
Clarke School
Blanche E. Doyle, Principal
Edith A. Farnum
Helen B. Lewis
Clara Waterman
Katherine F. Wilson
Hadley School
Marion F. Newcomb
Hilda J. Thacher
Maxine Walker
Anna F. Willey
Machon School
Mary I. Perkins, Principal
Marion J. Champion
Hazel D. Chase
Elsie B. Oakes
Phyllis G. Smith
Elva Corson
Stanley School
Blanche E. Doyle, Principal Charlotte N. Conners Grace Farrell Ruth A. Kelso
Florence Knutson Jessie C. Martin Emma Parry Harriet Vatcher
Supervisors
Clara B. Chase
John I. Mclaughlin Esther Nazarian
Marion E. Tyler
Penmanship
Superintendent of Schools
Frank L. Mansur
Barbara Bent Marion E. Clinch Frances M. Newell
Walter R. Henshaw
Antoinette Lambert
Flora A. Boynton
Mabel M. Connell
Arthur G. Cronk
Harriet M. Dillon
James H. Dunn
Hester Dwinell
George E. Hutchinson
Crandall P. Nodwell
Beatrice L. Cook
Lois Cox
Edith Craig
Alice E. Durgin
Melvina G. Pearson
Evilena B. Snider
Eleanor Parsons
Alice L. Shaw, Principal
Margaret E. Durgin
Amy M. Fenwick
Ruth K. James
Hilda M. Hennigar
Ada S. Lewis
Elise A. Meaney
Art Physical Education Music
Secretaries Hadley School High School Superintendent of Schools
97
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
1933]
Janitors
L. T. Holder
High School
Daniel Myers
High School
Herbert E. Wood
Hadley School
Rudolph Woodward
Hadley School
John F. Wilson
Clarke School
Simeon J. Strong
Machon School
Harold Wheeler
Stanley School
The Board of Health
To the Citizens of Swampscott:
The Board of Health herewith submits its report for the year ending December 31, 1933, together with those of its various officers.
The general health of the town has been exceptionally good the past year in spite of the fact that the depression and unemployment have made the curtailment of the usual standard of living necessary.
Chicken pox, mumps and scarlet fever have been the predomi- nating diseases this year.
Five new cases of tuberculosis have been reported. Four of the cases being admitted to the Essex Sanatorium for treatment. Four deaths have occurred from the disease and three patients have been discharged from the sanatorium to continue treatment at home.
One case of typhoid fever was reported from the Swampscott Highlands section of the town. Upon investigation it was found that the water in the well located upon the premises was grossly polluted. There was little doubt as to where the disease was contracted. The general condition of the home was such that it was necessasy to de- clare the same unfit for occupancy and cause the premises to be va- cated.
In our report for the year 1931, we called attention to the fact that living conditions in Swampscott Highlands were far from satis- factory and something should be done to relieve the situation. Two years have elapsed and nothing has been done.
Lack of water and proper sanitary accommodations within the homes and the necessity of using water from wells, polluted with sewage, for drinking and other domestic purposes are constantly men- acing the health and lives of every individual in that district. The situation has now become acute and something must be done to rem- edy the conditions without further delay.
In view of the fact that the dwellings in that district have been erected in accordance with the building laws and with the approval of the building inspector, the members of this board feel that the town is under a moral, if not a legal, obligation to see that the own- ers and occupants thereof are provided with water and such other facilities as are necessary to provide them with decent, healthful liv- ing conditions.
The board has been criticised by representatives of the State Department of Public Health for permitting such conditions to ex- ist, and they have warned us that the town will be held directly re- sponsible if an epidemic of sickness and death occur there because of our failure to take the necessary steps to prevent it.
In an effort to bring about some solution of the problem, a spe- cial meeting was held November 7, 1933, at which the Board of Se-
98
TOWN DOCUMENTS
[Dec. 31
lectmen, Water and Sewerage Board, Planning Board and the Build- ing Inspector, Town Counsel and Town Engineer were present. Af- ter a lengthy discussion it was the unanimous opinion of those pres- ent that the situation demands action.
The matter of procedure was explained at great length by the Town Counsel, who stated that under certain acts of the legislature the town could provide roads and install water pipes if the town meeting so authorized, but before the matter could be brought before the town it would be necessary for some board or department to pro- cure the necessary data and estimates of the cost of such work.
It was agreed that the matter came within the functions of the Planning Board and Board of Selectmen, and the Town Engineer was instructed to proceed at once to procure the required informa- tion and estimates. That information has been obtained and is now in the hands of the Planning Board and Board of Selectmen and will be submitted to the town meeting members for their action at the first opportunity.
The members of the board feel that they have been negligent in permitting the conditions to exist as long as they have, and un- less something is done immediately to abate conditions it will be necessary for us to proceed in accordance with the law. We sincere- ly hope that such action will not be necessary.
Pre-school clinics were held at the various schools during the month of May and many of the defects found were remedied before the children entered school in September.
Three hundred eleven children in the public and parochial schools were given the Schick test and immunization doses were given those children found susceptible to diphtheria.
The work of the dental clinic has been conducted along the same lines. as in previous years.
For detailed information of the work of the department we re- fer you to the reports of our various officers.
Respectfully submitted,
LORING GRIMES, M.D.,
HAROLD H. BARTOL,
JOHN B. CAHOON, Board of Health.
Health Officer
To the Board of Health:
Gentlemen :- I herewith submit the following report for the year ending December 31, 1933:
The following is a summary of the work of the department dur- ing the year.
PRE-SCHOOL CLINIC
Number of days of clinic 5
Number of children examined at clinic 90
Number of children examined by family physician 8
Number of children without defects 56
Number of children with defects 42
Number of defects found
51
Number of children with defects corrected
21
Number of defects corrected
29
Number of children inoculated with toxin antitoxin 28
Number of children vaccinated
97
99
REPORT OF BOARD OF HEALTH
1933]
SUMMARY OF DEFECTS
Clarke
Hadley
Machon
Stanley
St. John
Mucous Membrane
0
0
0
0
0
Nutrition
0
0
1
1
0
Posture
2
1
0
2
0
Scalp
0
0
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