USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Plymouth > Town annual report of the officers of the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts for the year ending 1944 > Part 28
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49
The war period has been one in which the costs of education have increased along with the costs of other services. Since 1942 Plymouth has increased the compen- sation of its town employees, as has been commonly done by town, state, and federal governments. Such increases have by no means been comparable to the increases in wages paid by industrial plants, but they have helped substantially to offset the increased cost of living. We feel that by far the most important requirement for good schools is to secure and retain a well qualified teaching staff and to have our teachers carry on their work with energy and enthusiasm. To accomplish this result it is necessary for us to pay salaries that compare favorably with those paid in other communities maintaining ele- mentary, junior, and senior high schools and nearest to our population and financial ability.
Although our school expenditures in 1945 were higher than in the preceding year, salary expenditures were slightly less than anticipated and we are able to turn back $3,532.83 to the excess and deficiency fund. We are also turning back to this fund a balance of $4,100.07 in the general appropriation. This balance arises largely from the fact that we were allowed under government
-
-
--- ------------
-11-
regulations to purchase only 80% of the year's coal supply.
The major item under repairs and improvements in 1945 was the installing of a new boiler in the Mt. Pleas- ant building. This installation included a Smith boiler No. 60 with Nash vacuum pump, Whittey stoker, and a new temperature regulator. These changes have brought about a decided improvement in the heating of the Mt. Pleasant School. It is our belief that the boiler at the Hedge School also will need to be replaced very soon.
The former Pederzani property adjoining the Hedge School lot and acquired by the town in 1944 has been cleared of buildings. The grading of this lot for play- ground purposes will be a worthwhile post-war project. The necessary fill is now available from the near-by land adjoining the playground on the west and acquired by the town in 1945.
The attic floors of the Hedge School were insulated during the summer vacation, thus completing the pro- gram of insulation began in 1944. Janitors report that second-story class rooms, formerly difficult to heat, can now be more readily heated. They report also that there is a noticeable saving of fuel.
Another improvement made in 1945 should be reported; namely, the installation of sound-deadening material on the ceiling of the High School Cafeteria. This very notice- ably reduces the sound arising from the conversation of several hundred pupils and enables a person to be heard when talking in normal conversational tones. A similar treatment of the Gymnasium would be a great help, both to teachers and to pupils.
Relatively little painting has been attempted in 1945 because of the scarcity of labor and materials. The Den- tal and Health Rooms at the Hedge, as well as the east corridor at the Cornish, have been redecorated and the High School cupola painted. Because of the interruption
-12-
in the usual painting program during the war years, we shall need to make larger investments in this type of repair work in 1946 if we are to maintain our school property in good condition.
For a record of other changes and of progress made in the schools during 1945, we call your attention to the reports of the Superintendent and Department Heads that follow.
Respectfully submitted,
E. HAROLD DONOVAN, Chairman FANNIE T. ROWELL, Secretary DAVID A. CAPPANNARI WILLIAM E. CURTIN WILLIAM H. ARMSTRONG RALPH WEAVER
Plymouth School Committee
-13-
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
To the School Committee:
It is indeed a privilege to submit to you my fifth annual report. This deals largely with adjustments already made necessary by rapidly changing conditions and with suggestions for further adjustments that seem desirable.
TEACHER SHORTAGE CONTINUES
In the opening years of the war period, school officials here and elsewhere were confronted with the problems of adjusting the schools to the needs of a nation at war. The problem of maintaining an efficient staff of teachers soon became one of the most serious. Many teachers asked for leave of absence to enter the armed forces. Others were married to young men in the service and gave up teaching. For these and other reasons 34 teachers, 1/3 of our staff, left employment in the Plymouth schools during 1942 and 1943. Because of the acute shortage of teachers that developed early in the war period a con- siderable number of married women who had formerly been teachers in Plymouth were prevailed upon to re- turn to teaching and have done very commendable work during this critical time. It seems probable that we shall need to retain many of them for further service if pos- sible, in view of the fact that the teachers returning from the armed forces together with the young men and women now preparing definitely for teaching in our colleges will fall far short of filling the vacancies that normally arise.
The shortage of teachers is most acute in the elemen- tary grades, due to the abrupt decline of the enrollment of our teachers colleges from 3200 to 1800 during the first three years of the war. The most capable graduates of teachers colleges are being placed at once either in their home communities or in communities so near home that they may readily commute to their schools. Salaries
-14-
paid to beginning elementary teachers, which before the war ranged from $1000 to $1200, have now increased to $1500 or more.
Fortunately for Plymouth nearly all of the nine teach- ers on our Junior and Senior High School staffs who were granted leave to enter the armed forces are plan- ning to return to the Plymouth schools. Two had already done so prior to the close of year 1945.
CHANGES IN PERSONNEL DURING 1945 Retirements
Principal William I. Whitney of the Hedge School re- tired in June, bringing to a close a long and useful career in the public schools. Mr. Whitney began teaching in Vermont in 1904. After seven years of experience in various communities of Vermont, in Rowley, Massachu- setts, and in Rhode Island, Mr. Whitney was appointed principal of the Knapp School, Plymouth. When the Knapp School was closed in 1939, he was made principal of the Hedge School where he served to the time of his retirement. Since 1921, Mr. Whitney served continuously as Director of Americanization for the town. His work in this connection was noteworthy in that the number of aliens in Plymouth in 1920 was about 4,000. It is a tribute to Mr. Whitney's leadership in Americanization work in this community and to the efforts of the capable staff of teachers who have worked under his direction that the number of non-citizens steadily declined to the present figure of approximately 500.
Miss Maude Lermond, teacher of grade six at the Hedge School for the past six years and teacher of various grades at the old Hedge and Knapp Schools from 1902 to 1939, retired at the end of the last school year after an exceptionally long and faithful service in the Plym- outh schools. Miss Lermond began teaching in Maine in 1893. After nine years of experience in that state she came to Plymouth and taught here continuously since the fall of 1902. Her career as public school teacher was fifty-two years in length, during forty-three of which
-15-
she has been a member of the staff in the Knapp and Hedge Schools of Plymouth. Miss Lermond has had a very prominent part in the Americanization work here and has undoubtedly given instruction and encourage- ment to a larger number of non-citizens in quest of their citizenship papers than any other Plymouth teacher has done.
A joint reception and testimonial meeting was ten- dered to principal Whitney and Miss Lermond at the Plymouth Cordage Auditorium on June 19. Addresses in appreciation of the services of these two educators were made by state and town officials and former pupils. The meeting was largely attended by grateful parents and friends. A testimonial in book form signed by hun- dreds of former pupils and associates, a replica of the statue of Massasoit in bronze, and a substantial amount of money were presented to each. The book bearing the signatures of friends and associates was prefaced by the following tribute:
"To Principal William I. Whitney and Miss Maude H. Lermond: Hedge School, Plymouth, Mass.
We, the undersigned, wish to express to you our deep appreciation of your most faithful, able, and unselfish services as principal and teacher in the Knapp and Hedge Schools over periods of more than thirty and forty years respectively and for your untiring assistance to hundreds of adults in their efforts to become naturalized citizens of our country during the past twenty-five years. As you now retire from the active duties of teaching we wish for you that deep sense of satisfaction that should be yours after making this outstand- ing contribution to American citizenship in this community. We all join in the most sincere hope that the years lying ahead will bring you both much happiness."
Resignations
Miss Beatrice A. Hunt, now Mrs. Victor Iams, resigned in June to be married. Mrs. Iams began her teaching career as teacher of English and Music in the Plymouth
-16-
Junior High School immediately after her graduation from Bridgewater in 1933. She became supervisor of music in Plymouth in 1938 and was granted a leave of absence to complete work for the master's degree at Teacher's College, Columbia during the school year 1943- 44. Under Mrs. Iams' leadership, the music in the Plym- outh schools became recognized for its excellence, and school musical groups here won distinction in the Massa- chusetts and New England festivals.
Miss Amy M. Rafter, now Mrs. Elsworth Pratt, who had been teacher of History in the Senior High School since 1928 and head of the History Department for a number of years, resigned October 26. Mrs. Pratt had taught continuously in the Plymouth High School since her graduation from Boston University in 1928.
Mrs. Clementine O. O'Neill, teacher of grades three and four at Manomet School, presented her resignation in October. Mrs. O'Neill had previously taught at the Russell Mills, Oak Street, and Cornish-Burton Schools. Her service in Plymouth extended over a period of nine- teen years.
Mrs. Dolores Cappannari, teacher of grade two at Mount Pleasant School, submitted her resignation in July. Mrs. Cappannari began teaching in Plymouth imme- diately following her graduation from Bridgewater in 1934. She served in the Hedge School one year and the following ten years as teacher of grade two at the Mount Pleasant School.
Mrs. Eleanor S. Evans, teacher of Grade 4 at Hedge, terminated her services here in June. Mrs. Evans began teaching in the Knapp School immediately following her graduation from Bridgewater in 1934 and was later trans- ferred to the Hedge School, grade four. Her total period of service in Plymouth was eleven years.
Miss Dorice A. Knowles teacher of grade one at the Hedge School resigned in June to be married. Miss Knowles came to Plymouth from a teaching position in
-17-
Saugus and taught in the primary grades at the Oak Street, Mt. Pleasant, and Hedge Schools for a total of eleven years.
Mrs. Jean W. Patenaude resigned in November from her position as instructor in English and Social Studies in the Junior High School. Mrs. Patenaude has taught in Plymouth since her graduation from Bridgewater in 1940.
Mrs. Mary Brigida Guidoboni, teacher of grade five at the Hedge School who was granted leave of absence from September to December, presented her resignation effec- tive at the end of her leave. Mrs. Guidoboni taught at Mount Plasant, Cold Spring, and Hedge Schools since her graduation from Bridgewater in 1941.
Two of our military substitutes resigned during the year. Mrs. Amelia Vincent, substitute for John Pacheco, as supervisor of instrumental music, resigned at the end of the school year to become supervisor of instrumental music in several junior high schools of Portland, Oregon.
Mr. Paul Goodwin who served as military substitute for Hector Patenaude in manual arts and mechanical drawing in the Junior High School, resigned on Mr. Patenaude's return from the service in November.
In October the School Committee accepted with regret the resignation of its office secretary, Mrs. Ruth F. Trask. Mrs. Trask has been in the service of the Plymouth schools as secretary for the past seventeen years, having served one year at the High School office and the past sixteen years at the School Department office.
Appointments
To the position of supervisor of vocal music vacated by Mrs. Beatrice Iams, the Committee appointed Eleanor Anifantis of Arlington. Miss Anifantis is a graduate of Lowell Teacher's College, Department of Music, and has had several years' experience as supervisor of music in Harwich, Chatham, Orleans, and Eastham.
-18-
To the position in grade one at the Hedge School caused by the resignation of Dorice Knowles, the Committee appointed Dorothy Morton of this town. Miss Morton graduated from Bridgewater in 1945 with high standing.
To the fifth grade at the Hedge School formerly taught by Mrs. Mary Guidoboni, the Committee appointed Marion Radcliffe of this town. Miss Radcliffe was a grad- uate in high standing of the class of 1945 at Bridgewater.
Mrs. Mabel Woodward Mitchell of Plymouth who for twelve years was teacher at Cedarville and Manomet was appointed war-time substitute in grade four at the Mount Pleasant School.
Mrs. Eleanor Testoni White of Plymouth was appointed war-time substitute in grades three and four at the Oak Street School. Mrs. White taught in Plymouth from 1932 to 1942 when she resigned to be married. Since 1942 she has been teaching in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
To the vacancy in grades one and two at Manomet, the Committee appointed Mrs. Emma Raymond Anderson as war-time substitute. Mrs. Anderson was graduated from Framingham Normal School in 1927 and subsequently taught seven years in the primary grades of various Plymouth schools including the Knapp, Hedge, and Wel- lingsley.
Mrs. Lucy E. Rae of Plymouth was appointed in Octo- ber as war-time substitute in grades 3 and 4 at Manomet, taking the place of Mrs. O'Neill. Mrs. Rae is a graduate of the Farmington, Maine, Normal School, and was teacher of the primary grades in the Knapp School, Plymouth, from 1923 to 1930.
Mrs. Helena C. Girard of this town, who was substitute during the spring and summer months in elementary science in place of Bella Madow who resigned, was appointed military substitute in this position for Louis Cappannari on leave with the armed forces. Mrs. Girard is a graduate of Bridgewater and has had 6 years of teaching experience in the Wareham public schools.
--
-19-
Mrs. Marion W. Haggerty of 115 Court Street was appointed substitute for Mrs. Evans, on leave, and served as teacher of grade 4 at the Hedge School during the fall term.
To the vacancy in the position of office secretary, occa- sioned by the resignation of Mrs. Trask, the Committee appointed Elinor Sanderson of Billington Street, a grad- uate of the Plymouth High School in the class of 1936. For the past seven years Miss Sanderson has been em- ployed on the office staff of the Puritan Mills.
Following the retirement of Principal Whitney of the Hedge School, it was decided to add this school to those under the principalship of Franklyn White of the Cornish-Burton District and to provide an office clerk for each of the two districts. Gloria Botieri, a graduate of Plymouth High School in 1945, was appointed for the Hedge office work, and Marie Southwell, a graduate in the same class, was appointed for the Cornish district.
In June the Cornish School Lunch, accommodating about 145 pupils, closed two years of most satisfactory service with Mrs. Herbert Lanman, Mrs. Kendall Holmes, and Mrs. Barbara Bartlett as its staff. Because of the pressure of other duties, all three members of the staff felt obliged to give up the school work at the end of the year. Mrs. Sylvia Smiley, Mrs. Charles Rose, and Mrs. James Hogan were employed for these positions.
EDUCATION FOR VETERANS
It is, indeed, a privilege to do all that we can for re- turning veterans in helping many of them to complete their high school courses and prepare definitely for higher education. Those veterans who can attend school full- time are welcomed back to High School. Most of them, however, do not re-enter High School because of employ- ment. On the part of some there is the feeling that they cannot successfully adapt themselves to the types of work being given to much younger pupils.
-20-
Anticipating this situation, the State Department of Education has established regional high schools for vet- erans with centers at the State Teachers Colleges. Here veterans take either day or evening courses leading to the high school diploma.
When veterans are located at a distance from a Teach- ers College, towns and cities in which they live may be authorized to established regional high schools at the expense of the State. Nine veterans in and around Plym- outh have already asked that such educational oppor- tunities be made available to them at the local High School. The veterans have already registered and the work will begin on a schedule of two hours for two evenings a week as soon as final approval is given by the State authorities.
VOCATIONAL SCHOOL
The years immediately ahead will be years when the need for a vocational school promises to be even greater than heretofore. Boys who are graduates from general courses in high school or who leave high school before graduation will find it increasingly difficult to secure employment. The desirable positions in workshops, fac- tories, and stores will be filled by returned veterans or by experienced and trained workers. Only the least desirable opportunities will be opened to the unskilled. This situation will mean, also, that there will be little outlet for those boys who are deriving small benefit from the more advanced academic courses of the Senior High School, and who would be old enough to leave school if there were suitable opportunities for employment. A vocational school would not only keep such boys profit- ably occupied, but would provide them with saleable skills. Such a school would also be of assistance to vet- erans who, for various reasons, may not be able to pursue their education in higher schools away from home under the provisions of the G.I. Bill of Rights.
Guaranteed State aid for the maintenance of a voca- tional school, together with the possibilities of substan-
-- 21-
tial aid from the federal government toward the re- modelling of the former High School building, should be borne in mind in this connection. For the first two years of the existence of the vocational school the State pays the full salaries of the instructors. State assistance decreases gradually after the first two years until the fifth year, when such assistance becomes one-half of the cost and continues at that figure. In addition to the salary aid, the State reimburses one-half the general mainte- nance costs.
There are now several bills before the Congress with a view to granting financial aid toward construction of public buildings. One is the so-called Public Works Bill which would match the local community in meeting the cost of construction of post-war projects. Another bill would provide a 40 per cent grant for the construction or remodelling of school buildings. Still another would pro- vide substantial federal aid for equipping a vocational school. Aid by the federal government for local school- house construction was strongly endorsed in a recent presidential message. There are few, if any, educational projects that give promise of receiving more financial assistance from governmental sources than a vocational school. The time seems to have arrived when the town should be in a position to take advantage of such assistance.
WAR-TIME SERVICES
Bonds and Stamps
The schools have been faithful to their obligations in forwarding the war effort. During 1945 the pupils pur- chased a total of $21,546.75 in war bonds and stamps and the teachers purchased $7,971.75, making a total of $29,518.50. Since the federal government first began offering for sale government bonds and stamps through the schools in the effort to increase revenues needed for the promotion of World War II, our school pupils and school employees in Plymouth have invested a total of $125,584.33 in such bonds and stamps.
-22-
Clothing Collection for Children
In October the pupils made the second annual collec- tion of clothing for children in war-torn countries. This effort was under the auspices of the Save the Children Federation, Inc. Pupils in all schools were eager to assist in this important work, and a total of 1915 pounds of clothing was shipped.
Junior Red Cross
Pupils in the schools, under the Junior Red Cross, are making their contributions toward community, national, and international needs.
The Junior Red Cross is under the general direction of the chairman, Mary B. Cingolani of the Junior High staff. Miss Cingolani is assisted by a teacher-sponsor in each school. The 1945 program was carried on with the aid of the following school departments: art, practical arts, woodworking, and physical education.
The following list summarizes the accomplishments of the past year: (1) One hundred and seventy kit bags were filled for members of the armed forces. (2) One dozen sweaters for the armed forces were knit by Senior High School girls. (3) A large number of mem- bers attended the life-saving classes at Stephens Field and Nelson Street during the summer vacation. (4) Over two hundred comic books were collected for the reading rooms at Camp Edwards. (5) Ten recreational chests were made by the Junior High, Mt. Pleasant, and Cornish Schools. (6) One hundred and sixty articles were made by knitting, sewing, and woodworking groups. Some of these were sent to the distribution center in New York and others were sent to nearby military camps. (7) One thousand four hundred and fifty-five articles were made by art classes in all schools and given to the camp and hospital council, which in turn distributed these articles to nearby station hospitals. (8) One hundred and twelve dollars were donated for a dayroom at Edwards. (9) A group of girls aided the Community Nurse in caring for three children one afternoon. (10) Five hundred invita-
-23-
tions to families of servicemen were addressed by Junior High pupils. (11) A group of girls assisted the office at the Red Cross headquarters. (12) During the enrollment period, the total dues collected from pupils of all schools amounted to $284.00.
STANDING OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN THREE R'S
Many aspects of child development to which the public schools contribute cannot be measured with any degree of exactness. Progress in the mastery of the "three r's," however, is susceptible to measurement by making a comparison of the achievement of Plymouth pupils with the average achievement of thousands of pupils in other towns and cities of the country when given the same examinations with the same time allowances.
The tests used in Plymouth in May, 1945, were the Metropolitan Achievement Tests in grade 1 and the Re- vised Stanford Tests in grades 2 to 6. The pupils in Plym- outh, grade 1, were found to be, on the average, above standard in both reading and number. Our grade 2 was at standard in these two subjects but one month below in spelling. Grades 3 and 4 were above standard in read- ing and numbers and at standard in spelling. Grade 5 was three months above standard in reading and arith- metic, four months above in spelling, and a full year above in language usage. Grade 6 was slightly above standard in reading, a half year above in spelling, and approximately a year above in language usage and arith- metic. The foregoing results are a clear indication of the faithful and effective work being accomplished by teachers and pupils of the elementary grades in the tool subjects of the curriculum. While the results of the tests given above are expressed in terms of averages and indi- cate the general standing of the various grades, the re- sults of each pupil's work on these tests show both teacher and pupil wherein he excels and wherein he should make better progress. The administering of these standardized tests regularly once a year appears to be well warranted in the light of the valuable results shown.
-24-
VISION AND HEARING TESTS
With the improved means of testing sight and hearing that are now in our possession, more valuable results are being secured. The new Massachusetts Vision Test re- veals not only near sightedness, as did the long used Snellen Test, but it also uncovers cases of far sightedness, and of muscular imbalance. The new test, however, is a screening test as was the older test. Failure to pass the Massachusetts Vision Test is not a guarantee that the child should wear glasses, but is a strong indication that the child has a vision defect or abnormality important enough to call for an examination by a person profes- sionally trained to diagnose vision defects and to pre- scribe any needed treatment.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.