USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Duxbury > Town annual report of the officers and committees of the town of Duxbury Massachusetts for the year ending 1960 > Part 9
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Notable advances included a number of curriculum changes. Standards of performance were improved by raising the passing grade at the high school. A college board assistance program was put into operation. Science instruction at the elementary and high school level was improved by the addition of about 350 science books for reading and research. A new electronic course was set up in connection with the industrial arts department. A significant change in teaching procedures in science was begun in connection with the teaching of physics. For a second year, foreign language study was taught in the elementary grades. Procedures and practices in language teaching were strengthened by rescheduling and by the use of recording devices. The Gillingham pro- cedure for teaching reading to pupils we had not pre- viously been able to help was continued with apparent success.
In October the first meeting to carry out an evalu- ation procedure of our high school was held. Successive
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meetings will continue through 1961. The actual evalua- tion by a visiting committee will be carried out in 1962.
In-service training courses, at school department expense, were provided for both elementary and high school teachers.
Academic achievement as shown by our testing pro- gram indicated that our average performance was most favorable when compared with the normal expected performance.
At this writing the new high school is about 75 per cent complete. It is expected that the completion of the last of this work will take several months, however. Occupancy is definite for September with the probability that the building will be ready prior to this date. The completion of this building is an important step in the long range plan for the growth and development of the Duxbury school system.
The Committee's attention is called to our improved guidance services and to the list of colleges our graduates are attending.
Attention is called also to the report on school finances, and to the special reports on our school health program.
Eighty-eight persons are now involved in the total school program. Including four janitors for the new high school, this number will be increased to ninety-five in 1961.
The main body of this report gives detailed infor- mation on the above together with statistics on personnel, finance, census, pupil population growth, cafeteria serv- ice, and adult education classes.
I wish to express my sincere appreciation to all school personnel for their help and cooperation during
1
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the year just closed. I would like to commend our faculty for their accomplishments and for their devotion and loyalty to our schools. I wish to express my grateful appreciation to our School Committee. Under the Chair- manship of Mr. Edward L. Butler the Committee has devoted itself to the many problems of our schools, and has moved ahead with improvements, whenever, in its judgment, these improvements could be justified on the basis of need and cost. Long range plans for the future have been an important part of the Committee's work. Mr. Butler has served on the Building Committee and Mr. John Brock on the School Site Committee.
I would also like to express my appreciation to the new high school Building Committee, Mr. Howard M. Clark, Chairman. This Committee has not only been con- cerned about the completion of a good high school build- ing, but has taken a keen interest in the kind of education this building will help to make possible.
Our special thanks to the Duxbury Garden Club for its interest in our schools through its expressed plans to set up a Natural Science Area adjacent to the schools. When ready this area will supplement the work of the science and Audubon classes.
Finally, we can all point with pride to the work of the Parent-Teacher Association, the Booster's Club, the Foreign Exchange Student Committee, and the many community organizations and individuals who have worked for the betterment of our schools.
EVERETT L. HANDY
Superintendent of Schools
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THE CURRICULUM
Several changes and new procedures were initiated in the curriculum area during the year just ended.
1. The "passing" mark was raised from "D" to "C". This was done in an effort to raise academic standards.
2. "College Board" assistance classes were again put in operation to help students to review and do further preparation for college board exami- nations. These classes meet once each week after school except in the case of English. The English classes meet during pupil's study periods. Classes are held in mathematics, science, foreign lan- guage and English.
3. Both the elementary and high school libraries re- ceived a large number of new books to strengthen our resource material in the sciences. Three hundred fifty books were purchased, one hundred fifty for the elementary grades. These purchases were made with government funds, and were in addition to our regular yearly library purchases.
4. To strengthen instruction in industrial arts and physics electronics equipment was purchased through the means of government funds. The electronics age needs technicians urgently. It is said that for every engineer there is need for six technicians. Students must use instrumentation to learn technology. They must observe, test, check, and experiment. Instruments and equip- ment must be identical with that used in in- dustry. The equipment purchased for use in this course is "Labpower". Tasks are specifically planned and the instructor sees and controls all work done.
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5. This year a new plan for teaching high school physics was put into operation. The plan was that developed by the Physical Science Study Committee, of which Professor Zacharias of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was a leader. The project started in 1956 with a grant from the National Science foundation.
In the new course, physics is presented not as a mere body of facts, but basically as a continuing process by which students seek to understand the nature of the physical world. In addition to the student's textbook there are: a laboratory guide and a set of inexpensive apparatus; a large num- ber of films; standardized tests; a library of paper back books in related fields; and a compre- hensive teacher's resource book.
The P. S. S. C. physics course is the work of several hundred people, mainly school and college teachers. In 1959-60, nearly 600 high schools and 25,000 pupils participated in the program. The course appeals to students who are inclined toward the humanities as well as to those whose interests are strongly in the field of science.
The course consists of closely connected parts. Part I is a general introduction to the funda- mental physical notions of time, space, and matter. For example, as the student learns of the almost boundless range of dimensions from the immensely large to the infinitesimally small, from microseconds to billions of years, he finds out how these magnitudes can be measured. He learns that instruments serve as an extension of his senses. From experiments in measuring time and space the student moves on to an understanding of velocity and acceleration.
The P. S. S. C. physics course guides the student from the simple and familiar to the more subtle
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ideas of modern atomic physics. Part II deals with the study of light. In Part III motion is studied from a dynamical point of view. Part IV introduces the student to electricity and through it to the physics of the atom.
The course is taught in our high school by Mr. Robert Sullivan who spent a large part of the summer months organizing and preparing to teach the new course.
6. The new extended foreign language program is moving ahead satisfactorily under the guidance of Miss Mary Murrill. Some changes were neces- sary in scheduling of elementary school classes, and these changes have resulted in an improved teaching situation. At the high school the use of tape recorders has been helpful in strengthening ability in oral language. These devices are used mainly after school hours, and are paving the way for the effective use of the language labo- ratory in the new high school.
7. The Gillingham approach to teaching reading to pupils who have special reading problems is establishing itself as a successful procedure in our elementary grades. Eleven teachers have now been trained in this procedure under the guidance of Mrs. Helen Durbrow, formerly of the Chil- drens Medical Center in Boston.
Basically the Gillingham approach is alphabetical. The children are taught a few letters comprising one or two short sounds. When these letters are known by their names and sounds they can be made into words. Slowly new letters and letter combinations are introduced and new words are added and finally used in sentences. This approach is somewhat different from the whole word ap- proach which works well for most students. The
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whole word approach is the building of a memo- rized vocabulary, which is complemented by a basic phonics program.
8. Closely related to progress in curriculum im- provement is the plan of the School Committee to have our high school evaluated by a committee from the New England Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The first part of this procedure will be a self evaluation to begin in January 1961. The faculty will first make a study of the purpose or philosophy of high school edu- cation. This will be followed by a study of the community. The evaluation will cover all fields of instruction, the student activity program, library and audio-visual services, guidance services, health services, the school building, the school staff and administration, and the individual staff member. Following the self evaluation the actual evaluation will be made by a visiting committee when the high school is located in the new build- ing. Many extra hours of work will be required by the faculty and administrative staff over a two year period.
9. In addition to the practice of teachers to take further courses in their special fields at nearby colleges and universities, two in-service training courses were organized this year. The first was a course in mental hygiene presented by a group from the Judge Stone Clinic in Brockton. This course was most helpful in guiding teachers in dealing with emotionally disturbed children. It also improved the skill of the teachers in their work with Dr. Page, of the Clinic staff, on his visits to Duxbury.
The second course was in the use of maps and
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globes. This course was presented by Mr. Hugh Blanchard of the Rand McNally Company. Dux- bury is one of the very first school systems in the country to offer a course of this nature. It was most interesting to the teachers and should strengthen the teaching of geography.
10. A broad general program of testing is being continued in the Duxbury Schools and includes intelligence, achievement, aptitude, and other special tests mainly in the field of reading. Out- side our schools our students take vocational tests with the U. S. Employment Office, the merit scholarship tests, and the College Board tests. At the elementary level, intelligence, achievement and reading tests are given. Individual intelli- gence tests (Binet and Wechsler) are given to pupils as needed. A wide range of reading and language disability tests are given in connection with remedial reading instruction by Mrs. Bush. For the school year just closed standard achieve- ment tests given in May showed the following favorable results.
Grade
Expected Average Achievement
Actual Average Achievement
1
1.8 grade equivalent
2.3 grade equivalent
2
2.8 grade equivalent
3.7 grade equivalent
3
3.8 grade equivalent
4.7 grade equivalent
4
4.8 grade equivalent
5.6 grade equivalent
5
5.8 grade equivalent
6.7 grade equivalent
6
6.8 grade equivalent
7.8 grade equivalent
At the high school level the S. R. A. achievement series was administered at the end of April to grades 7 and 8. The Iowa tests of educational development (achievement) were given at the same time to grades 9, 10 and 11.
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The California Test of Mental Maturity was given to grade 8. The School and College Ability Test was given to grade 10. These are tests of scholastic aptitude.
Cooperative Achievement tests in English, Science, Mathematics, Foreign Language, and Social Studies were given to students in these these subjects in grades 9-12.
The Kuder Preference Records were given in grade 8 and the results used in the guidance program. Their purpose is to help pupils identify their interests as they relate to school subjects, further education and to occupations.
College bound seniors took the usual College Board testing program. The juniors took the pre- liminary scholastic aptitude tests in October (1959), the regular SAT's in March 1960 and the Achievement test in May 1960.
Achievement as measured by these tests (SRA achievement) in grades 7 and 8 are shown in the following tabulation.
Grade
Expected Average Achievement
Actual Average Achievement
7
7.8 grade equivalent
9.2 grade equivalent
8
8.8 grade equivalent
9.9 grade equivalent
Achievement as measured by the Iowa Tests of Educational Development gave the following results.
Grade 9
Class Composite Score in Percentiles 99th %ile
10
96th %ile
11
92nd %ile
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Students taking the National Merit Scholarship tests had scores ranging from the 99th percentile to the 34th percentile. Last year our high school had a finalist, and this year's results indicate that this record may be repeated.
Seniors (grade 12) had scores on the College Board tests that averaged 533 on the verbal test, and 519 on the mathematical section. The national average score is about 500.
All test results are made a part of a student's record, and are used by teachers, students, parents, and the guidance counselor for guidance purposes. They show progress in fundamentals, achievement in special fields, capacity to do school and college work, and interest in as well as aptitude for various vocations. The test results also reveal strengths and weaknesses which can be used in appraising the effectiveness of teaching methods and subject content.
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THE NEW DUXBURY JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
The new high school is now approximately seventy- five per cent complete and should be ready for occupancy no later than September first, 1961. It may be ready before that date.
The school is located as part of a campus develop- ment plan for the school system as a whole, and includes the following facilities.
General classrooms 16
Art
1
Music
1
Library (seating 60)
1
Commercial
2
Science
4
Home Economics 2
Language Laboratory 1
Auditoruim (seating 403)
1
Cafeteria (seating 300) 1
Gymnasium 75 x 96 1
(Bleacher seating 720)
The building is arranged so that related educational areas are placed adjacent to each other. For example, there are three special areas close to the home economics department: the cafeteria where home economics stu- dents can find out about large group food service, the auditorium where fashion shows may be presented, and the art room where help in design of clothing can be given. The science rooms are close to the small auditorium which can be moved into quickly for the showing of films
:$:
PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM
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or the giving of large group lectures. The library is centrally located for all classes. The language laboratory is adjacent to the academic classrooms.
Some of the special features of this building are: a cafeteria in which the food for all schools will be pre- pared; the use of equipment in the cafeteria dining area which can be quickly removed so that the area can be used for social affairs; a gymnasium that provides for two teaching stations, each approximately equal in size to the present high school gymnasium; a language labo- ratory to strengthen instruction in foreign lagnuage; modern science laboratories to improve and extend in- struction in this field; and provisions for instruction by television.
There are many ways in which this building can be available for community use. The auditorium will be available for lectures, concerts, and plays. The gymnasium will include four badminton courts. The gymnasium may also be used for very large meetings such as a town meeting. It is School Committee policy to make the building facilities available whenever possible for com- munity use.
The school site has been developed to include a foot- ball field, a track, a varsity baseball field, a pony league field, two little league fields, a softball field, a field hockey field, a soccer field, a section with playground apparatus for small children, and numerous freeplay areas. The site encompasses approximately seventy-five acres. It will be maintained under the school department with the supervision of Mr. Roy Parks of the Park Department.
In September, grades four, five, and six will move into the old high school. The present elementary school will be occupied by the kindergarten and grades one, two and three. In each building there will be several rooms to provide for expansion of enrollment. It is estimated
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that the present facilities, including the new high school, should be adequate to 1969-70, although a mathematical prediction of the actual effect of the new highway on school enrollment is difficult to determine.
Some comparison figures showing the cost and size of the new high school are given below.
Bid Cost (Building construction only ) $1,116,000.00
Number of square feet 73,276
Cost per square foot $15.23
Capacity 600
Cost per pupil
$1,860.00
Number of square feet per pupil 122
Other costs including architects fees, equipment, site development, sewerage disposal, and contingencies bring the total cost to $1,405,000.00.
Operating costs - janitor service, fuel, light and power, telephone, water, maintenance supplies - will approximate $25,000.00 per year. These costs will become a part of the regular school budget.
A list of construction features together with a list of some of the products used are given below.
Foundation : Reinforced concrete.
Framing : Steel and reinforced concrete.
Floors : Poured concrete slab.
Floor finishes : Asbestos, vinyl asbestos, ceramic tile, wood.
Exterior walls: Masonry - air space - brick veneer.
Interior walls : Masonry with structural facing tile in corridors, toilet areas, locker rooms and showers.
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Chalkboards : Korok - vitreous enamel on steel.
Windows : Aluminum sash.
Sills :
Cast stone.
Doors :
Interior - solid core with maple ply-
wood veneer.
Exterior - hollow steel.
Ceilings :
Perlite plaster on metal lath.
Gymnasium - fiber glass accoustical
formboard.
Roof : Poured Gypsum.
Millwork:
Hardwood cabinets. Vinyl "corlon"
counter tops.
Electrical : Fluorescent light fixtures in classrooms and corridors.
Plumbing : Wall hung water closets and urinals.
Heating :
High temperature hot water boilers, oil
fired. Unit ventilators in each class-
room, thermostatic controlled. Zoned for
night use.
Ventilation :
Air supply system. Exhaust fans in
special interior areas.
PRODUCTS:
Heating :
Boilers - H. B. Smith.
Unit ventilators - Herman-Nelson.
Controls - Powers Regulator.
Electrical Fixtures : Light fixtures - Garcy. Program Clock - Simplex. Fire alarm system - Gamewell. Public Address system - DuKane.
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Sanitary :
Toilets, urinals, bowls - Richmond.
Drinking fountains - Richmond.
Flushometers - Sloan.
Science :
Furniture - Federal.
Auditorium
Seating :
Irwin
Classroom
Seating :
Schoolco
Cafeteria
Tables :
Hamilton
Library
Furnishings: Stacor
Office
Furnishings: Columbia
Stage
Furnishings: Ernest H. Stevens
Basic
Construction : Paint - California stucco - Glidden.
Floor tile - Tiletex by Flintkote.
Chalkboards :
Korok
Television :
Jerrold
212
GUIDANCE
Guidance services were improved during 1960 by the organizing of a definite program for grades seven and eight, by giving more emphasis to counseling and follow- up in grades nine through twelve, and by conducting a general meeting for parents and students to meet repre- sentatives from colleges and universities.
The guidance program for grades 7 and 8 was organ- ized by the guidance director and carried out by the home room teachers in these grades. In addition to individual counseling, each home-room teacher was asked to con- duct a group discussion once weekly during a home-room period. In grade seven, approximately the first half of the year was devoted to group consideration of ten study hints or helps; the second half of the year to consideration of developmental problems. The study helps considered were: note-taking; skill in reading; memory develop- ment; use of references; correctness in writing; prepar- ing for examinations; and proper attitudes. In grade eight, the program began with a review of the above mentioned study helps. The home-room teachers then administered both the vocational and personal forms of the Kuder Preference Records, and each student profiled his own results. Each student was encouraged to consider his interests, abilities in school work, and aptitudes in selecting one specific occupation on which to write a report.
Counseling was strengthened by extending our efforts to get in contact with parents and students. In some instances these important meetings do not come about until a number of requests have been made by the counselor. This year many more students and parents held conferences with the guidance counselor than in previous years.
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In December, a district guidance conference was held at the Duxbury High School. The conference was initiated and organized in Duxbury and parents and pupils from Silver Lake High School and from Marshfield High School were invited to attend. Nearly four hundred persons were present and fifteen colleges and universities were repre- sented. A second conference, this time for parents and students interested in Junior colleges, technical schools, nurses training schools, and business schools will be held on January 10, 1961. A third conference on vocational information will be held at a later date. This conference will be of concern to boys and girls who will go directly to work on graduation from high school.
The following chart shows a distribution of Duxbury High School graduates for the years 1957-1960. Follow- ing the chart is a list of colleges attended by these graduates.
INITIAL ACTIVITIES OF DUXBURY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES Classes of 1957-1960
Class
4 year School
Nurses' Training
2 year School
Short-term School*
Armed Forces
Direct Em- ployment **
Totals
1957
6
0
3
3
5
13
30
1958
10
1
0
1
0
4
16
1959
11
5
2
2
6
14
40
1960
13
1
10
2
4
12
42
Totals
40
7
15
8
15
43
128
Per Cent
32
5
12
6
12
33
100
*Short-term school refers to terms of 1 year, 6 weeks, 3 weeks or any span of time under 1 year.
** Included here are those few who are married soon after graduation.
NOTE: 70 students, or 55% of those graduating in this four-year span, have gone on to some form of advanced education.
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DUXBURY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES IN COLLEGES AND OTHER POST HIGH SCHOOL INSTITUTIONS
Burdett College
Upsala College
Marietta College
Chandler School for Women
Northeastern University
Pembroke College
Chamberlain School of Retailing
College of St. Joseph
Wabash College
Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing
Mt. Ida
.
Skidmore College
Rhode Island School of Design
Bard College
State College at Bridgewater
University of Wisconsin
Quincy City Hospital School of Nursing
Bates College
Massachusetts Memorial Hospital School of Nursing
Emerson College
University of Virginia
Dartmouth College
Fisher Junior College
Stonehill College
Connecticut College for Women
Smith College Austria
United States Military Academy State College at North Adams Cape Cod Hospital School of . Practical Nursing
Arizona State College
William Smith College
Dale Academy
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Amherst College
.Harvard College
Boston University
Vassar College
Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Nursing Westminster College
Bentley College of Accounting and Finance
University of Massachusetts
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Gordon College
Graceland College . Shepherd-Gill School of Practical Nursing
'Dean Junior College
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The graduating class this year (1960) was 42 in number. Of these 42, 27 were assisted in making appli- cation to a total of 60 institutions of higher learning. Thirty-eight of these sixty applications resulted in accept- ances; twenty in rejections, and two were placed on a waiting list. Not one of the twenty-seven people who made applications failed to be placed somewhere. Twenty- one of the twenty-seven people were accepted by the institution they had indicated as their first choice.
Of the remaining fifteen members of the graduating class, ten went directly into employment (2 of these ten plan to attend IBM school next fall) ; one is already mar- ried, three plan to enter the armed forces this fall, and the fifteenth one, Klaus Raidl, plans to attend a university upon his return to Austria.
SPECIAL REPORTS CAFETERIA
The total receipts during the year 1960 in the school cafeteria were $41,357.42. Of this amount $29,296.71 was received from the sale of luncheons. The Federal and State government contributed $12,060.71 in the form of subsidy checks, and the Town appropriated $1,000.00 from local funds. Expenditures for the year totaled $41,075.00. There were 116,275 meals served during the calendar year.
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