USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Norwell > Town of Norwell annual report 1890-1899 > Part 19
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Cancer.
Marshfield.
Nov. 18. Louis G. Howland. 13
3 Len'aeniia.
Scituate.
18. Morris Gammon, 85 Senile Dementia.
Ireland.
23. Chas. Walter Sparrel, 30
Phthisis,
Norwell.
27. Elsie May Dainon,
1 Spasms from Indiges'n, Norwell.
29. Henry W Gammon, 27
Norwell.
Dec. 6.
Winifred C'. Greene. 21
S Phthisis.
Norwell.
S. Bathsheba Litchfield 78 3 Oll Are Cerebritis,
Scituate.
26. Annie Greene, 23
10 Phthisis.
Norwell.
Norwell.
TMe.
10. Abby A. Totman,
Diarrhea. Stillborn,
Norwe!l.
So. Scituate.
Scotland.
11. Adams,
New Hampshire.
14. - Griffin,
9 Tuberculosis.
Brockton.
14. Lydia R. Litchfield,
Norweil.
Mar. S. Helen Boynton
M.
18. Temperance T. Jacobs,
63 Cerebral Hemorrhage,
Norwell.
Respectfully submitted, JOSEPH C. OTIS, Town Clerk.
ANNUAL REPORT
IN THE
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
OF THE
TOWN OF NORWELL.
Year Ending December 31, 1896.
ROCKLAND : ROCKLAND STANDARD PRESS. 1897.
REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
To the Citizens of Norwell :-
After a service of three years, Dr. H. J. Little declined a re-election as a member of the School Committee and at the annual Town Meeting in March, 1896, Marion G. Merritt was elected his successor for a term of three years.
The Committee organized by electing Mr. Israel Hatch as Chairman and Miss Marion G. Merritt Secretary.
SUPERVISION OF SCHOOLS.
On the fourth of April the School Committee of Hanover, Hanson and Norwell met in convention at Hanover and re- elected Mr. A. J. Curtis Superintendent of Schools in the district comprising the above named towns. What was at first an experiment has developed into a necessity, but to make it throughly successful it requires the hearty co-oper- ation of committee, teachers and parents. Wherever such has been given the result has been satisfactory. We earn- estly hope that no step will be taken by this town to discon- tinue this helpful adjunct to thorough and modern education.
TEACHERS.
There has been but little change in our corps of teachers. The union of the grades in District No. 1 caused the loss of two teachers, who had served the town for many years, as neither of them cared to accept the position as teacher of a
66
mixed grade. The vacancy at District No. 1 was filled by the appointment of Miss Della Nichols, who had taught as a sub- stitute in District No. 6, for a year. District No. 6 was put in charge of Miss Lulu Tilden, a graduate of our own High School, and who had also taken a course at the Quincy Train- ing School.
The Committees of Norwell and Hanover deeming it expe- dient to make a change in Drawing Teacher, employed Miss Annie Morton, a lady of experience in the work and a gradu- ate of the Normal Art School.
BOOKS AND SUPPLIES.
The service to which our Grammars and Arithmetics had been subjected for several years made it necessary that they be renewed, and instead of replacing them with new books of the same kind it was deemed for the interest of the schools to substitute works of a more recent date, and more in har- mony with modern systems, which was done at a very slight increase in cost. At the beginning of the Fall term, Met- calf's Grammar and the new Franklin Arithmetic were placed in the schools. Very satisfactory results have followed their adoption and we believe the money used for their purchase was well expended. New and advanced Readers are needed in our Grammar grades and we hope to be able to supply them during the coming year. For this purpose, and other necessary books and supplies, your Committee ask for an ap- propriation of $350.
BUILDINGS.
During the summer vacation all the school houses were thoroughly cleaned and repairs made as far as the appropria- tion would allow. The school house in District No. 4 was
67
newly shingled, the well cleaned out, and a new pump put in. Your Committee recommend that the town raise and appropriate the present year a sum sufficient to put the in- terior of all the school houses in good repair and paint the exterior of the school house in District No. 1.
New flags have been purchased for each school house.
SCHOOLS.
Our schools have been in session thirty-eight weeks dur- ing the year with one exception. The school in District No. 4 was closed one week on account of the prevalence of diphtheria and one week on account of the illness of the teacher. She being unable to return, Miss Carrie M. Ford was employed as her substitute for two weeks.
The opening of the Fall term of the High School was postponed one week on account of the illness in the family of the principal. This will be made up by adding one week at the end of the present term, thus making thirty-eight weeks of High School, as in the lower grades. The Pri- mary and Grammar grades at District No. 1 were so small that it was thought expedient to unite them at the begin- ning of the Fall term, making a Mixed Grade of twenty- eight pupils. The number has increased to thirty-six. Should the increase continue the grades will be separated again in the Spring. We have now in the town one Primary and one Grammar School in District No. 7 and a Mixed School in each of the following Districts, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 and our High School.
APPROPRIATIONS.
The transportation appropriation has been distributed by the mileage system as voted by the town, and we hope for a
68
continuance of the same for another year. The general school expenses for the coming year will remain about the same, so that an appropriation of $3,350 will be sufficient.
Respectfully submitted,
ISRAEL HATCH, BENJAMIN LORING, MARION MERRITT,
School Committee of Norwell.
ABSTRACT FROM REGISTERS.
WINTER TERM, 1895.
SPRING TERM, 1896.
FALL TERM, 1896.
SCHOOLS.
Number Enrolled.
Average Membership.
Average Attendance.
Per cent. of Attendance.
Number of Tardy Marks.
Number of Visitors.
Number Enrolled.
Average Membership.
Average Attendance.
Per cent. of Attendance.
Number of Tardy Marks.
Number of Visitors.
Number Enrolled.
Average Membership.
Average Attendance.
Per cent. of Attendance.
Number of Tardy Marks.
Number of Visitors.
No. 1.
Primary*
18
17.06
15.37
.90
16
17
21
19.55
18.85
.96
25
38
33.39
30.9
.92
11
29
No. 1.
Grammar*
14
12.02
11.37
.94
7
7
11
10.9
10.3
.94
7
No. 2. Mixed
21
20.82
16.04
.77
14
21
23
21.91
20.7
.94
0
27
24
21.10
19.21
.91
1
16
No. 3.
Mixed
26
24.5
21.93
.89
9
13
26
24
20.6
.85
10
21
28
19.3
17.8
.92
9
25
No. 4.
Mixed
41
39.71
37.35
.94
23
15
39
35.46
33.46
.94
18
14
42
32.71
30.91
.94
33
16
No. 5.
Mixed
23
20.25
17.33
.85
21
9
3.2
27.08
23.99
.88
29
30
34
30.16
28.04
.92
26
19
No. 6.
Mixed
16
13.98
11.85
.84
5
8
17
14.82
13.07
.88
5
17
18
13.25
12
.91
7
36
No. 7.
Primary
30
28.46
23.69
.83
14
26
30
29
27.4
.94
31
27
34
27.9
26.17
.93
30
22
No. 7.
Grammar
19
17 99
15.86
.88
15
24
17
15.15
13.51
.89
14
27
17
10.91
10.35
.94
8
22
High . .
36
34.3
30.8
.89
15
10
36
35.1
32
.91
0
14
46
45.3
41.5
.91
5
26
*Primary and Grammar united at the beginning of the Fall Term.
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·
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·
·
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.
69
70
EXPENDITURES CHARGEABLE TO THE APPROPRIATION.
FOR THE WINTER TERM OF ELEVEN WEEKS OF THE YEAR 1896.
District No. 1.
Etta Holt, teaching,
$99 00
Mrs. L. F. Stowell, teaching,
77 00
Morris Sheehan, care of rooms,
5 00
$181 00
District No. 2.
E. F. Blood, teaching,
$250 50
Mattie S. Wilder, 66
88 00
Charlotte R. Brooks,
88 00
Simeon Damon, care of room,
11 00
$437 50
District No. 3.
Mabel A. Elliot, teaching,
$88 00
Eva M. Totman, care of room,
3 00
$91 00
District No. 4.
Louise E. Ford, teaching, $88 00
Anna O. Merritt, care of room,
3 00
$91 00
71
District No. 5.
Marion G. Merritt, teaching,
$88 00
Geo. Sylvester, care of room,
11 00
$9900
District No. 6.
Della F. Nichols, teaching,
$88 00
Harry P. Henderson, care of room, 2 00
$90 00
District No. 7.
Mrs. S. E. Butterick, teaching,
$99 00
Maria W. Tolman, 77 00
Chas. B. Cunningham, care of room, 6 00
$182 00
A. J. Curtis, supervision of schools, $150 00
These expenditures were fully met by the available funds.
EXPENDITURES CHARGEABLE TO THE APPROPRIATION.
FOR THE SPRING AND FALL TERM OF THE YEAR 1896.
District No. 1.
Etta Holt, teaching, $108 00
Mrs. L. F. Stowell, teaching,
84 00
72
Della F. Nichols, teaching,
$120 00
J. H. Prouty, for wood, 14 00
A. T. Farrar, 4 75
Benjamin Loring,
2 50
Rufus B. Farrar, labor on wood,
5 00
Chas. H. Totman, 66
5 00
Morris Sheehan, care of rooms,
10 00
$353 25
District No. 2.
Charlotte R. Brooks, teaching,
$216 00
Daniel D. Sprague, wood, 18 00
Benjamin Loring, for wood,
12 00
Simeon Damon, labor on wood,
12 50
care of room,
12 25
Susan Smith,
18 75
$289 50
District No. 3.
Mabel A. Elliot, teaching,
$207 00
Carrie M. Ford, 16 00
C. W. Sparrell, for wood, 8 50
Benjamin Loring, "
4 00
Leonard Winslow, for labor on wood, 6 25
Eva Totman, care of room,
7 00
$248 75
District No. 4.
Louise E. Ford, teaching, $243 00
C. W. Sparrell, for wood, 8 50
73
C. A. Litchfield & Co., for wood, $2 00
Eddie Winslow, labor on wood, 4 50
C. S. Merritt,
75
1 00
John T. Moody, for wood,
4 00
Anna O. Merritt, care of room,
6 00
$269 75
District No. 5.
Marion G. Merritt, teaching,
$231 00
C. W. Sparrell, for wood, 8 50
D. W. Turner & Son, for wood, 5 75
John Tilden, labor on wood, 3 00
George Sylvester, care of room,
27 00
$275 25
District No, 6.
Della F. Nichols, teaching,
$96 00
Lulu P. Tilden,
120 00
C. W. Sparrell, for wood,
8 50
Willie O. Henderson, care of room,
5 00
$229 50
District No. 7.
Mrs. S. M. Butterick, teaching, $228 00
Maria W. Tolman,
204 00
W. S. Simmons, for wood,
37 50
George A. Gardner, labor on wood, 5 00
Roy P, Hatch,
2 00
74
Charles B. Cunningham, care of rooms, $6 00
Robbie C. Henderson, care of rooms, 6 00
$488 50
HIGH SCHOOL.
E. F. Blood, teaching, $649 50
Mattie S. Wilder,
216 00
Lillian S. Bicknell,
90 00
Benjamin Loring, for wood,
7 00
F. J. Croning, fitting wood,
3 00
services as janitor, 83 33
$1,048 33
A. J. Curtis, supervision of schools,
$350 00
AVAILABLE FUNDS FOR PRESENT YEAR.
Unexpended balance from last year, $130 75
Town appropriation, 3,350 00
Supervision of schools,
500 00
Refunded by State,
416 67
State school fund (estimated), 333 55
Dog tax (estimated),
314 49
$5,045 46
Amount expended,
$3,553 33
$1,492 13
Expense of schools to April 1, 1897,
$1,343 41
$148 72
75
NORWELL HIGH SCHOOL.
CLASS OF '96.
GRADUATION EXERCISES.
CLASS MOTTO : "Never Looking Back."
CLASS COLOR : "Pink and Silver."
GRADUATES.
Florence E. Bryant, Maggie F. Litchfield,
Bessie E. Nichols. Fred H. Prouty.
ORDER OF EXERCISES.
MUSIC. PRAYER.
SINGING, "Song of Welcome," School Chorus SALUTATORY AND ESSAY, "Benefits Derived from the Study of Literature," Bessie E. Nichols
ORATION, "The Need of Education," Fred H. Prouty
SINGING. "Song of the Sea," School Chorus
ESSAY, "Norwell High School," MUSIC.
Ethelle M. Shurtleff
CLASS HISTORY AND PROPHECY, Maggie E. Litchfield Merrill '95
CLASS POEM.
Read by Bessie E. Nichols.
SINGING, "On, On, Swiftly We Glide."
ESSAY AND VALEDICTORY, "Erosion, Transportation, De- posit," Florence E. Bryant
SINGING, "High School Bells," School Chorus
PRESENTATION OF DIPLOMAS. BENEDICTION.
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT
To the Members of the School Committee :-
Very few changes have occured in the schools and the work done has been quite satisfactory. As neither of the teachers in No. 1 desired to remain after uniting the schools in that district, Miss Nichols was transferred to that school, and Miss Tilden, a graduate of the High School, was elected to the vacancy in No. 6. When it was voted to unite the schools at Ridge Hill, the two schools numbered only twenty- eight pupils, ten in the grammar and eighteen in the pri- mary ; since then the number has increased to thirty - six. Should it continue to gain, I would advise the separation of the school at the commencement of the Spring term.
EXHIBITION OF SCHOOL WORK.
For the exhibition of school work in the Town Hall last March, the teachers and pupils are deserving of much praise. The work displayed was simply the regular work of the schools in so far as it could be committed to paper. It showed as far as possible, the methods employed in teaching the various studies. The work in geography consisted of free-hand maps of the different countries, pictures, produc- tion and relief maps. From these picture maps the pupils obtain ideas of the scenery, people, costumes, occupations, &c., which words fail to convey to them.
The productions were fastened upon the maps, care being taken to place those belonging to the same kingdom together ; all the common productions, and besides, some rare ones
77
were collected. The relief maps were made of putty or paper and represented the surface and slope of the countries. In arithmetic, were papers covering all the grades, from the first grade with shoe-pegs fastened on paper giving the pupils their first idea of numbers and their combinations, up to the ninth grade with the more intricate examples in inter- est and partial payments.
Language papers included letters both social and business, compositions, diagraming of sentences, reproduction stories and stories written from pictures, leaves, plants, &c., par- ticular attention being given to the use of capitals, spelling, punctuation and choice of words. The drawings were free- hand, and represented sketches, borders, geometrical figures, &c. ; those exhibited by the scholars of the High School were worthy of a close examination. The penmanship was shown in all the written papers, more especially from writ- ing books, spelling lessons and examination papers. If the weather had been more favorable at the time, I think more of the parents and friends would have visited it.
COURSE OF STUDY.
The changing of the Arithmetics and Language books has made the revision of the course of study necessary, and as I wish more time given to Reading and History and to aid both teachers and pupils in securing the desired results, I have mentioned quite a number of books to be read during the school course. More and closer attention should be given to reading, for it is principally through this source that we gain knowledge. The pupil should endeavor to un- derstand what he reads and retain what may be useful to him. The mere reading of a paragraph in his reader amounts to little if it is not understood, and, if there is anything in it worth retaining, the teacher should question to see if the real thought of what has been read has been
78
grasped by the pupil. Supplementary reading is now used extensively in the schools, and is warmly welcomed by teachers and pupils. The quantity and quality is rapidly increasing, for all the publishing houses are issuing choice selections suitable for all grades. These selections are taken from history, geography, literature, the myths and fables, aud even Nature opens her valuable storehouses to the child's wondering mind, and creates in him an interest and a desire to learn more of his surroundings. It has been wisely said :- "Childhood and youth are the periods in which habits are formed for life. If a taste for good litera- ture with all its wholesome influences is to be inculcated in the next generation, it must be done in their youth, and chiefly while they are in school."
VERTICAL WRITING.
As vertical writing is attracting considerable attention among educationists, and its admirers and advocates claim it is working its way rapidly into the schools of America and that many towns of the Commonwealth have adopt- ed it wholly or in part. I think it advisable to mention it in this report. When it made its appearance several years ago it was looked upon as a fad, and one that would be short-lived. Evidently it has come to stay, for not only has it received the support of the highest medical authorities on hygienic principles, but it is the natural handwriting of the child. It is now demanded in some offices and rejected in none. Vertical writing is older than the slanting hand, for it is the history of all writing up to the sixteenth century, In its earliest forms writing was upright, the slanting style was invented in the sixteenth century, and no attempts were made to return to vertical penmanship until several years ago, when an investigation of the causes of the curvature of the spine and imperfect vision so com-
79
mon in school children was instituted in Germany, with the result that eminent medical authorities attributed the great- er part of the evils to the position of the body and eyes necessary in writing the slanting hand. The following opinions from European medical authorities have certainly decided the hygienic value of vertical writing in that coun- try. At the International Congress of Hygiene, London, 1891, the following resolution was put and carried : "That as the hygienic advantages of vertical writing have been clearly demonstrated and established both by medical inves- tigation and practical experiments, and that by its adoption the injurious postures so productive of spinal curvature and short sight, are to a great extent avoided, it is hereby rec- ommended that the upright penmanship be introduced and generally taught in our elementary and secondary schools." Drs. VanReuss and Lorenz, for the Supreme Council of Hy- giene of Austria, decided that the erect style of writing ob- viates the cause of spinal curvature. The Imperial and Royal Council of Hygiene, Vienna, also the French Acad- emy of Medicine, favor vertical writing on hygienic grounds. Such eminent authorities as the above must carry great in- fluence, and behind any movement must give it an impetus that will carry it a long distance forward. Besides the hy- gienic principles educators claim that legibility, rapidity, compactness, and ease in teaching and learning are the great advantages. In the teaching of writing in our schools what more do we wish or expect? It was adopted last fall in one of the towns under my supervision and the results have been very satisfactory, for the handwriting of the pupils has greatly improved. I would advise its adoption in our schools for I think the results would be similar.
HIGH SCHOOL.
Very satisfactory work has been done in the school the past year and the teachers and scholars are to be commended
80
for the thoroughness and interest they have shown in the several studies and the excellent appearance of the school. The transferring of the school to the Town Hall has ma- terially increased its efficiency ; for Mr. Blood bas taken the upper room for a laboratory and the interest manifested by the class in chemistry has well repaid him for the extra effort.
During the Spring term Mr. MacDonald, agent of the State Board of Education, visited the school and spoke well of its appearance and surrounding -. The record of the High School since its organization. reflects great credit upon the school, for eight or ten of its graduates are or have been successful teachers and one is pursuing a course at the Bridgewater Normal, at the completion of which there may be a vacancy in our schools. I certainly favor giving the preference to our High school graduates if they prepare themselves for the work, but they ought not to expect that the mere graduation from the school entitles them to that preference until they have made that preparation ; they should remember there is a wide difference between keeping school and teaching school. The requirements for admission to the Normal schools have been increased, as the following taken from the circular of information will show :
"Candidates for admission to any one of the Normal schools must have attained the age of seventeen years com- plete, if young men, and sixteen years, if young women ; and must be free from any disease or infirmity which would unfit them for the office of teacher. They must present certificates of good moral standing, give evidence of good intellectual capacity (records of their scholarship standing in the high schools are desired ), and be graduates of high schools whose courses of study have been approved by the Board of Education ; or they must have received, to the satisfaction of the Principal and the Board of Visitors of the school, the equivalent of a good high school education.
81
The examinations for admission shall cover such elementary and high school subjects as may be determined by the Board.
For 1896 and thereafter, until further notice, the exami- nations will embrace papers on the following groups, a single paper with a maximum time allowance of two hours to cover each of groups 1, 2 and 4, and a single paper with a maxi- mum time allowance of one hour to cover each of groups 3 and 5 (five papers with a maximum time allowance of eight hours ) :-
1. Languages - (a) English, with its grammar and lit- erature, and (b) one of the three languages, -
Latin, French and German.
2. Mathematics. -- (a) Arithmetic, (b) the elements of algebra and (c) the elements of plane geometry.
3. History and Geography. - The history and civil gov- ernment of Massachusetts and the United States, with related geography and so much of English history as is directly contributory to a knowledge of United States history.
4. Sciences, - (a) Physical geography, (b) physiology and hygiene, (c) physics, (d) botany, (e) chemistry.
5. Drawing and Music, - (a) elementary, mechanical and free-hand drawing, with any one of the topics, - form, color and arrangement, and (b) musical notation.
ORAL EXAMINATIONS.
Candidates will be questioned orally either upon some of the foregoing subjects or upon matters of common interest to them and the school, at the discretion of the examiners. In this interview, the object is to gain some impression about the candidates' personal characteristics and their use of language, as well as to give them an opportunity to furnish any evi- dences of qualification that might not otherwise become known to the examiners. Any work of a personal, genuine
82
and legitimate character that candidates have done in con- nection with any of the groups that are set for examination, and that is susceptible of visible or tangible presentation may be offered at this time, and such work will be duly weighed in the final estimate, and may even determine it. To indicate the scope of this feature, the following kinds of possible presentation are suggested, but the candi- dates may readily extend the list-
1. A book of drawing exercises, particularly such a book of exercises as one might prepare in following the directions in ' An Outline of Lessons in Drawing for ungraded schools,' prepared under the direction of the Massachusetts Board of Education, or in developing any branch of that scheme.
2. Any laboratory note-book that is a genuine record of experiments performed, data gathered or work done, with the usual accompaniments of diagrams, observations and con- clusions.
3. Any essay or article that presents the nature, success- ive steps and conclusion of any simple, personally conducted investigation of a scientific character, with such diagrams, sketches, tables and other helps as the character of the work may suggest.
4. Any exercise book containing compositions, abstracts, analyses or other written work that involves study in con- nection with the literature requirements of the examination.
SPECIAL DIRECTIONS.
No candidate will be accepted in English whose work is notably deficient in point of spelling, punctuation, idiom or division of paragraphs.
1. Reading and Practice. A limited number of books will be set for reading. The candidate will be required to pre- sent evidence of a general knowledge of the subject-matter and to answer simple questions on the lives of the authors.
83
The form of examination will usually be the writing of a paragraph or two on each of several topics to be chosen by the candidate from a considerable number, perhaps ten or fif- teen, set before him in the examination paper. The treat- ment of these topics is designed to test the candidate's pow- er of clear and accurate expression, and will call for only a general knowledge of the substance of the books. In place of a part or the whole of this test, the candidate may present an exercise book properly certified by his instructor, containing compositions or other written work done in con- nection with the reading of the books.
The books set for this part of the examination will be : - 1897. Shakespeare's As You Like It ; Defoe's History of the Plague in London ; Irving's Tales of a Traveller ; Haw- thorn's Twice-Told Tales ; Longfellow's Evangeline ; George Eliot's Silas Marner.
1898. Milton's Paradise Lost, Books I and II ; Pope's Iliad, Books I and XXII ; The Sir Roger de Coverly Pa- pers in the Spectator ; Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakefield ; Coleridge's Ancient Mariner ; Southey's Life of Nelson ; Car- lyle's Essay on Burns ; Lowell's Vision of Sir Launfal ; Hawthorn's the House of the Seven Gables.
2. Study and Practice. - This part of the examination presupposes a more careful study of each of the works, named below. The examination will be upon subject matter form and structure, and will test the candidate's ability to express his knowledge with clearness and accuracy.
The books set for this part of the examination will be :- 1897. Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice ; Burke's Speech on Conciliation with America ; Scott's Marmion ; Macaulay's Life of Samuel Johnson.
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