USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Westford > Town of Westford annual report 1902-1907 > Part 37
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Dear Sir :- The following is a brief report of the condition of drawing in the Town of Westford, Mass.
The schools are now organized on a systematic basis for freehand, mechanical and decorative drawing based upon educational principles.
The work of the Fall Term in nature and model drawing has been progressive and adequate results have attended the teachers' efforts. The drawing in these schools is no longer a fad or a pastime, but now takes the dignified form of a study, wherein as sane methods must be used as in the teaching of mathematics if excellent results are to be obtained.
The aims for this department are directed to the develop- ment of the creative faculties involving as much original power and hand skill as possible.
The Douglas Commission for better industrial skill has already found a great awakening in public school superintendents who lay claim to the word progress. It is with pleasure that I find you included in that class. It is impossible to make adequate
11
and effective progress in these arts except by the serious and hearty co-operation of the teachers, superintendent and school committee. In this respect the committee will pardon me for saying the assistance of their educational head has been ideal. In the future I trust our ideals for the pupil will be of the highest, based upon simplicity, beauty and sincerity.
Cordially submitted,
W. L. ADAMS, Supervisor of Drawing.
To the Superintendent and School Committee:
Considering the many changes in the corps of teachers and the fact of new supervision, the musical part of the school work has progressed in a gratifying way.
Each supervisor has a way, peculiar to himself, of conducting his work, and it takes pupils and teachers some time to get accustomed to the particular method he may use.
The response from the teachers in this matter, has been most encouraging. Especially is this true of the primary teachers, upon whose ability and conscientious effort, considering the importance of rote song work, so much depends.
The work of the intermediate and grammar grades has progressed steadily and intelligently. The children in these grades have been thoroughly instructed in time beating and directing and will be well prepared to give their entire attention to the higher forms of chorus work, when they reach the Academy.
Incidentally this brings us to the Academy and its musical work. High School music is the great problem of the Director of public school music. Strange as it may seem, the fact remains that this is the period of all the school life in which the pupil is most diffident in the matter of singing, and the most doubtful of his or her ability to sing. Pupils, teachers and the Super- visor have succeeded in getting acquainted and in co-operating to make the music both interesting and helpful. Only the best works of the best composers have been used and in this regard
12
the Academy pupils have shown an appreciation of the best things musically, seldom found in High Schools.
In conclusion: First, let me remind the committee that comparatively little can be accomplished in one year-it being essentially a foundation building period. Second, let me thank you for your kindly co-operation in the matter of supplies, etc.
Hoping for even better things in the future-conditions that shall make for greater effectiveness and usefulness in the lives of the children, for school music has a recognized place in the character building of the child, and with grateful appreciation of the co-operation of officers, teachers and children, I am,
Yours sincerely, EDWIN N. C. BARNES.
The overcrowding of the Forge Village primary room rendered it imperative that additional accommodations be found. By the courtesy of the Abbot Co., we were able to fit up a room in the Mill Hall which accommodates the upper division of the second and the third grade. This makes it much easier to secure better results and though cramped in some ways has proven a valuable change.
Overcrowding in grades eight and nine also necessitated the employment of an additional teacher as assistant to Miss Fisher, which gives an almost ideal condition as to numbers and service. With the completion of the new building, and the consolidation of the grades in the outlying schools, the system will become a fairly well graded one, and by incorporating the ninth grade with the Academy and extending the services of the ninth grade teacher to the freshman class, needed relief in that department will be obtained.
13
I invite your attention to the report of the principal of Westford Academy which is herewith appended.
REPORT OF THE PRINCIPAL OF THE ACADEMY.
To the School Committee of Westford:
Gentlemen :- I have the honor to make this report for the year ending March 1, 1908.
The class that graduated from the Academy in June, 1907, was the last one containing pupils who received diplomas at the end of a three years' English course. As all pupils, according to your vote, must hereafter remain four years in order to graduate, the only graduates of this year are two in the old Latin-Scientific course. On the other hand, the class that entered last fall constitutes about half of the school.
In my last annual report I asked for fifty dollars, to be expended for chemical apparatus and supplies. This was granted, and has been found sufficient, together with material already on hand, to provide individual laboratory work for the pupils, thus greatly improving the instruction in chemistry. More modern methods have also been introduced in some other subjects, also, particularly in bookkeeping and history, and the teachers think that the results in the work and interest of the pupils have generally justified the changes.
The fourth year that has been added to the general course will entail the purchase of some new books, and perhaps a little new apparatus for physics, during the coming year; but we expect, by avoiding all changes that are not absolutely necessary, to confine the expenses for these things to the average annual amount.
Respectfully submitted,
WILLIAM A. PERKINS.
Westford, Mass., February 26, 1908.
14
I would here suggest the great need of increasing the salary of our grade teachers. Westford is paying her teachers less than many towns of less size and less valuation. Superintendents in surrounding towns are seeking our best teachers at increased salary and were the supply of home teachers to fail it would be impossible to fill the positions at the salary which is now paid. This being true is it a square deal to the local candidates to keep wages down to the minimum after years of faithful and satisfac- tory service? I would urge the necessity of increasing the salaries to at least $12 per week in the case of all teachers em- ployed over three years, and the establishing of a maximum of $15 with the requirements of professional growth and increasing efficiency rather than length of service as a condition for attaining the maximum. Such a condition should enable the town to secure and retain eminently satisfactory teachers.
This is a highly essential point. Education today is not merely the pouring in of facts. It is not so much what we teach as how we teach. Abstract knowledge counts for little in life ; it is knowledge that is convertible into power that we want- ideas and ideals that shall be living in character. To secure this the teacher must do more than cover a prescribed amount of reading, writing, number and nature study imposed from without. To make of every child the biggest measure of human being that his power and possibilities allow, the teacher must identify herself with the real instincts and needs of the child. This cannot be done in the first year. It takes time to get into the lives of children, and unless we can hope to hold our teachers for longer periods we must expect to lose this most essential element in teaching.
Reports of the last year show that in many cases towns have made increases of from twenty to forty per cent. In school teaching as in everything else the employer gets what he pays for. To hold the schools up to the standard Westford must keep pace with the other towns.
Several changes in the teaching force have occurred this year. Miss Raddin's place at Forge Village has been well filled by Miss Letitia V. Ward. Mr. Vaughn resigned at the last moment, but we were fortunate enough to secure Mr. William
15
Nickerson, of Cotuit, Mass., who has taken up the work with vigor and enthusiasm. The position at Minot's Corner has been filled several times. Miss Mary E. Holden was secured after the school opened in September, but on account of a throat trouble was obliged to resign in December, and her place is now taken by Miss Grant, of Gloucester. In view of the changes and the short service of the first teacher, Miss Perkins, the school is doing excellently.
The attendance in nearly all quarters is not what it should be. Children are kept out so much that their progress is next to impossible. No child can be out one day each week and maintain a proper standing. I fear the parents give too little thought to the matter, and trust that we may see greater reg- ularity in the coming term. The law admits of no excuse save sickness and unless there is improvement it may be necessary to take the matter up more drastically in some cases.
From present indications an addition to the Forge Village building will be needed. The Grammar School will have some forty pupils which will make a large school for one teacher with four grades, and the grades now occupying the mill property will be so increased that the room will be too small to accommodate them. A wing might be added to the present building and the school graded in such a manner as to increase the efficiency. The ventilation should also be improved and some means of exit furnished.
In closing I desire to thank all the teachers and the members of the committee for the cordial support which has been given me ; and in the future as in the past I shall strive to give my best efforts to the service.
Respectfully submitted,
ARTHUR B. WEBBER.
Littleton, Mass., February 20, 1908.
Graduation Exercises of Westford Academy
At the Unitarian Church, Friday, June 21, 1907 at 10 o'clock A. M.
PROGRAMME
1. ORGAN SOLO, Festal March Calkin
MRS. W. H. BENNETT
2. PRAYER, REV. CHARLES P. MARSHALL
3. SONG, To the Spirit of Poesy E. Lassen
GIRLS' CHORUS
4. ESSAY, Stenography and Typewriting STELLA B. CARKIN, Forge Village
5. SONG, With Verdure Clad (Soprano Aria, Crertion) Hayden ELEANOR FOX ALLEN
6. ESSAY, Eclipses of the Sun HARRY L. BLAISDELL, Westford
7. SONGS, (a) Croon, Croon C. B. Rich
(b) The Oars are Plashing Lightly GIRLS' CHORUS
Adam Geibel
8. ESSAY, The Academy and the High School in Massachusetts LUCINDA E. PRESCOTT, Westford
9. SONG, For All Eternity · Mascheroni
MRS. ALLEN
10.' ESSAY, The Dynamo and its Applications ARTHUR G. HILDRETH, Westford
11. ORGAN SOLO, Allegro Moderato MRS. BENNETT
Lefebre-Wely
12. ADDRESS. The Cost of Service REV. HENRY GOODWIN SMITH, D. D.
13. CONFERRING OF DIPLOMAS REV. BENJAMIN H. BAILEY
14. "AMERICA"
17
GRADUATING CLASS
GENERAL COURSE
ARTHUR GRIFFIN HILDRETH
ENGLISH COURSE
HARRY LINWOOD BLAISDELL STELLA BELLE CARKIN LUCINDA EVALYN PRESCOTT
Motto-Honor, not Fame
STATISTICS FROM SEPTEMBER, 1906, TO JUNE, 1907.
SCHOOL.
Grades.
Enrollment
Average Membership. Attendance.
Average
Per Cent. Attendance.
No. Between 5 and 15. Boys.
No. Between 7 and 14. Girls. Boys.
No. Over 15
Girls. Boys. Girls.
Center Primary
I-II-III
42
27.22
22.92
83.38
27-
15
10- 10
0 -
0
Center Intermediate
IV-VII
35
31.12
28.14
90.38
17-
18
17-
18
0 -
0
Center Grammar
VIII-IX
35
32.63
28.70
87.98
11-
12
8-
11
10 -
2
Forge Primary
I-II-III
56
49.12
43.81
89.23
18-
35
12-
21
2
0
Forge Grammar
IV-VII
35
24.00
22.00
92.00
17-
18
17-
18
0
0
Graniteville Lower Primary .
I
28
27.10
22.60
83.40
10-
13
7-
3
2
0
Graniteville Upper Primary .
II-III
35
31.60
24.70
86.80
18-
10
18-
10
0
0
Graniteville Intermediate
IV-V
28
26.46
24.06
90.96
18-
10
18-
10
0
0
Graniteville Grammar
VI-VIII
24
20.65
18.55
89.83
12-
12
11-
11
0
0
Minot's Corner
I-VI
28
25.97
24.27
92.20
16-
11
11-
10
1
0
Nabnassett
I-VII
37
27.50
24.50
89.09
12
19-
9
0
0
Parkerville
I-VI .
22
21.56
18.75
91.40
12-
10
8-
7
0
0
I-VII
35
28.01
23.01
84.81
18-
17
14-
12
0
0
Stony Brook
·
·
X-XIII
29
21.71
19.42
90.00
2-
4
0- 0
9
-
14
Academy .
Totals
469
394.65
345.43
87.6
221-197
170-150
24 - 16
-
-
25-
-
.
.
LIST OF TEACHERS, 1907-1908.
NAME.
SCHOOL.
App'ted.
EDUCATED.
HOME ADDRESS.
Wm. A. Perkins
Academy .
1905
Bowdoin College
Westford, Mass. . .
Ida M. Manuel
Academy .
1907
Bates College .
Franklin, N. H. .
Ruth Fisher
Center Grammar
1901
Lowell Normal
Westford, Mass. .
Gertrude E. Bartlett
Center Grammar
1907
Tufts College
Kingston, N. H. .
Harriet Miller
Center Intermediate
1906
Fitchburg Normal
Townsend, Mass.
Elizabeth R. Cushing ·
Center Primary
1906
Framingham Normal
Fayville, Mass.
Letitia V. Ward
Forge Grammar
1907
Westford Academy .
Forge village .
Abbie M. Blaisdell
Forge Upper Primary
1905
Lowell Normal
Lowell, Mass.
Eva C. Pyne
Forge Lower Primary
1907
Lowell Normal
Westford, Mass.
William A. Nickerson .
Graniteville Grammar
1907
Hyannis Normal .
Cotuit, Mass.
Issie A. Parker
Graniteville Intermediate
1885
Westford Academy
.
.
.
Graniteville Lower Primary
1905
Lowell Normal
.
·
.
.
Minot's Corner .
1907
Gloucester Training
·
Gloucester, Mass.
Gerald T. Decatur .
Nabnassett
1907
Westford Academy .
Westford, Mass.
Mabel M. Crocker
Parkerville
1907
Chicago University (Sp.)
Anna Mellen
.
Stony Brook
1905
Lowell Normal
East Braintree. Mass. Lowell, Mass. .
.
.
.
Frances C. Banister
Graniteville Upper Primary
1905
Westford Academy
·
Graniteville, Mass. Westford, Mass. .
Ruth P. Tuttle
Westford, Mass.
Martha C. Grant . .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
STATISTICS FROM SEPTEMBER, 1907, TO FEBRUARY, 1908.
SCHOOL.
Grades.
Enroll- ment.
Average Member- ship.
Average Attend- ance.
Per Cent. At- tendance.
No. Between 5 and 15
No. Between 7 and 14
No. Over 15.
Center Primary
I-II-III
31
27.10
23.70
87.2
Center Intermediate
IV-VII
26
25.21
22.48
90.02
26
26
0
Center Grammar
VIII-IX
44
38.98
34.75
89.16
34
25
10
Forge Lower Primary
I
42
37.24
33.97
92.
39
19
1
Forge Upper Primary
II-III
28
26.87
25.18
91.28
25
23
1
Forge Grammar
IV-VII
35
32.90
29.70
90.30
35
35
0
Graniteville Lower Primary
I
31
28.20
23.60
83.20
31
11
3
Graniteville Upper Primary
II-III
26
23.40
20.76
87.20
26
21
0
Graniteville Intermediate .
IV-V
23
20.55
18.72
90.95
23
21
0
Graniteville Grammar
VI-VIII
29
26.74
23.04
87 01
29
28
0
Minot's Corner
I-VI
22
21.80
19.60
89.9
22
19
0
Nabnassett .
I-VII
27
24.00
20.78
85.54
27
22
0
.
I-VI
23
22.40
19.90
89.28
23
19
0
Parkerville
I-VII
28
26.27
22.88
87.08
28
23
0
Stony Brook
X-XIII
30
27.11
24.81
91.5
8
3
22
Academy
.
Total
445
408.77
363.87
89.01
376
295
37
.
SCHOOL CENSUS, SEPTEMBER, 1907.
Number boys between 5 and 15 . 215
Number girls between 5 and 15 188
Number girls between 7 and 14
156
Total 403
Number boys between 7 and 14
. 176
Total 332
Roll of Honor for 1907.
FOR THREE TERMS
Gerald Defoe Claude Gledu Fred Healy Henry Healy Elizabeth Kimball
Jennie Kimball
Rachel Kimball Marion Marshall Carrie Prinn Bertha Woodbury
FOR TWO TERMS
Leda Boucher Edward Buckingham Chester Burnham . May Cann John Feeney Nellie Healy Mabel Langhoff
Martha Lorman Madeline McDonald Grace Reed Maude Robinson
Edith Spinner Raymond Wall Florence Wilson
Charles Wood
Seth Banister Joseph Barrett Luella Beebe Walter Beebe Elva Bicknell Albert Blanchard Florence. Boucher Leo Boucher Frederick Burnham Richard Campbell William Counter Albert Collins William Davis Elmer DeRoehn
FOR ONE TERM Maud Hunt Lucy Kendrick Mary Leclerc Clarence McMasters Albert Morton
Willie Morton
Edward Murray Ellen Murray George Murray Marshall Murray John Payne Leo Provost
Frederick Robinson Grace Robinson
22
Vernon Fletcher Alice Gilson Willie Gilson Francis Gower Raymond Hamlin
Alice Harrington James Hartford Myrtle Healy Arthur Healy Margaret Healy Edith Hunt
Mabel Sanborn Walter Steele Midas Tanneton Bertha Thayer Emile Tousignant
Ida Trask Herbert Walkden Rachel Wall
May Watt
Ernest Whitcomb
Estella Whitney
INDEX.
Page Births
Officers of the Town of Westford
3
7
Marriages
8
Deaths
9
Town Clerk's Report on Dogs
11
Annual Town Meeting
14
Special Town Meetings
20
State Election
25 29
Tree Warden's Report
Report of Sealer of Weights and Measures
30
Assessors' Report.
Tax Collector's Report
Selectmen's Report
Board of Health
Library Report
Report of the Overseers of the Poor
82
Auditor's Report
84
Report of Building Committee
90
Report of Commissioners of Public Burial Grounds
91
Warrant for Town Meeting
101
Annual Report of the School Committee
1
School Committee, 1907-1908
2
Report of the School Committee
3
Truant Officers' Report
6
Financial Statement
7
Report of the Superintendent
8
Report of the Principal of the Academy
13
Program of Westford Academy
16
Graduating Class 17
Statistics for 1906-1907 18
List of teachers
19
Statistics for 1907-1908 20
Roll of Honor 21
31 35 40 67 69 75
Treasurer's Report
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