USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Southbridge > Town annual reports of the officers of Southbridge for the year ending 1957-1961 > Part 45
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Testing
Each year for many years, achievement tests have been given in the elementary schools. The results in each grade are then compared with the respective grades throughout the coun- try, thus giving us a means of knowing how well we are doing in year-to-year preparation of our young people. Results have been uniformly good. Our students, invariably, have been above national averages.
In casting about for some means of measuring high school achievement in a similar fashion, we decided to give what are known as cooperative tests. These are subject matter tests given toward the end of the year, and the results so obtained may be compared with results in hundreds of other high schools throughout the nation. These were given only in major sub- ject fields this last June but will be all-encompassing at the end of this year. By this method, weaknesses in instruction can be discovered; and since these tests are intended mainly as an aid to better teaching, even higher standards than are now ap- parent at Mary E. Wells High School should result.
Heads of Departments
Three heads of departments were appointed last June, their duties to become official on September 1, 1959. These appointments were made in the departments of English, com- mercial subjects, and science. Their purpose is to integrate the
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work of these departments by eliminating repetition and mak- ing sure that all the work in English, for example, is covered in the four years of high school. This is probably just a start, and other members will be added to the administrative staff when it seems feasible to do so. This will probably be true when it becomes necessary to plan the program of the new school and to develop educational coordination between the anti- cipated junior high school and the high school.
PER PUPIL COSTS
Each year the Division of Research and Statistics of the State Department of Education compiles the figures of the previous year and derives from them a comparison of the num- ber of pupils and the total amount of money spent which is known as the cost per pupil for each town. The cost per pupil in Southbridge for the year beginning July 1, 1958 and ending June 30, 1959 was $259.99 in the elementary schools and $333.55 for Mary E. Wells High School. Trade schools are excluded from the tabulation.
The average for towns of 5000 population or over, the cate- gory in which Southbridge is placed, was $278.62 per pupil in elementary schools and $398.12 for high schools. The average for the state was $284.58 per pupil in elementary schools and $401.02 for pupils in high schools. The comparison may stand out more clearly in the figures that follow:
Per Pupil Costs
Southbridge
Elementary $259.99
High School $333.55
Average of Towns of 5000 popu-
lation or over
278.62
398.12
Entire State
284.58
401.02
RETIREMENTS
Two teachers, each of whom had given many years of faith- ful service to Southbridge and its children, retired at the end of the last school year. Both Miss Ruth Sampson and Miss Bertha Foley exemplified the highest qualities of the profession of which they were members. They take with them as they enter the years of retirement, so richly deserved, the best wishes of all who knew them.
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REPORT OF MARY E. WELLS HIGH SCHOOL DR. JAMES M. ROBERTSON, Principal
The enrollment for the year 1959-1960, as of October, is divided as follows: Seniors-112, Juniors-136, Sophomores- 133, Freshmen-148, Eighth Graders-34, Seventh Graders- 35, Post Graduates-2, making a total of 600 students.
Program of Studies
Diplomas are granted upon completion of three different courses; namely: Academic, Commercial, and Civic-Social.
Ninety-seven pupils were graduated on June 14, 1959, and their names are included in this report for the information of interested citizens.
Class of 1959
Catherine Mildred Apte
** Judith Ann Barnes
* Theodore Albert Bartlett
John Thatcher Bates
** Kathryn Louise Berry ** Marilyn Jane Blanchard *+* Leo Paul Boucher Alfred Armand Boudreau
** JoAnn Theresa Bozzo Richard Dana Brockway
+* Margaret Ann Bumpus * Jeanne Marie Carpentier
* Vasiliki Bessie Chrisikos Anthony Joseph Ciesla, Jr. Ronald John Ciesla
** Elisabeth Anne-Marie Coderre
* Helen Ann Congdon Karen Bloom Dall Joseph A. Damian, Jr.
** Arthur F. Darley, Jr. John Edward Davey
* Anna May DeAngelis
** Mary Catherine Delehanty Paul Leo Devlin
* Marcia Ann DiLorenzo
** Patricia Louise Duclos Raymond Duda, Jr.
* Elizabeth Joyce Dunn Richard Michael Farland
* Paul Frederick Ferron Rita Ann FitzGerald
foot * Warren George Fletcher
William Gaskell, Jr.
Ronald Cyrille LaFrance
* Ann Lamarine
Andre Joseph Lamarre Mary Theresa Langer
** Jacqueline Jean Lapointe * Janice Ann Laughnane Robert Arthur Lavallee Norman Henry Leathers
* Patricia Ann L'Homme
* Mitchell Joseph Liro Jane Ann Lockhart
* Domenica Maria Lombardi
* Leonore William Loranger
* Lorna Lee Lusignan Judith Ann MacLaren James Harvey Mckinstry
* Joan Frances Malboeuf
* Robert Joseph Manchuk Gail Marie Micheli Mary Ann Miller
** Anne Mongeau John Thomas Moran Peter Athanas Nasse Robert C. Nickerson
* Norma Ann Ohop
** Alexandra Papaloucas Chauncey Robert Phipps Richard Francis Pollone Virginia Rapo
+* Elaine Mary Robida Arthur Joseph F. Rourke
+* Joan Loraine Rubenstein
+* Joan Charlotte Russell
** Peter Christopher Ryan
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* Muriel Annette Gaulin Walter Gauthier
* Pauline Ann Girard
* Joyce Carol Gobeille
** Laurie Joan Gravel
** Gordon Arthur Hackett Beverly Jean Heck Catherine Marie Higgins Ralph John Iozzo
* Barbara Ann Jolda
* Patricia Sylvia Jolin Eleanor Lingham Kimball Mildred Fay Knowles John Alexander Kress Elizabeth Anita LaFleche
Armand Allen Scala
** Sara Elizabeth Schauweker
* Virginia Constance Ann Seremet
Sandra Suzanne Sharp
Arthur Simonelli
* Joseph Ernest Simonelli Theresa Elizabeth Simonelli
* Mary Spielman Paul Henry Stein Diane Helene Talbot
** Janice Ethel Thompson
* Nancy Marie Vitali Ronald Scott Woolhouse
* Christine K. Xanthakos
* Richard Alfred LaFleche
* General Average of 80% or above for four years
** Members of the National Honor Society
¿ Veterans-Returned to Wells High to complete course
The Southbridge Plan
The enriched program for rapid learners was continued for the second year. The plan calls for a careful screening of ninth grade pupils. I. Q. tests, aptitude and achievement tests, and outstanding ability in all elementary school subjects were the factors used in selecting twenty-six students to undertake the program. Each pupil carries five major subjects each year while in high school and adds calculus and advanced physics in the senior year. The program is as follows:
Grade 9
Required (no electives except for extracurricular activities)
1. English 101
2. Algebra 301
3. Plane Geometry 302
4. General Science 601
5. Latin 206
Grade 10
Required (five major subjects)
1. English 102
2. Algebra 303
3. Biology 602
Electives (two major subjects)
4. Latin 207
5. French 201 (required if students do not elect Lat- in II)
6. Civics 501
7. Modern History 503
8. Mechanical Drawing 703
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Grade 11
Grade 12
Required (five major subjects) Required (five major subjects)
1. English 103
2. Chemistry 603
Electives (three major subjects) .
Electives (three major sub- jects)
3. College Math 304
4. Latin 208
5. French 202 (required un- less two years of Latin have 4. been taken)
6. Civics 501
7. World History 502
8. Mechanical Drawing 703
3. Advanced Math (calculus and differential equations)
French 203
5. Problems of Democracy 505
6. Sociology 506
7. Physics 604
8. Typing 406
Pupils may choose one from the following list of activities each year:
Art 901
Band 902
Girls' Glee Club 903
A Cappella Choir 904 Boys' Glee Club 905 Public Speaking 907
Dramatics 906
Twenty-six pupils were selected with the approval of the parents of these pupils. One pupil asked to be released from this program.
Improvements in the School Plant
There have been several major improvements in the school building. These include:
1. Additional lockers purchased and installed on the sec- ond floor, bringing the total number of lockers to 360 and affording locker space for 720 students.
2. Two additional rooms equipped with modern movable furniture; namely, rooms 122 and 124.
3. The installation of modern lights in two rooms.
4. A remodeled science laboratory with a portable science table.
Guidance Department
The work of the Guidance Department will be covered in the report of the Guidance Director, Mr. Gilbert Lamarre.
The Commercial Course
The commercial program includes: shorthand, typewrit- ing, bookkeeping, comptometry, filing, office practice, and all general business courses. The cooperative program with indus- try is still in operation. The program takes place in the last semester of the senior year and permits pupils to alternate work weeks with instruction weeks.
The equipment of the Commercial Department is kept at maximum efficiency. Last year one IBM Key Punch Type 26 was rented and installed in the calculating room so that a
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1. English 104
2. U. S. History 504
limited number of business pupils can be trained to meet the needs of local industry. This year all program cards were key- punched on this machine and storted with the aid of the Ameri- can Optical Company. Each pupil has training for one pe- riod a day for five weeks which is equivalent to twenty-five hours. A total of fifteen pupils are able to receive this mini- mum amount of training this year.
The College Preparatory Course
The college preparatory course prepares pupils for all leading universities and colleges in the country. Many of the pupils receive large scholarships, a tribute to their own indus- try and a tribute to the excellent instruction of their teachers. Pupils from this course have entered such leading institutions as: Cornell, Connecticut College for Women, Brown University, College of the Holy Cross, Tufts, Dartmouth, University of Massachusetts, Boston University, University of Michigan, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Clark University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard, Smith College, Mount Holyoke, Wellesley College, Simmons College, Columbia University, University of Connec- ticut, University of New Hampshire, Williams College, Colorado College, Ohio State University, the College of New Rochelle, California Institute of Technology, Georgia Institute of Tech- nology, Pennsylvania State College, Northeastern University, Westminster College, Bates, Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, Colby College, Purdue University, Michigan School of Mining and Engineering, Michigan State, Springfield Col- lege, plus most of the leading business colleges and nursing schools.
The Seventh and Eighth Grades
One eighth grade and one seventh grade of the school system are housed in the high school building. The pupils re- ceive the program opportunities of the high school, and they are eligible for all high school activities, including sports.
This past year the Wells eighth grade entered the Science Count-Down sponsored by Lowell Technological Institute and was privileged to have the Worcester County winner in James Bucknam.
Student Council Activities
The Student Council of the Mary E. Wells High School plays an important part between students and administration. This organization is under the direction of Miss Rose Brodeur. The values of the organization are manifold.
1. Pupils participate in or manage extra-curricular af- fairs.
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2. Responsibility, initiative, and leadership are developed.
3. Proper student-faculty relations are promoted.
4. Training in worthy citizenship is furnished.
5. The general welfare of the school is promoted.
6. The internal administration of the school is aided.
The Fred E. Corbin Chapter of the National Honor Society
The local chapter of the National Honor Society, named in honor of the late Mr. Fred E. Corbin, inducted thirty-five members during the past year. The most recent induction was honored by Attorney Harold Peterson, Town Counsel, who spoke at the ceremony.
The following young people were inducted into the so- ciety during the past year.
March 1959
Seniors
Juniors
Judith Barnes
Maryalice Dion
Anne Mongeau
Pauline French
Mary Delehanty
Louise Gardner
Laurie Gravel
John Harrald
Charles Havener
Judith Hmielowski
Dorothy Kochanek
Albert Labelle
Ronald Levesque
Susan Palmerino
November 1959
Jana Foss
Gloria Asselin
Susan Gascoigne
Mary Elaine Bousquet
Joseph Libuda
Mary Jane Bousquet
Louise Livernois
Suzanne Delehanty
Gail Osimo Claudette St. Cyr Shirley Szydlik
Judith Dufault
Judith Dupaul
Patricia Gallery
Marcia Houde Helen Iacobucci
Mary Ellen Morin
Janice Smolen
Patricia Splaine
William Orzech
Assemblies
Assemblies are held every other week. These assemblies are of immense value to any student body inasmuch as they are not only educational but explore the various phases of school life. Furthermore, they widen and deepen the interest of the pupils and serve as a means of developing public opinion and
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Janice Thompson
appreciation. The types of assemblies fall into many categories, such as:
1. Education
7. Entertainment
8. Honor Society Installation
3. Rallies
9. Science
4. Drama
10. Commerce and Business
5. Club Programs
11. Observance of Special Days
6. Movies
12. Guidance
The assemblies are held in the auditorium of the high school.
Recommendations
There are several recommendations I would like to make at this time.
1. That more lockers be installed until enough are furnished to take care of all pupils' personal belong- ings, coats, rubbers, etc.
2. That money be appropriated for assembly programs.
3. That after ten years of consecutive service, teachers and administrators be given sabbatical leave for study or travel.
4. That a yearly allotment of not less than $1,500 be ap- propriated for the band-an unusually worthy group which has been self-supporting.
I wish to express my appreciation to the townspeople for their continued efforts in behalf of the Mary E. Wells High School, and I extend my thanks to the School Department for support.
REPORT OF THE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION AND EVENING VOCATIONAL COURSES DR. JAMES M. ROBERTSON, Director
Classes in evening vocational subjects were offered again this year and proved to be very well attended. The following vocational classes were started:
Elementary Sewing
Two classes
Advanced Dressmaking
One class
Tailoring
One class
University Extension classes were offered in the commercial and academic fields:
Elementary Typewriting I One class
Elementary Stenography One class
Business English One class
These classes were conducted under the supervision of the State Department of Education and were instructed by ac- credited teachers.
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2. Music
Other classes in the vocational, commercial, and academic fields will be offered when the demand for them is sufficient to form such classes.
REPORT OF COLE TRADE HIGH SCHOOL RAYMOND L. W. BENOIT, Director
Warren Kornberg, in writing for the Boston Sunday Herald said, "The American habit of considering individual achieve- ment in terms of status, elevation on one side or another, is creating a problem with far-reaching effects in American sci- entific and technical progress." Dean Ashley Campbell of Tufts University, College of Engineering, said, "Try sitting where I am and telling a doting parent that his son is not right for engineering school but would make a first-class technician. He holds up his hands in horror."
The need for skilled technicians is becoming acute. A cursory survey made by the Director shows this condition to be true in the Southbridge employment area. At this point I feel that the term "technician" should be defined. A technician is one who has completed training on the thirteenth- and four- teenth-year level. At present there are five graduates of the Cole Trade High School who are pursuing such a program at their own expense. I believe that this level of training is a function and responsibility of the local community, and I recommend it most highly.
We are proud of the new floor coverings and the boys' toilet facilities which the School Committee provided for us. We at Cole thank the Committee for these improvements.
GRADUATES - 1959
·
Cabinetmakers
Beck, Raymond Leonard Benoit, Clifford Allan Galipeau, Richard Wilfred
Draftsmen
Farr, Robert Christopher Langevin, Richard Allen
Electricians
Benoit, Paul Alfred Orsini, Richard Louis
Machinists
Brousseau, Edward Richard
Delage, Ronald Conrad Demick, Henry Joseph
Landry, Richard Victor Lapane, Albert Ephrem McDonald, Robert Roger
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Duff, Ronald Richard Farrar, David Charles Fournier, Ronald Armand Gendron, Alfred Osee
Marand, Donald Paul Menard, Roger Paul Renaud, Kenneth Henry Tiberii, Joseph Robert
Standley, Kenneth Wayne
Metalsmiths
Clemence, Richard Edward Silvestri, Anthony Charles Trombley, William David
Dion, Donald David
Turner, Donald George
Class Officers
President Paul Benoit Vice President Richard Galipeau Secretary Joseph Tiberii Treasurer Ronald Fournier Class Adviser Mr. George H. Braman
Awards
American Legion Post 31 Award
(Good Citizenship)
Director's Gold "C"
English
Richard Orsini Raymond Beck Kenneth Standley
Mathematics
Henry Demick Raymond Beck
Science
Social Studies Raymond Beck
Exchange Club Award ($100)
Richard Langevin
Cole Trade High Evening School Division
Drafting ---
Mr. George Braman 14
Mr. Leonard Keyes 19
Woodworking-
Mr. David Knight 28
Furniture Refinishing-
Mrs. Margaret Baybutt 44
Mr. Antonio Orsini 12
Apprentice- Mr. Frank Skinyon 12
Evening School Clerk - Mrs. Maureen Prokos
In conclusion, I thank the Townspeople, the School Com- mittee, the Advisory Board, the Superintendent of Schools, the faculty, the office staffs, and our custodian for their valuable aid in helping to make the Vocational Education Program a success in the Town of Southbridge.
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REPORT OF EASTFORD ROAD, PLEASANT STREET, AND WEST STREET SCHOOLS
RAOUL O. LATAILLE, Supervising Elementary Principal
The difficulty of pupils to spell correctly seems to have been a major concern of American businessmen, of colleges, of parents, and even of elementary and high school teachers for many years.
This year, the elementary schools of Southbridge are mak- ing an earnest attempt to remedy this situation by making the pupils more conscious of the importance of spelling and by making spelling more meaningful for all its pupils.
The problems involved in setting up a complete and com- prehensive spelling program have been numerous but with con- tinued effort should not be insurmountable. In too many spell- ing textbooks, words are taught independently out of context with little or no emphasis on meaning. There has been little motivation to learn to spell except for the better student who could excel in the "spelling bee."
Our first concern was to apply a systematic approach to this problem and to recall one of the most important principles of learning that whatever is to be learned should be introduced in a meaningful situation. With this thought in mind, it was decided that new words should be introduced at each grade level in contextual settings which have more meaning and which are of greater interest to the child. Until now, spelling has been looked upon as a rote skill rather than as an essential partner to the language program.
One of the purposes of spelling must be constantly to correlate the spelling program with all other school subjects in order to make sure that pupils acquire not only a specific but a general ability both in terms of knowledge and applica- tion of spelling rules and principles and in terms of more analytical observation of the spelling of all words.
This can be done (a) by teaching spelling rules and prin- ciples during regularly scheduled spelling periods; (b) by teach- ing each pupil to spell correctly those words which give him the most spelling difficulty in his writings outside the spelling class; and (c) by teaching the pupils to spell any word new to them that will help them better to express their ideas in writing.
Unless the child understands the meanings of words, as applied in context, he will not use them in his writing or oral discussions. The unified approach makes a direct attack on word meanings through the control of a stimulating text with ample activities in independent writing and in the use of the dictionary.
This unified approach to spelling has and must continue to have a strong phonics and word-analysis program. Studies
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show that the correlation between phonics knowledge and spell- ing is higher than between phonics knowledge and reading. Therefore, children need more definite and specific training in hearing sounds and in pronouncing words carefully and ac- curately.
In addition to the phonetic program, emphasis must be placed also in each grade on incorporating the first one hun- dred words in the order of frequency from a basic writing vocabulary. Also, investigations which give evidence on spelling errors must not be ignored. The Jones report of one hundred demons and the Fitzgerald report of 222 spelling demons should be included in a selection of contextual words for spelling and also for the placement of words in grades.
It is our sincere hope that our endeavors to promote the general spelling ability of all the pupils in our public elementary schools will be enhanced greatly as they advance from grade to grade. The ultimate results at the high school and college levels should definitely indicate a generally noticeable spelling betterment.
REPORT OF CHARLTON STREET, MARCY STREET, AND MECHANIC STREET SCHOOLS
R. JOSEPH RACINE, Supervising Elementary Principal
We are entering upon our second school year under the new elementary administrative plan of one supervising prin- cipal for three schools, with one teaching-principal in each building.
From a scholastic and administrative point of view, all indications point to a successful first year, and still more ef- ficient operation at the outset of the second year. It has assured a more streamlined operative basis with unison of ob- jectives throughout the elementary level.
The consistent use of the teachers' curriculum guides, which were prepared and written by members of our own fa- culties, has contributed much toward attainment of a high level of teaching and reaching of grade goals. Under the guid- ance and direction of the supervising-principal, teachers are maintaining an excellent balance between textbook and cur- riculum-guide content matter.
The new arithmetic textbook series is now in its second year of usage and proving satisfactory. This series, coupled with the recent science textbooks, which contain many experimental areas, makes for a sound mathematics and science curriculum.
The English language textbooks must now be replaced, after completely outliving their usefulness. Effective language instruction must be related to pupil growth and development. Readiness, orderly sequence, experimental backgrounds, and emerging interests are the basic principles upon which precise communication of ideas can be taught effectively. There must
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be a continuous coordination and growth from grade to grade.
Examination sets of English books from publishers are now in the hands of the teachers, and selections will be made early this spring. Following adoption of a new English language series, these books will be in the hands of the pupils this September.
Thus, in September 1960, the elementary level will be completely furnished, in all subjects, with the latest textbooks.
Our Southbridge school system can be proud of its ex- cellent reading program, as it is being taught in the elementary schools. We emphasize phonetics, comprehension, and the development of interpretative skills and abilities. Reading is a thinking, evaluating, and challenging activity which goes far beyond the mere pronunciation of words. We strive to ac- quaint the pupil with his literary heritage and to promote the love of worthy literature.
We are thankful to our Parent Teachers' Association group for the excellent supplementary sets of books with which they have endowed our schools. Our local library has cooperated closely with us in our reading program and furnishes us with varied grade-level sets, for extracurricular and book-report reading.
Our grade one classrooms are overcrowded. Individualized instruction is very difficult in classes over thirty pupils. The quality of education can never improve in a crowded classroom. If, because of limited space, we cannot have two grades one, we should have an assistant teacher in the room.
The achievement tests taken by all pupils in September revealed that pupils in general have made substantial scholastic progress of a gratifying nature. Where certain deficiencies and weaknesses existed, remedial steps were taken from the outset, and corrective procedures applied during the first term of school. In addition, to assist pupils who need special help, all grade teachers conduct a daily one-half hour remedial period after school.
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