USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Wakefield > Town annual report of the officers of Wakefield Massachusetts : including the vital statistics for the year 1913-1916 > Part 13
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$235 11
Pupils previously having Wakefield Savings Bank books
.
17
Pupils opening new accounts
.
58
Total accounts in Wakefield Savings Bank
75
Amount transferred to Pupil's Accounts .
$123 00
Balance to credit of Trustee in Wakefield Savings Bank
70 22
On hand
15 01
Total to credit of Lincoln School Savings Bank
85 23
Average deposit
0 218
Average amount per pupil
1 068
Average weekly deposits
23 511
Franklin School, Nov. 1, 1913, to Dec. 31, 1913
Total number depositors
. 239
Total number deposits
1,177
Total deposits
$233 89
Number of Bank Books given
48
Amount deposited to pupils' credit
73 00
Amount withdrawn by pupils .
44 64
Amount to Trustee's account .
116 25
Number of withdrawals .
36
Average weekly deposits
$33 41
SUMMARY
Greenwood
Linco'n
Franklin
Jan. 1-Dec. 31 Oct. 14-Dec. 31
Nov. 1-Dec. 31 Total
Enrollment of school,
287
519
337
1143
Number of accounts, 66
215
220
239
674
" deposits,
2,013
1,079
1,177
4,269
Amount of deposits
£627 42
$235 11 $233 89 $1,096 42
Amount withdrawn
36 09
26 88
44 64
107 6i
Number of withdrawals
38
36
110
Amounts transferred to
pupils' accounts,
501 68
123 00
73 00
697 68
.
.
225
Balance in custody of Trustee,
89 65
85 23
116 25
291 13
Average weekly deposits,
17 93
23 51
33 41
74 85
No. of pupils to whom
Sav. Bank books issued, 140
58
48
246
The principals all find that it means quite a little more work for them than did the stamp saving cards, but they also report that they feel that it is worth the extra work. The average weekly deposits are larger than the average weekly sale of stamps. The scheme seems to be more satisfactory to the pupils. The amount left in the Savings Bank is fully up to expectation. The fundamental difference between the two systems seems to be that the stamp savings apparently urged the pupils to save for some specific purpose and save enough money to buy some particular thing, while with the Savings Banks the idea seems to be more to save for accumulation.
HOME GARDENS
The Greenwood School, for the past few years has carried on a plan of home gardens and has been very successful with them. Some of the children have done very creditable work both with flowers and vegetables. Last spring we undertook to arouse a town wide interest in home gardens. We could not unite the school gardens with these for no school has any available space for a school garden. The interest manifested by the pupils was very encouraging and the results were fully up to expectations. The school department offered to furnish seeds at cost. Practi- cally every school but the Greenwood School, which had already arranged for their seeds, bought packets. We sold about 3500 of these penny packets.
The Wakefield Improvement Association very generously offered several prizes for the best gardens in the town. The. prizes were as follows : A gold watch for the boy who had the best garden in town ; a gold watch to the girl who had the best garden in town ; 82 to each class in the High School for the best garden ; a two dollar and half gold piece for the best garden in each building ; $1.50 1st, $1 2d, and 8.50 3d, for the best.
226
garden in all the ninth grades ; and the same amount for each of the eighth, seventh and sixth grades.
The principal prizes were awarded as follows :
Best boy's garden in town - Frank Wegryzn, Armory Street, gold watch.
Best girl's garden in town-Helen Jones, Spring Street, Green- wood, gold watch.
Best garden in W. II S., class 1913 - Miss Elsie Doleman, Crystal Street, Greenwood, $2.
Best garden in W. H. S., class 1914 -- Eugene Lenners, 205 North Avenue, $2.
Best garden in W. H. S., class of 1916-Ruth Smith, 112 Salem Street, $2.
Best Lincoln School garden, Arthur Murphy, 42 Richardson Street, $2.50 gold piece.
Best Hurd School garden, Mildred Matheson, 3 Central street, $2.50 gold piece.
Best Franklin School garden, Gaston Loubris, 29 Summer Street, $2.50 gold piece.
Best Warren School garden, John Dinan, 47 Converse Street, $2.50 gold piece.
Best Greenwood School garden, Mary Avery, 5 Linden Street, $2.50 gold piece.
Five of the schools exhibited the products of their gardens at the Wakefield-Reading Fair. The Greenwood School won the first prize of $20, the Lincoln School won the second prize of $15, and the Warren School won the third prize of 810.
EXHIBITIONS
Last spring the Committee voted to hold a public exhibition of manual training, drawing, and sewing in the town hall. The School Department of Reading very courteously lent their racks for exhibiting the drawing. The sewing and manual training were shown on tables and on the walls.
From many comments which I overheard, I felt that the show- ing of these three departments furnished an agreeable surprise, not only on account of the kind of work, but on account of the
227
workmanship itself. The work was on exhibition only one after- noon and one evening. A large number of people were present during each session. I feel that it would be wise to extend the time next year and allow the work to remain in the hall for two or three days. I feel that more people would thus be enabled to inspect the work than can possibly attend on one day, and I would suggest that this spring if the committee can secure the town hall for two or three days that the exhibition should last for at least two days and probably for three.
The School Department entered the Wakefield-Reading Fair with displays of sewing, drawing and manual training in compe- tition with Reading and Stoneham. The Wakefield schools se- eured first prize in sewing and in drawing, and second prize in manual training.
I have spoken about the exhibition of the home garden pro- ducts and the prizes received under another heading.
PARENTS' ASSOCIATION
The Greenwood Parents' Association continues to be the only one that is doing anything. They give a great deal of help and support to the school in their district. We have to thank them for their valuable assistance in conducting the Greenwood exhibi- tion of Home Gardens and manual work. At the Fourth Annual Exhibition held this fall there were a large number present to witness the same, both during the afternoon and evening. Dur- ing the sessions Principal Vardon exhibited pictures of the prize winners by means of the school radioptican. Mr. Vardon took the pictures and did a large part of the work in preparing the slides. Mrs. C. W. Boynton offered prizes for special garden work.
The Greenwood Parents' Association did a large amount of the work in planning and making arrangements for the Wakefield School Garden Department exhibit at the Wakefield-Reading Fair, and had some one in attendance constantly.
The Association was wholly or in part responsible for the fol- lowing :
Jan. 17. Reception to teache.'s and others.
228
Feb. 20. Talk on " Care of the Teeth " to pupils and parents, by Dr. Homan.
May 5. " Industrial Education," by W. C. Crawford.
June 3. " The Planting and Care of a Garden," by Mrs. Boynton.
June 13. Local Exhibition of Sewing, Sloyd and Home Work.
Sept. 12. Annual Exhibition of Garden Products.
Sept. 20-24. Garden Exhibit at Wakefield-Reading Fair.
Sept .- Oct. Contributed $10 to Better Babies' Contest.
Nov. 27. Business meeting.
EVENING SCHOOL
The present school opened Oct. 14, 1913, and promises to have the largest registration in the history of this department. The largest class is that made up of illiterates. The division by nationality is as follows : Italian, about 70%; Pole, about 20%; Greek, about 3% The other 7% are composed of several nation- alities, with only a few from each. The Principal reports that the great majority are eager to learn and make rapid progress.
MECHANICAL DRAWING
The class in Mechanical Drawing has proven a disappointment. The enrollment is small and seems to be growing smaller.
The instruction is very good and practical. The el ss has been so small that the instructor has been able to give individual in- struction, and each student has been able to take up that line of work in which he is most interested. I fear that this class will have to be discontinued because of the small registration.
COOKING
Last winter Miss Nellie Wilkins, who served as head of the sewing and millinery departments, conducted a cooking school. We had a class of about twelve. We were fortunate to be able to secure the use of the home of Mrs. Hastings of Pleasant street for demonstration. The whole course was devoted to the selec- tion and preparing of breakfast, and also the care of fires and of the kitchen. The course seemed a success and the students seemed to feel that they were receiving profitable instruction.
229
SEWING AND MILLINERY
The work in these departments continued along the same lines as last year, with about the same enrollment. The advanced class has been cutting, fitting and making dresses of various kinds. In the millinery class not only the trimming of hats been given, but also the making of some of the simple frames.
The Millinery and Sewing Departments are now conducted un- der Chapter 106 of the Acts of 1912, which makes these state aid courses. The State repays one-half the expenses less tuitions received or receivable.
In connection with this course the statutes provide that the local authorities are to appoint an advisory committee for each school year, subject to the approval of its membership by the State Board of Education. The advisory committee has no legal power. Its duty is simply to counsel with and advise the local authorities in the management and supervision of the vocational work.
The School Committee has appointed the following to act as an advisory committee :
Mrs. Sophia Huerlin, Mrs. J. Parker Colbert and Miss Belle Woodard
EXHIBITION
On March 26 we held an exhibition of the work of the drawing, millinery and sewing classes. The display was very creditable to the students. Many of the dresses and garments had been worn, but were lent for the exhibition. Our idea of the course has been to help the girls help themselves, and the course has been conducted solely with this purpose in mind. When the time for the exhibition arrives we simply gather together whatever we can.
A fair number of citizens gathered to inspect the work and seemed to be favorably impressed with it
Miss Nellie Wilkins for the past two years has done very effi- cient work with the classes in sewing and millinery. The work was so good that it attracted the notice of the State Department, and they offered Miss Wilkins a place on their staff. Miss Wil-
230
kins' particular work is with the Practical Arts Classes, which are conducted under Chapter 106, Acts of 1912.
The following statistics show how the session which ended last March compares with those of December, 1913 :
October, 1912, to March, 1913
Class
Female Total Av. Mem. Av. Att. Per Ct. Att. Ses. T'ch'r
Deposit,
Male 57
3
60
27.75
21.15
76 28
60
1
Illiterates, 107
10
117
82.
70.90
86.46
60
6
Drawing,
13
13
5.48
4.10
75 49
39
1
Millinery,
24
24
16.72
14.77
88.33
22
Sewing,
36
36
31.84
27.46
86.24
39
3
Cooking,
9
9
9
8.50
91.44
10)
1
Total
177
82
259
172.79
146.88
85
The above number of teachers does not include the principal.
Oct. 14, 1913 to Dec. 29, 1913
Class
Male Female Total Av. Mem.
Av. Att. Per C't. Att. Ses. T'ch'r
Deposit,
55
6
61
31.40
27.22
86.66
27 1
Illiterate,
98
30
'128
104.92
97.18
92.62
27 6
Drawing,
7
7
4.41
3.76
85.26
17 1
Millinery.
11
11
7.2
6 29.41
83.33
10 1
Sewing,
38
38
34 06
86.35 17 :
Total
160
85
245
181.99
163.57
89.88
-
The above number of teachers does not include the principal.
When asking for the annual appropriation for evening schools we shall have to divide the amount into two parts, one of which must go to the evening school, and the other to the Practical Arts Courses, or the millinery and sewing. The State requires that a separate appropriation must be made for the support of these evening Practical Arts Courses.
CHANGES IN TEACHERS
During the past year we have had several changes in our teaching corps. We lost six from the high school, eight from the grades and two from the special teachers.
231
The list of those who resigned is as follows :
FROM HIGH SCHOOL
Albert Hopson School to be principal of the Norton Mass., High School.
H. H. Palmer to act as instructor of Physics at Durham, N. H. Sta e College.
Marion L. Cousens to act as teacher of Botany in the Chelsea High School.
Violet T. Peterson to take up another line of work.
Bessie I. Fay from part time in High School on account of illness.
Ethelwyn Rea to take up another line of work.
FROM GRADES
Mineola Clough on leave of absence, resigned to continue work in Honolulu
Inez V. Decker, Lincoln School, to study for nursing.
Mildred Munsey, Warren School, illness.
Cynthia M. Prentice, Greenwood School, to teach in Malden.
Mary M. Crane. Greenwood, to take up another life work.
Nellie Barrett, Franklin School, to teach in Lynn.
Mildred Ruggles, Franklin School, to be married.
Nellie Esterbrook, Franklin School, to teach elsewhere.
SPECIAL TEACHERS
Fernand Rousseau, manual training.
Florence (). Robinson, assistant in drawing at high school.
TRANSFERS
Margaret A. Ryan from Lincoln School to High School.
Florence Arnold from Greenwood to Franklin VIII.
Hattie Blanchard from Greenwood V to Greenwood VI.
Bertha Hatch from Franklin to assist at the IIurd School.
NEW TEACHERS ELECTED HIGH SCHOOL
Alfred E. Preble from Abington to succeed Mr. Palmer. Helen F. Gilmore of Lynn High School to succeed Mr. Hopson.
232
Anna Carroll from Schenectady to succeed Miss Cousens.
Anna Kelly substitute in English High School, Lynn to suc- ceed Miss Rea.
Louisa Moulton from Groveton, N. II. to succeed Miss Peterson.
GRADES
Mary E. Vinal from Mattapoisett to Lincoln 5-6.
Bernice Batchelder from North Reading to Lincoln 1.
Olive M. Brownell from East Bridgewater to Warren Assistant. Ethelene Barnard from Lebanon, N. II. to Greenwood 5.
Gertrude Howland from Whitinsville to Greenwood 1. Gertrude Sullivan, substitute, Marblehead to Franklin 5.
Elizabeth Poole from East Douglas to Franklin 1.
Ida F. Smith, substitute, Quincy to Franklin 1-3.
SPECIAL TEACHERS
George F. Wilson who has taught in Wakefield for thirty-six years was transferred and assigned as Substitute Music Super- visor.
C. Albert Jones was elected to serve as Supervisor of Music.
Joseph Fanck from Mass. Normal Art and instructor at Ded- ham to teach manual training.
Rachael Ayer, from Mass. Normal Art and Winchester to serve as assistant teacher of drawing in High School.
Instead of having assistant in grades one at the Lincoln and Franklin Schools we found it necessary to employ regular teachers as these grades have grown so large that it requires two rooms to accommodate them.
DISINFECTING BUILDINGS
Last summer the School Committee purchased some disinfecting material with the purpose of disinfecting each room in town at stated intervals throughout the year The Committee hope, by means of this, to reduce the number of cases of illness during the school year. Other communities have used such a means of purifying the buildings and have reported that the number of colds, sore throats and other diseases have materially decreased. We trust we shall be able to make a similar report for Wakefield.
233
A. II. THAYER
Last March, after serving the town for twenty-eight years as a member of the School Committee, Mr. Ashton HI. Thayer declined to be a candidate for re-election. Personally, I miss Mr. Thayer's valued advice, for out of his ripe experience and unusual memory of data and precedents he has helped smooth over many rough. places.
TREANT OFFICER'S REPORT
WILLARD B. ATWELL, Supt.
DEAR SIR: - Herewith is submitted my annual report as Attendance Officer for the year ending Dec. 31, 1913.
During the year one hundred and fourteen complaints have been received from teachers and investigated.
Cause of absence, truancy
24
Sickness
5
Negligence
54
Want of shoes, etc.
4
Miscellaneous
27
.
·
One truancy case was prosecuted, and one of parent's failure to cause child to attend school, each case was placed on file.
Respectfully submitted,
II. A. SIMONDS, Attendance Officer.
CONCLUSION
I wish to take this opportunity to thank the School Committee, principals and teachers for their hearty and sympathetic co- operation.
Respectfully submitted,
WILLARD B. ATWELL.
234
High School Principal's Report
.
Mr. W. B. ATWELL,
Superintendent of Schools.
DEAR SIR :- I beg leave to submit my nineteenth annual report and the twenty-first in the series of High School Principals' reports.
NUMBER OF PUPILS
The school has again made an increase in membership, carrying the attendance to a point far above any previous recor 1. It may be of interest to know how the pupils ar . divided by classes.
Boys
Girls
Total
Graduate pupils
1
2
Fourth Year pupils
31
39
70
Third Year pupils
10
Second Year pupils
51
5:
104
First Year pupils
73
95
168
Total
196
241
437
The largest previous record is 404.
EFFECTS OF INCREASED SIZE OF SCHOOL
The first result of this increased membership was the addition of another teacher to the teaching staff, making a total of seven teen teachers, not including the music supervisor or the military instructor. To accommodate these seventeen teachers with rooms for their recitations we have at our disposal fifteen rooms. It is obvious that when fifteen teachers are at work with pupils, all of our rooms are in use and two teachers must, of necessity, be idle. In making the programme for the fall term, it soon became apparent that, to meet the requirements of such a number of pupils and teachers, with the limited number of rooms at my disposal, something out of the usual order would be necessary. The first [ lan proposed, but later, abandoned, contemplated a two- session day, the first session beginning at eight o'clock and ending
235
at one o'clock for the three higher classes, and the second session designed for the entering class, beginning at twelve o'clock and closing at four-thirty. A second plan for relieving the difficulty was suggested, and finally adopted by the School Committee, by which the school day of all the pupils in school was lengthened one hour-the day beginning at eight-thirty o'clock and closing at two-thirty. This day is broken by two recesses, one of ten minutes at 10.45 and one of half an hour at 11.40. During the long recess all those pupils who live in the vicinity of the school building are urged to go home for dinner. Some thirty or forty avail themselves of this privilege. For those who cannot go home, provision has been made for a somewhat more substantial lunch than has heretofore been served. A plate of stew (beef or lamb), two rolls, a portion of butter and a cup of chocolate may be had for fifteen cents. For the stew is some- times substituted tomato soup, oyster stew, fish chowder or baked beans. It is possible now to get quite a substantial meal for a reasonable sum.
As far as reports that have come to my ears go, the arrange- ment has met little adverse criticism on the part of either pupils or their parents. However, it is a question in my mind whether a pupil ought to continue at work for six hours with no more breaks than the two recesses mentioned above, during neither of which little or no opportunity for exercise is possible. When a six or a seven-hour school day becomes common, as I am persuaded it will some time, ample and generous provision for proper exercise and recreation under skilled supervision will be made, but, as it must be administered at the present time, such a lengthened day is of doubtful expediency.
From the standpoint of the teacher, though little formal com- plaint of hardship has come to me, I rather feel as though a step backward had been taken. While a successful effort has been made to avoid any increase in the weekly number of recitations held by each teacher, the number of hours each one is obliged to be in the building, or "on the job," has been materially increased. This departure is distinctly contrary to the trend of modern legis- lation : witness the law enacted a year ago, requiring the Eleva- ted Railway of Boston to arrange its schedules so that each em-
236
ployce need work nine hours in eleven in place of nine hours in twelve. With our High School teachers, instead of twenty-five periods of class-room work in thirty, as has been the custom for years, we are now under the necessity of requiring twenty-five periods of work in thirty-five.
At the best the arrangement can be but temporary.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
The public is fast becoming aroused to the necessity of proper and adequate supervision of the health of school children. Dr. Berry of the University of Michigan says : " The revival of in- terest in physical education is shown by the remarkable growth of athletics and gymnastics in the colleges, secondary schools, and Young Men's Christian Associations, and by the phenomenal spread of the playground movement. The attendance at the gymnasia and athletic fields of the Y. M. C. A. has increased over three hundred per cent during the past ten years, and during the same period of time Mero estimates that about fifty millions of dollars have been spent in the purchase, equipment, and main- tenance of playgrounds in the United States. In fact, the play- ground has proved to be such an important factor in bettering the physical condition of the children in the poorer distriets of the large cities, that Massachusetts and Virginia have enacted laws making provision for the establishment of playgrounds in all cities of more than ten thousand inhabitants."
"In 1907, the School Committee of Boston voted to create a department of school hygiene. The whole department was placed under the control of one director, who has general supervision over all matters affecting the physical welfare of the pupils and teachers. This director has control of medical inspection (except that under the supervision of the board of health), a corps of trained nurses, the teaching of physiology and hygiene in the grades, the teaching of gymnastics, playground instruction, and athletic training of all kinds, both in the elementary and in the secondary schools. St. Louis has recently established a depart- ment of school hygiene."
Whenever a new High School building is erected, I dare express the hope that there may be provision made for the headquarters
237
of a department of Physical education for the entire town, both the elementary schools as well as the High School.
COURSE OF STUDY AGAIN
At a recent meeting of the High School Alumni Association I had occasion to speak of the inadequacy of the courses of study for the first two years of the course. Last June the courses were somewhat modified by the School Committee and for the better, in my opinion.
More than one boy or girl on going away to college has said to me, "I have graduated and am ready for college, but I have never studied one hour of Science." To remedy such condition and to make such a remark impossible, a course in Elementary Science has been added to the first year programme and has been made compulsory for every pupil in the entering class.
Again, there has been a feeling for some time that the begin- ning of the modern languages has been too long delayed. As a consequence, a course for beginners in French has been intro- duced into the first year programme for those pupils not taking Latin. Notwithstanding these modifications in the course of study there is much left to be desired.
In every class there is a substantial number of pupils who are pre-eminently motor-minded ; that is, their interests and capaci- ties run in the direction of doing things with hands or bodies. Just as some people can remember things which they see, that is, pictures, diagrams, the printed page, and are called eye- minded and as other people can recall those things they hear, and hence are called eur-minded, so there is another class that gain knowle ge and develop their faculties by doing and are, there- fore, termed motor-minded.
The appeal of our present course of study, especially in the first and second years, has been entirely to those of the first two classes, that is, the eye-minded and the ear-minded. The third class of people mentioned, the motor-minded, has been almost entirely overlooked, not only in the course of study but also in the school equipment. We provide the children with books and m ps to see and with teachers to hear, but when it comes to pro- viding them with something to do, our equipment is meagre ty
238
the extreme. Drawing, typewriting, penmanship, a few pitiful experiments in Physics and Chemistry compass the opportunities for those who must develop through doing with their hands. I have no doubt that one reason why so many drop out of school during the first and second years is our failure to appeal to the needs of this class of pupils, and now that the courses of study are being recast, would it not be wise to widen the appeal of the school so that those whose aptitudes have as yet received no consideration may find something adapted to their requirements? Is there not a call for a course of study something like the following, recom- mended by a committee of the High School Masters' Club of Mas- sachusetts, Jan. 21, 1913 ?
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