USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Medfield > Town annual reports of Medfield 1920-1929 > Part 43
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Voted, that the sum of $2,000.00 be granted and appropriated for rebuilding High Street near the Walpole town line.
Article 13. To see if the Town will vote to grant and ap- propriate the sum of $1,400.00 in addition to the amount appropriated to build a "Store House," or do or act anything relating thereto.
Voted, that the sum of $1,400.00 be granted and appro- priated in addition to the amount appropriated to build a "Store House."
Article 14. To see if the Town will vote to grant and ap- . propriate the sum of $1,200.00 for repairs on Bridge Street, the Town to be reimbursed by the State in full.
Voted, that the sum of $1,200.00 be granted and appropriated for repairs on Bridge Street.
Voted, that the meeting be dissolved.
Attest:
WILLIAM H. EVERETT,
Town Clerk.
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SPECIAL MEETING
November 7, 1927
Pursuant to a Warrant issued by the Selectmen, the inhabi- tants of the Town of Medfield, duly warned and notified in the manner prescribed by law, met at the Town Hall in said Medfield on the seventh day of November, 1927, at 7.30 p. m., and the following action was taken on the articles contained in the Warrant:
Article 1. To see if the Town will vote to grant and appro- priate the sum of three hundred nine dollars ($309.00) for land damage on East Main Street, the town to be reimbursed one- half by the County.
Voted, that the sum of three hundred nine dollars ($309.00) be granted and appropriated, and the amount be taken from free cash in the treasury.
Article 2. To see if the Town will appropriate the sum of twenty-six hundred dollars ($2,600.00) for the purpose of completing certain extra work in connection with the new High School, or do or act anything relating thereto.
Voted, that all voting hereafter be taken by written ballot.
Voted, that the article be dismissed.
Article 3. To see if the Town will appropriate the sum of five hundred dollars ($500.00) for equipping the lunch room of the new High School or do or act anything relating thereto.
Voted, that the article be dismisssed.
Article 4. To see if the Town will appropriate the sum of seven hundred dollars ($700.00) for additional grading about
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the new High School building, or do or act anything relating thereto.
Voted, that the Clerk cast one ballot.
Voted, that the article be dismissed.
Voted, that the meeting be dissolved.
Attest:
WILLIAM H. EVERETT, Town Clerk.
+
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
AND THE
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
TOWN OF MEDFIELD
FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1927
-
1
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ANNUAL REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE AND SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
Town of Medfield for the Year Ending December 31, 1927
Members and Organization
SUSAN M. CLARK. Term expires 1928 FRANCIS H. KINGSBURY, Chairman .. . Term expires 1929 ORION WIGHT
Term expires 1930
REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
I. Superintendent of Schools
Mr. A. Howard Williamson, now resident in Medfield, took up his duties as Superintendent of the Norfolk, Westwood, Millis, Medfield Union beginning the first part of September and his report for the Medfield schools will be found appended to the Committee's report. The Committee recommends that his report be given careful consideration by the parents and taxpayers.
II. Ralph Wheelock School
With the removal of the High School and the seventh and eighth grades to the new building, there are now six rooms on the first and second floors which are suitable for use as class rooms. There are now rooms enough so that each teacher and each class has a room without the serious difficulties to cope with that existed last year when there were two teachers and two classes in each room. These improved conditions have already been responsible for improved teaching and quieter classes.
While the Committee realizes that the Town has been very generous in providing for the High School, it must nevertheless recommend that a reasonable amount be provided to make a few desirable changes and improvements at the Ralph Wheelock building. Briefly, this building is badly in need of painting both inside and out; ventilating fans and flues are needed for
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the two toilets; certain blackboards should be repaired and the ceilings in one of the rooms at least should be covered with metal ceiling. The estimated cost of these improvements is given in the budget.
III. Hannah Adams Pfaff School
Fortunately the new school was completed in time to begin school on time in September, otherwise it would have been necessary to keep school next summer to meet the required number of days' schooling necessary to obtain the state aid which amounts to about $3,000 and which is withheld unless school has been in session 180 days.
IV. School Calendar, 1928-1929
Year
Term
Weeks
Opens
Closes
1928
Winter
7
January
3
February 17
Spring
7
February
27
April
13
Summer
9
April
23
June
22
Fall
16
September 4
December 21
1929
Winter
7
January
2
February 15
Spring
7
February
25
April
12
Summer
9
April
22
June
21
School Holidays
January 1, February 22, April 19, May 30, October 12 (the day following if any holiday falls on Sunday); Thanksgiving and the day following.
In the fall the teachers will be at the schoolhouses on Tues- day, September 4, from 9 a. m. to 12 m. to receive any parents who wish to consult them in regard to their children. The pupils will be enrolled and begin school on the next day, Wed- nesday, September 5.
V. Budget for the Year 1928
The School Committee will submit the following budget to the Finance Committee before the Annual Town Meeting in March and invite that Committee and all interested tax- payers to inspect both of the schools, so that they may more readily appreciate the needs of the school system.
SCHOOL BUDGET FOR THE YEAR 1928
Expended 1925
Expended 1926
Expended 1927
Requested For 1928
General Control.
$ 935.82
917.83
$ 1,050.93
Instruction . . .
17,269.80
18,349.80
18,885.67
Text Books.
467.12
583.64
526.03
Stationary, supplies. .
863.18
1,217.70
1,889.33
750.00
Expenses of Operation
Ralph Wheelock School
Janitor.
1,404.00
1,404.00
1,404.00
$ 1,404.00
Janitor's supplies.
83.44
99.57
64.42
100.00
Fuel . .
1,958.75
1,501.75
765.50
1,200.00
Water. .
80.00
80.00
80.00
80.00
Maintenance .
803.03
361.63
930.42
400.00
$ 3,184.00
Inside painting . .
$ 2,000.00
Toilet ventilation
500.00
Major repairs: shingling, ceilings, blackboards,
119
window shades, rewir- ing. .
2,500.00
Hannah Adams Pfaff School
Part year
450.00
1,300.00
Janitor's supplies
Part year
57.60
150.00
Fuel . ..
Part year
675.00
1,000.00
Water .
Part year
20.00
100.00
Maintenance .
Part year
203.90
300.00
Promotion of Health
School Physician . .
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
School Nurse ..
515.00
400.00
500.00
500.00
Health supplies .
11.80
11.71
8.05
150.00
Transportation .
3,547.05
3,175.95
3,423.60
$ 3,000.00
Total .
$28,123.99
$28,203.58
$31,034.45
$38,494.00
$ 5,000.00
Janitor ...
$ 2,850.00
. .
$ 750.00
$ 1,200.00 20,960.00 800.00
$23,710.00
.
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The School Committee bearing in mind the need of economy in public expenditures, no less than in the affairs of the indi- vidual, has tried to plan carefully, but feels that the town should not neglect the maintenance of the Ralph Wheelock School and requests a total appropriation of $38,500 for the year 1928.
Respectfully submitted by the Committee,
FRANCIS H. KINGSBURY, SUSAN M. CLARK, ORION WIGHT.
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FINANCIAL REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Town Appropriation $31,000.00
From Town Treasurer, Interest on School Fund. . 158.32
$31,158.32
Expense of General Control
School Committee
Francis H. Kingsbury $ 35.00
Orion Wight.
35.00
Susan M. Clark.
35.00
Susan M. Clark, Clerk ..
50.00
Theodore W. King, Supt. of Schools.
375.00
Theodore W. King, expenses
75.00
A. Howard Williamson,
Supt ..
350.00
A. Howard Williamson, ex- penses .
75.86
Ambrose Press.
10.00
Wright and Potter, printing
2.07
Mary Granchelle, Dorothy Rhinehart, Thelma Lin-
coln and Wilma Knight,
taking school census. .. 8.00
$1,050.93
Expense of Instruction
Salaries of Teachers
High
Alton H. Hartford .
$2,500.00
Mrs. Theresa E. MacMurray
1,500.00
Ida M. Johnson. 840.00
Elizabeth B. Ludlow
480.00
Marion A. Bagley 1,340.00
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Alice V. Donahue
$1,347.50
Mary E. Rush 1,340.00
$9,347.50
Elementary
Umberto Palumbo
$1,440.00
Helen M. Bower.
1,185.00
Helen A. Macdonald.
1,100.00
Elizabeth S. Buck.
1,200.00
E. A. Maude Craig
1,200.00
Dorothy F. Brown
1,300.00
Grace E. Whelan.
1,140.00
Ethel C. King 30.00
$8,595.00
Special
Evelyn A. Judd
$ 380.00
Nettie F. Hamant.
312.00
B. A. Black .
185.77
H. D. Baldridge
45.40
John Cox
20.00
$ 943.17
$18,885.67
Text Books
High
Elementary
D. C. Heath and Co.
$ 38.07
$ 4.48
Silver, Burdett & Co.
1.01
43.38
Ginn and Co ..
68.38
1.96
Lyons and Carnahan
53.76
Oliver Ditson Co.
.90
American Viewpoint Co. 16.07
American Book Co.
57.60
Charles A. Merrill .
22.30
The Macmillan Co.
59.21
Allyn and Bacon.
89.34
J. B. Lippincott Co. .
1.71
Longmans Green & Co.
2.34
Girl Scouts. .35
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Benj. H. Sanborn.
$ 3.95
Charles Scribner's Sons. 1.36
John C. Winston Co.
1.08
Houghton Mifflin Co.
2.47
South West Pub. Co.
14.40
Edward E. Babb & Co.
5.93
D. Appleton and Co
35.98
$ 421.55
$ 104.48 $ 526.03
Supplies
High
Elementary
Edward E. Babb and Co .. .
$ 164.51
$ 49.92
Milton Bradley Co ..
24.10
40.48
Kenney Bros. and Wolkins.
138.04
10.51
Oliver Ditson Co ..
9.23
6.17
George T. Johnson Co.
1.58
3.17
A. B. Dick Co.
1.69
3.39
Walter A. Gilbert
2.70
2.13
Ginn and Co. .
65.34
47.64
A. W. P. Paper Co.
31.75
3.75
Bruce Pub. Co.
1.00
.56
Public School Pub. Co.
5.25
6.75
George L. Hall .
8.25
8.25
Silver, Burdett and Co.
.58
Lyons and Carnahan
10.49
Paine Furniture Co.
112.00
Visiting Nurse Association. .
86.03
12.17
Daniel O'Neill .
4.50
Smith and Corona Type- writer .
210.00
Remington Typewriter
140.00
Royal Typewriter
167.50
Underwood Typewriter
4.73
Gregg Pub. Co ..
16.16
Cambridge Botanical Sup. Co ..
146.59
Office Appliance Co. . 21.50
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Manfg. Equip. and Engi- neering Co ..
$ 22.12
J. B. Hunter Co. 10.58
Irene K. Wight
9.50
Mary E. Rush.
4.50
E. H. Abell.
2.85
Walter L. Coulter
11.00
Alex. Allan .
.75
High School Athletic Asso- ciation .
147.32
C. C. Birchard and Co.
12.30
Mrs. W. M. Eames
100.00
$1,566.87 $ 322.46 $ 1,889.33
Expense of Operation
High Elementary
Martin W. Sweeney, Janitor
$ 450.00
John Dyer
$1,404.00
$ 1,854.00
Janitor Supplies
High Elementary
Walter A. Gilbert
$ 4.60 $ 7.10
Sani-Cross. Co.
10.00
10.00
Standard Oil Co.
3.75
Masury-Young Co.
22.10
Blood Bros.
11.00
Clement Drug Co.
2.15
Bertha N. Conners
1.50
Wadsworth, Howland and Co ..
8.00
Workshop for the Blind .. . .
3.33
Mass. State Prison
38.49
$ 64.42
$ 57.60 $ 122.02
125
Fuel
High Elementary
Blood Bros.
$ 675.00
$ 765.50
$ 1,440.50
Water
Town of Medfield, Water
Dept .. $ 20.00 $ 80.00
$ 100.00
Expense of Maintenance
High
Elementary
Allan A. Kingsbury .
$ 203.90
$ 230.71
N. E. Tel. and Tel. Co ..
17.88
45.20
Edison Elec. Ill. Co.
50.15
47.19
Edgar Kingsbury .
17.00
John Newell .
23.75
A. G. Rogers.
123.45
Edwin F. Penniman.
53.17
J. F. Hummer .
30.00
William J. Hayward
17.35
Weiker's Express
9.55
Barrett's Express
.50
Henry H. Clark .
14.65
James F. Clark .
33.80
Tibbett's Elec. Co.
1.23
Medfield Fire Dept.
19.50
Commissioner Public Safety
5.00
C. A. Engley
6.00
Frank V. Weaver
3.50
E. Roy Kerr
159.75
Blood Bros.
21.09
$ 271.93
$ 862.39
$ 1,134.32
Promotion of Health
Dr. Frank H. Clough. .
$ 100.00
Emma C. Newcomb, Nurse.
500.00
Supplies for School Nurse
8.05
$ 608.05
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Transportation
Amie Newell .
$ 2,288.00
Harry Dewar 528.00
George J. Ehnes. 240.50
Medway and Dedham Bus
121.10
L. W. Wheeler, Insurance
195.00
Alex. Allan, Insurance .
51.00
$ 3,423.60
Summary
Expense of General Control.
$ 1,050.93
Instruction
18,885.67
Books.
526.03
Supplies
1,889.33
Janitors, salaries
1,854.00
Janitors, supplies
122.02
Water
100.00
Fuel .
1,440.50
Maintenance.
1,134.32
Health .
608.05
Transportation
3,423.60
$31,034.45
Unexpended balance.
123.87
$31,158.32
Respectfully submitted,
SUSAN M. CLARK, Clerk of Committee.
Correct :
W. E. GARDNER, Accountant.
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SCHOOL RECEIPTS Commonwealth of Massachusetts
For Massachusetts School Funds. $ 1,055.31
For High School Tuition.
1,250.00
For Teachers' Salaries.
2,352.00
For Tuition, Walpole.
231.11
For Superintendent. 483.34
For Macmillan, check .
1.60
For Telephone Calls .
.20
For Interest on Town School Funds. .
158.32
Net Cost of Operating Schools .
$ 5,531.88 $25,502.57
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REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
To the School Committee and Citizens of Medfield:
This report, covering certain educational activities of the year 1927, is presented for your consideration.
1. What Are the Schools Trying to Do?
Education began with the world. The earliest people taught their children how to hunt food and protect their lives.
Education is with us now. We have to teach more than hunting for food and protection of life. We must train our children to become part of today's life.
Education will continue while the world lasts. Today our boys and girls must be prepared to do tomorrow's tasks.
During the past centuries, many tasks have been set for the schools. These have gradually changed to meet modern life.
Today, we find the schools striving to obtain seven results. These are briefly summarized below.
A. Health
A broken-down body, a sick mind,. a diseased spirit make a less efficient person. Schools everywhere today are seeking to give children the right start towards good health; they are trying to form the correct health habits that will carry over into later life.
B. Knowledge of the Fundamental Subjects
Reading, writing, arithmetic and correct speech are tools that all of us need. Careful studies of each of these subjects are now being made to find out what we need to know and how we can best learn this material. Teachers in many com- munities are heartily cooperating in this forward movement.
C. Worthy Home Membership
Everybody is at one time or another a member of a home. This means that each one gets certain benefits from such membership. It further means that each one owes certain duties to the home group.
129
Modern schools are trying to organize to give pupils more and more the proper attitude towards the home, to help them accept their proper responsibility as members of a home group, and to show them the best means of dealing with the large number of problems met in every home.
D. Wise Choice of a Vocation
Most of us have to work for our living. How many of us found the right job the first time we tried? How many of us wasted time, first in one position and then in another, till we finally found what we liked?
A recent book named 3000 jobs at which American men and ยท women are working. It also told the main facts about each. The school cannot tell a boy or girl about every job, but it ought to give him some knowledge of the most important kinds. This will help him to choose more quickly and more wisely, and to be more contented.
E. Better Citizenship
More and more American schools are giving time and at- tention to making better citizens. Interest in local, state, and national problems is being aroused. Ideals of loyalty, respect for law and order, cooperation in civic improvement are being developed. Knowledge of the rights and duties of citizenship is taught.
F. Wiser Use of Leisure
Eight hours work, eight hours play, and eight hours sleep is America's daily time schedule. What we do with our play time is an important question. Right habits developed among the young answer this.
With more leisure time, we have opportunities to enjoy the finer things in life. Music, art, literature and social gatherings find their place in our day. The schools are helping to develop right attitudes towards each of these.
G. Good Character
The building of character should be one of the schools' out- standing aims. Improved conduct in all of life's activities
1
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ought to come with greater knowledge of right and wrong. Education is trying to teach individual responsibility for right conduct, personal initiative toward better living, and a moral standard that carries through one's life.
JI. What the Schools Are Actually Doing
A large catalog would be necessary to list all our different activities. From opening to closing time the school room is a busy place. A visit is the best way to see just how busy it is. Each of you is urged to visit the schools more often as the best method of seeing our activities.
A. Ralph Wheelock School
(1) Health is fairly well taken care of here. At least two days a week Physician and Nurse visit the school, examine the pupils, inspect the building, and look into general health con- ditions. Weak eyesight, diseased noses and throats, poor hearing, unclean heads, and infectious skin troubles are dis- covered and steps taken to remove the difficulties. Home visits are made by the Nurse to help busy fathers and mothers clean up dangerous health conditions. This work is being more definitely organized from month to month.
Physical exercise is given to build up strong bodies. Play- ground equipment is furnished and games are being scheduled on the playground under the direction of teachers.
(2) Plans are being worked out by the teachers to make a careful study of the fundamental subjects. Committees are being organized to decide what material should be taught, how it can best be taught, and how we can measure the results we are getting.
By the time a pupil is ready to leave this school and enter the high school, we feel that he should have a good foundation in arithmetic and in English (reading, spelling, writing, correct speech.)
(3) In a small way beginnings are made in teaching our boys and girls to become better members of the community.
Music, drawing and painting, literature, current events, better citizenship all receive attention. Habits of industry,
131
thrift, care of property, obedience to law, cooperation, loyalty, and many others are being emphasized in various ways.
B. Hannah Adams Pfaff School
(1) Health work in the high school is a continuation of that in the elementary school. In addition to the teachers' watch- fulness, the Physician and Nurse visit the school each week to look after health conditions.
Games for the students are receiving attention and plans are under way for organizing them more efficiently. Teams are planned for football, basket ball, volley ball, baseball and hockey.
The sincere thanks of the Town are due the State Hospital for their splendid cooperation in allowing school basket ball teams to use their courts certain afternoons in the week.
The school lunch has been run under very poor conditions. Some people have felt that such conditions were somewhat dangerous to health. Instead of having a fine large room as originally planned, it was forced into a small alcove at the end of the corridor. One hundred thirty pupils were served over a makeshift table, and were crowded into a narrow corridor. Water for preparing the food and washing dishes was carried in pails from the girls' toilet. Dishes for these one hundred thirty pupils were washed in a dishpan on a small table.
To correct this, money has been taken from the regular appropriation and several changes made. A sink and running water have been installed. A serving counter has been built to answer the double purpose of storage and service. Trays have been furnished and the assembly room with its arm chairs is opened for lunch purposes.
(2) Beginning with the high school, less attention has been paid to the fundamental subjects and more to languages, higher mathematics, sciences and the social studies.
In planning to broaden our work in the social studies more than could be done in the cramped quarters of the old building, we found ourselves badly handicapped by the lack of school library facilities. There were many fine volumes in the old
132
building, but apparently no room to place them where they would be available for the students' use.
With this in mind, the plan was conceived of using a vacant alcove at the end of the corridor for a small library. Shelves have been built in one portion, and a table and chairs for reading and study have been placed in the remainder of the alcove. Better results in lesson preparation are expected from this plan.
C. Summary
An answer to the question "What are the schools actually doing?" can be given in a few words.
Each member of the school department is making a serious study of his or her task, is dividing it into its main facts, is finding better ways of doing each part. and is testing the re- sults. In other words, our schools are in some ways like a public service corporation and the personnel is seeking to get the highest production returns for the outlay.
III. What We Should Like to Do
Education is never completed. The individual, the town, the state, the nation has always an unending list of things waiting to be started. If we pick out a few outstanding needs for Medfield and try to clear them up one at a time, definite. progress will be made.
In the first place, the Ralph Wheelock School should be improved in line with the suggestions made in the School Committee's report. Sanitary reasons demand improvements in the toilets, as conditions are especially objectionable on stormy days when children must play in the basements at recess. Safety for the pupils calls for repairs to the ceiling. New or repaired blackboards will save serious eye-strain for the chil- dren and will bring more efficient teaching.
In the second place, an additional teacher is needed in the Pfaff School. A study of each teacher's schedule shows that she has more classes per week than the average for the United States. She also has too many subjects to prepare every day, teaching double the average number taught by high school teachers in this country. Further, we have been obliged to
133
cut down the number of lessons each week in some branches in order to get all subjects covered. Yet again, we are not doing all that we ought in the matter of supervised study. This should be given more attention, as it helps pupils to keep up with their classes better, thus saving the town that money caused by pupils repeating their school work. In all these items our boys and girls are the sufferers.
In the third place, Medfield needs a teacher-coach to handle school sports. Many townspeople who have followed school athletics during the past few years are convinced that this is the only way to remedy a bad situation in athletics. There is a proper place for athletics in school and a trained teacher-coach would help in both the class room and on the athletic field.
In the fourth place, we ought to be planning at this time for an athletic field on the grounds of the Pfaff School. At a comparatively slight expense this field could be cleared, plowed, leveled, and laid out for a great variety of games. If the townspeople would donate a few hours' labor apiece to this cause, a wonderful piece of community work could be accom- plished.
IV. Statistics
Following this report are groups of tables and statistics concerning some of the main features of our school system. Respectfully submitted,
A. HOWARD WILLIAMSON, Superintendent.
134
REPORT OF HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
Mr. A. Howard Williamson, Superintendent of Schools:
Dear Sir:
In accordance with your request, I submit my report for the year 1927.
A class of seventeen was graduated in June with appropriate exercises. A copy of the graduation program will be found at the close of this report. Eight members of this class are con- tinuing their studies-three at Boston University, two at Northeastern University, one at the Framingham Hospital Training School, one at Burdett College, and one at Mount Saint Mary Seminary. The present Senior Class numbers eighteen.
The improved facilities of the new building over the old one are greatly appreciated by the entire high school personnel. By using the double room as a study hall, groups of forty to fifty pupils can be taken care of by one teacher, thus removing study pupils from rooms with recitation groups. Better laboratory equipment has made the experimental work in Biology and Chemistry this year much more worth while than ever before. Some new physical apparatus should be purchased during 1928 for experimental work in that subject during the next school year. We now have twelve typewriting machines, enough to accommodate our largest class at one time, so that there are no mixed divisions such as have been necessary be- fore. All the teachers are agreed that the new building has had a very noticeable effect on the work and morale of the entire student body.
Modern education realizes the fact that not all pupils are capable of doing the same grade or amount of work. In school, each pupil should perform according to his capacity. More should be required from the pupil of superior ability, less from the one of merely average ability. To make possible a better adjustment of work to the varying abilities of the pupils, a so-called intelligence or ability test was given to all pupils in the fall. The results of this test were carefully tabulated and
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