USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Wakefield > Town annual report of the officers of Wakefield Massachusetts : including the vital statistics for the year 1913-1916 > Part 64
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MANUAL TRAINING
When the Manual Training Department was first established it did what was called Sloyd work. This has been gradually changed and broadened and work has been made as practical as possible under the present housing conditions, for we are badly handicapped for room. I feel that the time has come to branch out still more by in- troducing printing and bookbinding. The first thought is that we have not room enough for the apparatus necessary for these subjects. We haven't if we add the equipment to that which we already have in the room. We can introduce these two subject if we remove some of the benches now in place. This will not give us all the room needed, but it will enable us to make a start, and in due course of time when we have a new building we can make proper preparations. The only way we can accommodate them now is to take out one row of benches and put in their place a small equipment for printing and bookbinding and divide the classes into divisions, each working at one of the three kinds of exercises.
This idea is not to turn out finished printers or bookbinders, but to give those motor-minded boys work along other lines than wood by means of which they may get some training. It will be somewhat meager pre-vocational work instead of any attempt at vocational. The bookbinding equipment will not be expensive. The manual training boys can make some of the apparatus needed. Accuracy is necessary for repairing a book as well as good judgment in selecting what can be rebound and in selecting cover material. The depart- ment can furnish plenty of books for practical experience. At present our bookbinding bill is on an average about $110 per year. The boys could probably do all of the work saving a greater part of this amount. The work would not be done as well at first as is now done by expert binders but the result would be a strongly bound book, ready for further service even if it did not look as good as it might. It is seldom that we have as much material for practical experience as we have for this line of work.
A printing outfit will cost considerably more, but I believe the additional expense is fully warranted by the extra value to the boys. I know of nothing that requires more exactness, the exercise of more judgment than does printing. Here again the department can fur-
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REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
nish plenty of work for practical experience in the small forms needed and other kinds of work that we could use to good advantage but which are too expensive to buy.
I urgently recommend the adoption of these two courses.
HOUSEHOLD ARTS
At the present time we have no courses in the High School for those students who are motor-minded and do not take to the regular academic work. We ought to have something for such pupils both for boys and girls. The work for the boys would be an extension of the manual training in the grades with the addition of different kinds of material with which to deal. For the girls we should give in- struction in the household arts. This might be open to all girls over fourteen years of age regardless of whether they had finished the grammar school or not. The best workshop for this would be, not a special room in the High School building, but rather an outside building, in other words, an ordinary house. This could be re- modeled by the boys who could also take care of the interior decora- tions. The girls could take care of the selection of furnishings as a part of the regular work. Instruction in the care of a household would then be given in surroundings like those under which they would actually deal when they leave school. The classes would rotate, so one tenement or building would take care of several classes or groups of girls. Instruction should also be given in sewing, both by power and by the methods of the ordinary home. Cooking would also be given under normal conditions. Here also could be exemplified the preparing and serving of meals to meet the needs of families of different sizes. This same idea is being carried out in other places with good success. In regard to practical experience, I see no rea- son why the girls should not prepare and serve the lunches for the High School, where the food might be sold practically at cost. I also believe that different families in town would gladly send in lunches to b. prepared for social functions in the home. They could state the number of guests to be served and the amount they wish to pay. It would then be a problem for the girls to prepare the food for the given cost. Many families do not keep a maid for full time but wish to secure help at stated times. I see no reason why the girls should not go into the homes to render this kind of service. I commend this idea for the serious consideration of the Committee.
LONGER SCHOOL DAY
I have expressed a belief before that the length of the school day for high school pupils should be extended, and have also shown that it is physically impossible to do so with the present equipment. Indeed we are compelled to shorten the day for instead of the common five hour day, the upper classes have only four and one-half hours and the
104
TOWN OF WAKEFIELD
freshmen class only four and one-quarter hours. A longer day for the upper grammar grades also would give the teachers a chance to teach the pupils more how to study. Much of the home study today is more or less haphazard with a resultant loss of time. Conditions in the home are not usually adapted for intensive study. The regular routine of the family disturbs more or less. Coupled with not thoroughly know- ing how to study, the daily life of the family interferes so with the average pupil that he cannot secure the best results from home work. A longer day would give the child more chance to study in an atmos- phere of study where he could accomplish more in a few minutes than in an hour at home. I belive that after a thorough trial, a majority of parents would much prefer this plan.
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Last year I wrote somewhat at length upon the subject of Junior High School. It is not necessary to repeat all the material this year. I will however call to your attention again the fact that two central high schools, a junior and a senior would leave the present grammar school buildings able to take care of the first six grades for some time to come. I realize that we cannot do anything until we have a new high school building, and while almost everyone knows we sadly need new quarters for the high school we probably cannot have a new build- ing until the finances of the town are in better condition and the tax rate lowered. If this doesn't happen soon we shall need increased ac- commodations for at least three districts.
HOME GARDENS
For the past few years the Wakefield Improvement Society has been conducting contests in flower gardens at the homes. I have felt that the vegetable garden should be recognized both for its discipline for the child and its economic value to the family. Last year I started a campaign for wider use of the back yards for gardens. I called a meeting of representatives from the different organizations in town in- cluding the Grange and Business Men's Association at which we out- lined a program for carrying on the work. At the time of organiza- tion we had no idea of doing anything except with vegetables, but the Wakefield Improvement Association asked us to take over the flowers. We secured several prizes which we offered by grades for both vegetable and flower gardens and general prizes of two gold watches for the boy and girl having the best flower gardens in town.
To secure the best results we enlisted the aid of the Parent- Teachers' Associations in each district to make three or four inspec- tions of the gardens during the summer. The visitors from these were enthusiastic and were of material aid to the success of the work. Several children became discouraged early in the summer and failed in their work. Just before the flower exhibition in the fall, an expert,
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REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
105
Mr. White, from the State Board of Agriculture, came to Wakefield and put in a day and a half inspecting and judging those gardens which the visitors had selected as the best in each district.
The success of these gardens depends largely upon the sympathy and encouragement of the home and as we are planning to continue the work this spring and summer I hope we may receive even greater help than last year.
We made several mistakes last year which I believe we may rec- tify, profiting by experience. We will begin the work earlier this year by calling together the general committee about the last of January, thus perfecting the plan much earlier. I hope we shall have the con- tinued support of the different organizations for the more pople we can enlist as friends of the cause the more encouragement we can give the children and the better results we shall receive.
Other places that have tried this work find that it is better to give several smaller prizes than a few large ones. We need a consider- able amount of money for these, something like $75 or $100. If we could have this amount we could give prizes by grades in each school throughout the town rather than a prize for each grade in town. The amount needed is based on the assumption that we shall have both flower and vegetable gardens for the contests.
Many of the children exhibited the products of their gardens at the Quannapowitt Fair last fall. The exhibits consisted also of work done in the home, particularly by the girls, such as canning, both fruit and vegetables, bread and cake making, jellies and needle work The total amount of prizes given for this department was $120.25, $66.90 of which went to the children from Wakefield. The largest prizes for. Wakefield of $5.55 and $5.35 went to Everett Hellyar and Adelaide Boynton, respectively. I believe this is a fair indication of the success of our work and warrants us in continuing our efforts along this line.
ORGANIZED PLAY
Two schools, the Greenwood and Franklin, have been trying organized play. The Greenwood School has carried the work further along, backed by the interest and financial support of the Parent- Teachers' Association. They have paid for the services of an instruc- tor to give time at recess two days each week for the instruction of both pupils and teachers. I believe the results have more than justified the expense. The discipline of both the school yard and room has greatly improved since the introduction of this organized play and physical instruction. If the school day for the upper grades and high school should be lengthened, we could have supervised study periods, and supervised play or physical exercises for both sessions. As soon as the town feels as though it can afford this additional expense I recommend that the department secure the services of someone to take
106
TOWN OF WAKEFIELD
charge of this work in all the schools in town. I doubt if the same person could also serve as athletic instructor in the high school because of lack of time.
One of the high school teachers offered her services for a volun- teer class in physical exercise for girls. The only available space has been the front corridor. That the work is appreciated by the girls is shown by the fact that while the work has been entirely elective only one or two have dropped out after beginning the exercises.
PRACTICAL ARTS
We have omitted the course in cooking this year because there did not seem to be a sufficient demand for it.
The enrollment in the millinery and sewing class is somewhat smaller than formerly. During the spring and fall we have held some afternoon classes in these subjects because this arrangement seemed to meet with favor with many who found it rather hard to get out in the evening because of family cares. The work has been continued along the same general lines as I have before reported. Below is given the value of the work turned out by the classes. This is taken from a re- port submitted to the State for the school year of 1915-1916.
SEWING
Articles made :- 35 Undergarments
cost ..... $34.40
av. cost, each .98
est. val., each. . 1.25
$43.75
36 Shirtwaists
cost ... 25.42
av. cost, each. .70
est. val., each. .
1.50
54.00
76 Skirts
cost
94.92
av. cost, each. 1.24
est. val., each. .
3.00
228.00
42 Waists
cost
30.53
av. cost, each.
.72
est. val., each. .
2.00
84.00
Total value
$409.75
MILLINERY
Total number of hats made
155
cost
$452.48
average cost, each
2.91
average value, each
6.02
Total value
$934.00
Totals
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REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Notes. Many of the waists were joined to the skirts to form a. dress. Several skirts were made of woolen materials, which made the estimated average value higher.
Each student passed in the actual cost of her hat and also her estimated value of the same. In some cases where the cost seems low, old materials were used, and in a few instances when the cost is very high, ostrich plumes or expensive materials were used.
SCHOOL SAVINGS BANKS
In previous reports I have explained in detail the workings of the School Savings Banks. The efficiency of these depends largely upon the enthusiasm of the teachers and principals for children need a constant. stimulus for an extended period to form good habits. I feel that we are accomplishing good work along this line, for as you see by the fol- lowing report the children of the three schools having the School Sav- ings Banks have a considerable sum to their credit in the Bank, a com- paratively large number having bank books of their own.
SCHOOL SAVINGS FOR YEAR 1916
Gr'nw'd
Active Account
300
Lincoln 169 1898
Franklin 133
Totals 602
No. of Deposits
2139
1067
5104
Withdrawals .
21.39
$ 95.97
$ 41.84
$ 159.20
Amount of Deposits
684.06
549.08
298.47
1531.61
Amt. transferred to
pupils' acc'ts
624.00
394.47
213.00
1231.47
Bal. in custody of Trustee
146.52
75.21
75.66
297.39
No. of Savings Bank
Books issued
49
19
19
87
SUMMARY FOR FOUR YEARS
Number Deposits
.7525
6671
5620
19816
Amount of Deposits .. $ 2271.78
$1769.96
$1302.55
$5344.29
Amt. of Withdrawals
149.25
322.53
340.41
812.19
Amount tranferred to pupils' accounts
2030.68
1357.21
772.00
4159.89
Number of Savings Bank
Books issued
276
152
171
599
.$
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TOWN OF WAKEFIELD
HIGH SCHOOL
The High School continues to increase in number with each suc- ceeding year. Thirty-nine more pupils have enrolled to date than were registered for the whole of the last school year. As the number of pupils increase so we have to add a teacher to the corps to take up the extra classes thus formed. There is a limit to the accomodations of the building for the actual housing of the students. The efficiency is diminished now by conditions as they are, but by the time we meet with the full capacity of the building the efficiency will be at a low ebb.
I wish to commend the spirit of the teachers in the High School for they do their work under adverse conditions without com- plaining. The esprit de corps is noticeable, and take this with better equipment the work would be much better than it is now.
I have spoken in another place of a small beginning in physical culture. I hope this will be given soon for all the girls.
For a more particular report of the High School, I refer you to the report of Principal Howe.
EVENING SCHOOL
There has been a decided decrease in the attendance in the Even- School due prebably to a restricted immigration because of the war in Europe. We have had a smaller enrollment than for several years.
Our class in citizenship which we started last year has been con- tinued. While we did not have as many attend as we wished, it seemed as though we secured very good results. The course is arranged with the idea of giving aliens knowledge of American History, the govern- ment of the municipality, state and nation, and the ideals of American citizenship.
Mr. Raymond Dellinger, the instructor, has been in close touch with the naturalization authorities and has secured helpful co-opera- tion from them. Mr. Dellinger escorted to the naturalization court in Boston those who desired help and assisted them in taking out the so called first papers and also the final ones. There were twenty- seven who made declaration of intention and eleven who secured certi- ficates making them citizens of this country.
CHANGES IN THE TEACHING FORCE
During the year we have had the following resignations.
HIGH SCHOOL
Amy Butterfield, Drawing, to be married.
R. D. Arnold, French, to go to Hartford, Conn.
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REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
GRADES
Persis Richardson from Lincoln 1 to Somerville.
Mary F. Wade, Lincoln 1 to Attleboro.
Lillian Edmands, Lincoln Assistant, to be married. Mildred Munsey, Warren Assistant, to be married.
Florence Arnold, Franklin VIII, to take another line of work .. Mabelle Bartlett, Hurd I and II, to be married.
Hattie Blanchard, Greenwood VI, to be married.
TRANSFERS
Anna Hurley, Woodville III-IV, to assistant in Lincoln.
Lila McCormick, Greenwood VII to Greenwood VI. Helen Prescott, Montrose V-VII to Greenwood VII. Eliza Coburn, Franklin VII to Franklin VIII.
Ruth Hickey, Woodville I-II to Woodville III-IV.
ELECTIONS
HIGH SCHOOL
Norman Mansur from Wilton, N. H. to succeed R. D. Arnold,
French Isabelle Hirst from Uxbridge to succeed Amy Butterfield.
Genevieve I. Elmer from Poultney, Vt., an extra teacher.
GRADES
Catherina Slaiger from N'rth Adams N'rmal to Grade I, Lincoln .. Blanche Meserve from Jackson, N. H. to grade I, Lincoln.
Mabel Whittaker from Central Falls, R. I. to Assistant Warren .. Lydia Sullivan from Pepperell to grade I-II, Hurd. Edith Fish from Marion, Mass., to grade VII, Franklin.
Elsie Smith from Attleboro to Grade V-VII, Montrose. Josephine Rourke from Vermont to grade I-II, Woodville.
COST OF THE SCHOOLS
Wakefield spends a large amount of money for its schools and does it willingly. I think perhaps some figures, compared with the averages of the State at large may be interesting to the citizens. The- State Board of Education has recently sent out a pre-print of its annual report. This gives data for the school year 1915-1916, for all the cities- and towns of the State and it is from this that I obtain the following ::
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TOWN OF WAKEFIELD
State
Wakefield
Valuation per pupil in the Average Membership
$8686.00
$5246.00
Per cent of attendance based on average membership
93
94.6
Per cent of attendance based on total enrollment
84
90.0
General control, including salaries and expenses of School Committee and Superintendent:
1.86
1.65
Cost per pupil in av. membership ..
29.11
22.15
Text books, stationery, supplies :
2.31
2.01
Cost per pupil in av. membership. . Operation of School Plant, including janitor service and fuel:
Cost per pupil in av. membership. .
5.23
4.19
Repairs, replacement and up-keep: Cost per pupil in av. membership. . Total for support, including ordin- ary repairs :
1.98
.85
Cost per pupil in av. membership. . New school houses, alterations, and permanent repairs :
42.55
32.69
Cost per pupil in av. membership ..
7.24
1.34
Total for Support and outlay :
49.79
32.69
Cost per pupil in av. membership. . HIGH SCHOOL
Expenditures for support, exclusive of general control:
Cost per pupil in av. membership. .
67.27
51.02
Number of cities and towns in State
353
Wakefield
Rank in State
Valuation per pupil in average membership .
$5246.00
196
Cost per pupil in average member- ship from local taxation
32.69
184
Cost per pupil in average member- ship for expenditures from all sources
33.45
287
Expenditures per $1000 valuation for school support from local taxation
6.23
129
Rate of local tax per $1000 valua- tion, 1915
25.20
6
Cost of pupil, av. membership .... Salaries of principals, teachers and supervisors :
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REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
CONCLUSION
I wish to take this opportunity to publicly thank the School Committee for their hearty sympathy with the work, the principals and teachers for their loyal support and the townspeople for their interest and support.
Respectfully submitted, Willard B. Atwell
REPORT OF ATTENDANCE OFFICER
Mr. W. B. Atwell, Superintendent of Schools.
Dear Sir :-
I hereby submit the following report for the school year ending June 30, 1916.
I have investigated 581 cases as reported to me and found the pupils absent for the reasons given below :-
Sickness 135
Truancy
99
Lack of shoes, clothing, etc.
36
Kept out by parents
194
Found on street and taken to school
8
Left school 10
Naturalization residences verified
8
Non-registration (new pupils placed in school)
6
Found on street, taken home
13
Left town
2
Employment cards
18
Tardy
18
Factories and stores visited
4
Found at home, taken to school
1
Suspensions
5
Disturbance at schools 20
2
Destroying private property
Corporal punishment 1
Taken to court-1 placed on probation 1
581
Yours very respectfully, Albert D. Cate, Attendance Officer.
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TOWN OF WAKEFIELD
REPORT OF HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
Mr. W. B. Atwell, Supt. of Schools.
Dear Sir :-
Herewith is submitted the annual report of the Principal of the High School.
Number of Pupils
For the year Sept. 1916 to date the attendance in school has been as follows :
Boys
Girls
Total
Graduate pupils
1
1
2
Fourth Year pupils
40
69
109
Third Year pupils
50
54
104
Second Year pupils
56
82
138
First Year pupils
87
99
186
Total
234
305
539
As has been said in these reports for many years, this is the largest number of pupils ever in attendance upon the High School. I do not know that we ought to be surprised at this, for Wakefield is a growing town and besides, is no exception to the fact that the value of high school education is almost universally recognized. It would be more surprising if the school did not grow. It seems safe to say that for many years to come we shall find an increasing number of the youth' of the town in attendance upon the high school.
In this connection it is interesting, and encouraging, too, to note that while the Wakefield High School has seen a generous increase in attendance this year, in many high schools of the State the atten- dance has either remained stationary or fallen off. The most common explanation of this situation is the unwonted prosperity of the country and the ease with which labor, even of youth, has been absorbed.
The Present Situation
Last spring, the school authorities determined to continue the arrangement of last year, by which the three upper classes were re- quired to come to school in the forenoon and the first year class in the afternoon. In my report last year, I said :---
"The time actually spent in school by the upper classes has been reduced to four and a half hours, and by the first year class to four and a quarter hours. At a time when the tendency is to in- crease the length of the school day rather than diminish it, it seems as though we were turning backwards the hands of the clock."
Of the three elements essential to a good school-viz. teachers, time, room, we are equipped with only the first in anything like an ade-
113
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
quate degree. Teachers, we have. Of time, we have not more than two-thirds enough and of room there is an absolute shortage of any- where from 25 to 50 per cent.
The lack of room became evident to those who attended the demonstration of school work of the first year class and Commercial Department under the auspices of the Parent-Teachers' Association. It seemed as though the building was almost entirely utilized on that evening, but when it was announced that there were still 250 members of the school who were not in attendance, the question naturally arose, where could you put them if they were here?
Teachers Time Room
With only the first, is your school adequately equipped?
Communication
(The following is self explanatory.)
May 8, 1916.
My dear Mr. Boardman :----
I remember that on one occasion some time ago, you asked me, "What would you have different in the High School to make it better?" May I suggest the following-not all in my own language but things culled from my reading.
(1) Realize that the "social and athletic activities are quite as fundamental as the strictly academic activities." Sports including all members of the school are more wholesome than other school games. Debating societies, English club, Science club, etc, would come under this head.
(2) "The school opportunities offered students should be extended so as to include more hours in the day and more weeks in the year". There is a large fund of available student energy which goes to waste because High School students do not organize their time well. Any- one who is at all acquainted with the afternoon activities of High School pupils knows that there is much waste time that ought to be recovered.
(3) "Vocational guidance for pupils is essential."
(4) "Supervised study is more important than recitation."
This would involve lengthening the school day materially, to six hours or more.
(5) "Devices must be adopted for economizing the time of students preparing for practical life." The efforts to secure economy should always be coupled with a recognition of high scholarship. "Ex- cess credit for high grade work, rapid promotion for the best students, are among the most obvious and legitimate devices for securing the right kind of economy."
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