USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Westford > Town of Westford annual report 1914-1919 > Part 34
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I have asked for the report of the work of the nurse in the schools and in the homes of the pupils. It is very interesting. Miss Crockett seems well fitted for the work, especially on the social welfare side of it, which, after all, is the soul of it. It seems likely that an appropriation will be asked of the town to continue this service. I hope it will have the approval of the committee.
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More and more each year the superintendent's work keeps him from close personal touch with the schoolroom. A few months in the winter after his several reports are in and before the demands of the final weeks of the year begin are alone somewhat free for professional investigations. This year especially his time has been occupied with providing the schools with teachers, there having been sixteen changes outside of this town, some very recent. At that point where the superintend- ent's personal attention cannot be immediately given to a matter affecting the morale of the school, there the work of the principal, or teacher in charge of the room, or other recognized agency for carrying out the purposes of the school department, must begin. The matter of handling truancy is an illustration at hand. At- tending to truancy cases is a side issue with a truant officer in small towns where there is no adequate salary to induce him to go to the schools daily for a list of absentees. He might go daily for weeks and find not a single case. The superintendent of four towns cannot be in each town each day, much less in each school in the several towns. Just here is the teacher's point of contact with the question. She is the first to know of the absence. By inquiry she may easily discover if sickness is the cause. When she is satisfied that there is no good cause for absence she should at once communicate with the truant officer. Always someone is in a position to know first what is going wrong in the school, and an attempt should be made to correct it before it becomes anybody's business. The duty may be the janitor's, the barge- driver's, the teacher's, the principal's, the superintendent's, the committee's. It should be recognized by the right party when it reaches him, and be attended to at once.
The report of Miss Raynes, supervisor of music, presents the subject in a rather novel way. It speaks with the spirit of the past year and a half. It is good to read such a report and to know that such a teacher has a position of influence in the midst of our children.
The usual statistical and informational tables are submitted as a part of the school report. They are of historical importance, and should be preserved.
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In closing I wish to thank the committee and the teachers for the support without which the machinery of the schools would not have run so smoothly the past year. : Much is due, also, to the parents and the public generally who have accepted changes and innovations with such good-will and apparent favor.
Respectfully submitted, FRANK H. HILL,
Superintendent of Schools.
Westford, January 3, 1919.
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Report of Westford Academy.
January 1, 1919.
To Mr. F. H. Hill,
Superintendent of Schools.
The principal in submitting this report would call attention to the fact that it covers parts of two school years, viz: from January 1, 1918 to January 1, 1919, or, in other words, two terms of the year, 1917-1918, and one term of the year 1918-1919. We shall follow somewhat a chronological sequence in our report, but allow ourselves freedom to depart from it for convenience of top- ical arrangement.
A combination of weather conditions and lack of fuel in- terfered seriously with school business for much of the time from January to the middle of March, 1918. School was to have opened, following the Christmas vacation, on January 2, but owing to the extremely cold weather, together with shortage of coal, we did not begin until January 7. On the very next day there came an ice storm which stalled the electric car, and school transportation from this source was not resumed until April 2. To help in this problem, arrangements were made whereby Mr. Charles H. Bicknell brought pupils from Brookside, and Mr. Charles S. Ripley those from Graniteville. By order of the fuel administration schools were closed Monday, January 21, and thus a variety of circumstances conspired to make the acquisi- tion of learning rather difficult for about two months. But in spite of all the difficulties, our records show a good percentage of attendance during this time.
The Academy lost one of its most interested and loyal friends on January 19, 1918 in the death of Mr. George T. Day, president of the Board of Trustees. Mr. Day had long been identified with the school in an official capacity, and the principal had occasion at times to consult him on matters of policy, always with the feeling that he was talking with a man of sterling worth
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and good sense, whose opinion was of value and importance. On a certain graduation which Mr. Day attended he spoke in such a sincere and appreciative way of the impression the young people of the graduating class had made upon him that the prin- cipal and teachers felt encouraged in what they were trying to accomplish.
There was another death during the year which came close home to those longest acquainted with the history of the Acad- emy, viz : the death of Mrs. Helen K. Frost, widow of the princi- pal who served the longest as head of the school and whose memory as head of the school is held in the highest esteem. Mrs. Frost died June 9, in Chicago, Illinois, where she had made her home for several months.
Neither has death spared our youth. It is with sorrow that we mention the death of Lottie Irene Parrott of the class of 1915, who died of pneumonia last September during the epidemic which swept the country. Lottie was one of three girls who earned enough credits to graduate in three years. If our mem- ory serves us correctly, there has been but one other death among those who have graduated under the present principal; that of Edward C. Read of the class of 1914.
In February, of 1918, a call came from the United States government for assistance from teachers in the work of transcrib- ing the contents of the draft questionnaires to filing cards for convenience of reference. The principal and the two assistant teachers went to Ayer on a certain Saturday and spent the day on this work.
Both teachers and pupils during the year have been called upon to engage in various activities related to war work, and we feel we have not been slackers to these demands. We have ob- served "Tag Your Shovel Day," we have bought Thrift Stamps, War Savings Stamps, and Liberty bonds; we have sent large boxes of nut shells to Boston to use in the manufacture of gas masks; we have supported the Junior Red Cross by pledging a 100 per cent. membership at 25 cents per member; the graduat- ing class of 1918 gave $25 to the Junior Red Cross Society ; on May 21, 1918, ten boys and girls, accompanied by Miss Denfeld,
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went to Lowell to take part in the big Red Cross parade, and carried a banner inscribed, "Westford Academy, a 100 per cent. School;" several times the school has gone in a body to the Town Hall to help in the farewell send-offs given to young men who left to enter the service; the principal has written many letters upon the request of former Academy boys to help them in their efforts to attain that place in the service to which they aspired; we have a service flag with forty stars and a roll of honor to correspond; the principal recommended successfully to the Students' Army Training Corps five young men; we helped in the parade of November 11 when the whole town spontaneously turned out to celebrate the coming of peace; boys of the school carried the service flag, threw their own coin into it, and other boys helped to collect money enroute, all of which, amounting to $9.81, was sent to New York to the "War Children's Relief Fund;" and last but not least the school and teachers, includ- ing a few boys and girls recently in attendance at the Academy, pledged to the "United War Work Campaign," (November 11- 18) the sum of $246.50. Of this sum $195.00 was pledged by present members of the school, and though we have until March 1 in which to pay the pledges, already 23 "Victory Boys" and 23 "Victory Girls" have paid their total pledge. Four boys and six girls have paid the first installment.
In the matter of the United War Work Campaign the Acad- emy is again a 100 per cent. school, every member giving some- thing from $20.00 to fifty cents each. The principal received a letter November 16 from Mr. B. F. McArdle, Chairman of the Lowell district of "Victory Boys and Girls," saying that West- ford Academy was the first school in the district to give 100 per cent.
The prize speaking contest took place in the Town Hall on April 12, 1918, with the following speakers: Mildred Precious, Julia Donnelly, Pamelia Precious, Alice Wright, Eleanor Colburn, Ruth Sargent, Frances Wright and Carolyn Precious. The first prize of $10.00 went to Carolyn Precious, the second of $5.00 to Ruth Sargent, Stanley Smith received honorable men- tion. The judges were Rev. O. J. Fairfield, Littleton, Principal
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E. W. D. Merrill of Chelmsford, and Miss Blanche A. Cheney of the Lowell Normal School.
On May 24, 1918, the Senior Class staged a Japanese play in the Town Hall entitled "The Revenge of Shari-Hot-Su" with the cast consisting of Bertram Sutherland, Sylva Gladu, Frances Wright, Rachel Kimball, and Eleanor Colburn. This play was under the efficient direction of Mrs. H. W. Hildreth and was a success both artistically and financially. The net proceeds were $71.78.
The principal and his assistants believe in giving the school the advantage of outside means of education and culture when opportunity of time and place allow. Such an opportunity was offered on April 24 when the famous photo-drama, "Les Miser- ables" was given in the Lowell Opera House. Chaperoned by Mrs. Hildreth and Miss Denfeld, fourteen boys and twelve girls attended the matinee of this great photo-play.
June 13, the class of 1918, accompanied by Mrs. Hildreth, took an automobile excursion to Marblehead, spending the day in an enjoyable.and profitable sight-seeing tour. On December 13 teachers and pupils all attended the afternoon session of the Institute conducted by the Middlesex North Agricultural Society and held in the Town Hall. Earlier in the year the principal accompanied by some boys attended a supper and entertainment given at the Lowell Y. M. C. A. for all boys who had pledged ten dollars to the "Red Triangle Fund." The feature of this occa- sion was a chalk talk by Sergt. William Rineo of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces, who described his experiences of a year and a half at the front in France.
The Domestic Science Course which was introduced into the Academy in September, 1918, is proving very popular and use- ful. The Trustees and Town have both contributed to the equip- ment, and for a small school we think we have reason to con- gratulate ourselves on what is being accomplished. Our thanks are due to the interest and help given by Mr. and Mrs. John C. Abbot in this enterprise.
Miss Alice C. Judge, the director, comes every Thursday for the day and is doing excellent work with the class. Ten
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girls of the seventh and eighth grades of the Frost School are instructed by Miss Judge as well as the Academy girls. Of the latter, all except three take the course, arrangements being made as far as possible for an hour and a half of time for each girl. Lunch is served to the school at cost and the receipts between October 31 and December 12 amounted to $18.22. The girls have on certain days served lunch of their own planning when Miss Judge was not here, and it is hoped to make the hot lunch at noon more and more a feature of the class work. The electric range makes the cooking process clean and easy, and the girls apparently enjoy working with it. As cleanliness is one of the first essentials of a well-appointed kitchen, we like to record that the school building is now thoroughly screened and the fly nuis- ance a thing of the past.
The principal was entirely in favor of having the Domestic Science Course introduced and glad to see it in operation. He also wishes to go on record as favoring Manual Training for the boys, and hopes to see the day when a well-equipped building for this purpose, under a competent instructor shall accommodate both Academy and Frost School boys.
Besides instruction in Domestic Science and Manual Train- ing, the principal would like to see in the Westford schools a trained supervisor of agriculture, the same as we employ a super- visor of music and drawing. It is unlikely that the town would feel that it could afford to employ such a man alone, but we be- lieve that if several rural towns would combine they would do their boys and girls a most valuable service and reap large divi- dends in the future. It is no use to teach land culture from books alone in the school room. It must be taught out of doors by actual practice as well as by theory. School gardens and home gardens are good, but further recognition of the import- ance of agriculture is necessary to win the best effort and interest of boys.
The two Senior girls recommended for membership in the Tadmuck Club for this year were Ruth Sargent and Ethel Collins. This is the third time the membership privilege has been granted to young ladies of the Senior Class.
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The program of the June graduation exercises is printed elsewhere in the Town Report, and we shall not take any space for special comment except to refer to the admirable address given on that occasion by Mr. Frank W. Wright, Deputy Com- missioner of Education of the State of Massachusetts. Mr. Wright has unusual gifts as a public speaker and gave a mes- sage peculiarly adapted to the time and circumstance.
When the Academy opened September 3, 1918, we had an enrollment of 30 boys and 32 girls ; this was later increased to 32 boys and 35 girls, the largest number in attendance at any time for some years. The enrollment to date which bids fair to be permanent for the year is 29 boys and 33 girls. The Freshman class had 15 boys and 13 girls upon their entrance; their num- ber is now 14 boys and 12 girls. Miss Helena Denfeld resigned as teacher of the Commercial department, and has a position in the High School of New Britain, Conn. Miss Libby Cohen was elected to fill the vacancy and we take pleasure in commending her interest and enthusiasm. Besides her success in the class room, Miss Cohen is interesting herself in athletics for the girls and has organized basket ball teams which play once a week or oftener as time permits.
Like many other schools the Academy was forced to close for an extended period soon after the fall opening. On Septem- ber 25, by order of the authorities, all schools were closed and did not open again until October 21. This forced vacation so soon after the beginning of school, interrupted seriously the progress of things, and to help make up for the lost time and work, it was decided to prolong the school day. So on October 28 we began on a schedule one hour longer, extending the afternoon session from 1.40 to 2.40 o'clock. We lengthened the recita- tions to 45 minutes, thus distributing the extra hour throughout the seven periods of the day. By keeping to this program the whole time lost will be made up in nineteen weeks, so we shall resume the old schedule sometime in the spring term.
In closing we present the scheme adopted this year for awarding the prize money granted by the Trustees. It will be noticed that we do not include "prize speaking" in the list.
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The teachers were unanimous in the opinion, that, in view of the lengthened school day continuing for so many weeks, it was impossible to devote proper time and energy in training speakers for such an event. We believe the plan agreed upon will incite general interest and competition.
PRIZES, 1918-1919.
ESSAYS.
1. A prize of $5.00 to that member of the Senior or Junior class who shall, in the opinion of three impartial judges, make the best water-color map of any period of American History, together with a short essay descriptive of the same. A second prize of $2.50 will be given in this contest.
2. A prize of $5.00 to that member of the Sophomore or Freshman class who shall, in the opinion of three impartial judges, make the best water-color map of any one period of American History, together with a short essay descriptive of the same. A second prize of $2.50 will be given in this contest.
3. The maps and essays are due May 1, 1919.
TYPEWRITING.
1. A prize of $5.00 to the Senior or Junior who shall, in 'a speed test conducted by the teacher, write for a specified length of time the greatest number of net words per minute. A second prize of $2.50 will be given in this test.
2. A prize of $2.50 to that member of the beginners' type- writing class who shall, in a speed test conducted by the teacher, write for a specified length of time the greatest number of net words per minute.
3. The typewriting test will take place the first week in June, 1919.
Respectfully submitted, WILLIAM C. ROUDENBUSH,
Principal Westford Academy.
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REPORT OF SUPERVISOR OF MUSIC.
Mr. Frank H. Hill,
Superintendent of Schools, Westford, Massachusetts.
Dear Sir :
The annual report of the music department of the schools of Westford is as follows:
At the end of the year's work I can report good progress not alone in the ability to sing songs and exercises at sight, but in the general understanding and appreciation of what is worth while in music.
For years the schools have been doing their bit in the inter- est of music, much more than most people have any idea of. Now the whole country is singing. Why? Because word came back across the miles of ocean that the boys "over there" needed music, that the American army must be a singing army. Music has done more for the morale and uplift of the army than any other one thing. In fact, General Pershing names music as one of the essentials. Community singing has therefore spread, the good old songs are being revived, old and young are singing. The children are learning the songs their fathers and mothers were brought up on and in turn, I trust, are teaching the people at home the best of the patriotic songs that we are teaching in school. It must be through the schools that patriotism is taught and it is a sorry joke indeed when a foreigner remarked that he knew a certain person must be an American because he did not know the words of "The Star Spangled Banner."
How to listen to music is a line we are following as far as time permits. The mere ability to read music no more insures a real love of good music than the ability to read our language insures a love of English literature. Enjoyment of music is much greater when one is able to recognize the different voices and the different instruments in the orchestra and band. To
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hear the different themes and be able to trace them through the masterpieces of music is something we can learn to do in school, thanks to our Victrolas. We are making a beginning along this line.
Thanks are due the teachers for their faithful work and the superintendent for his co-operation.
Respectfully submitted, MARY B. RAYNES.
REPORT OF THE SUPERVISOR OF DRAWING.
To the Superintendent of Schools, Westford.
The time given to drawing during the last year has been devoted largely to the making of posters. We have found this work intensely interesting to the children and through it we have tried to lead them into a better appreciation of beautiful line, good spacing and fine color. We have tried to impress upon them that a simple poster well made is preferable to a showy one poorly made. We hope in this way to give them an ideal which shall add to their character some of that quality of quiet efficiency which is the backbone of our national life.
I wish to thank the teachers for their hearty support.
Respectfully submitted,
BERNICE E. STAPLES.
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REPORT OF THE COOKING TEACHER.
To the Superintendent of Schools :
Sir :- It will be impossible for me to report much progress in the work of the classes in cooking, because the course is new, having been installed at the beginning of the term, and the time consumed in fitting up the class room with the necessary equip- ment retarded the work quite materially. In addition to that is the loss of time due to the closing of the schools during the period when influenza was epidemic in this section, so that actual work with the classes has not yet been carried far enough to obtain substantial results.
A brief outline of the plan for the work already accom- plished and that to be taught during the next term is, for Grades VII and VIII, abbreviation and measurements, measure- ments of dry materials, abbreviations, table of measurements, what is meant by food and water in their relation to the human system, ways of cooking, dish washing, beverages, composition of foods. For the High School pupils in addition to the sub- jects mentioned above there is experience in practical cooking in connection with a lunch counter maintained for the benefit of all the pupils of the High School. This affords opportunity for individual work and instruction where otherwise the pupils would be obliged to work in groups. It also furnishes an outlet for the product of the classes, and as a nominal price is charged for the lunches, the income goes far toward defraying the ex- pense of the counter.
I feel that the benefit derived is twofold: First, the knowl- edge that the girls have that their work is to be of practical value to someone, and the fact that its quality will be commented upon by their fellow pupils and teachers furnishes a spur to higher effort, and second, the light warm lunch cannot be other than acceptable and beneficial to all who avail themselves of it.
The girls who finish the course in Domestic Science will have a thorough knowledge of plain cooking, costs, and ordinary methods of home managements.
Respectfully submitted, ALICE C. JUDGE, Cooking Teacher.
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REPORT OF PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE.
Ayer, Mass., Dec. 28, 1918.
Mr. Frank Hill,
Superintendent of Schools, Westford, Mass.
My dear Mr. Hill :
It gives me pleasure to submit the following report of the health work done in the Westford schools during the past year.
The teachers have co-operated in supplementing the hygiene instruction given by the nurse and in reporting cases that to them seemed to require further investigation.
Instruction has been given in all grades in personal hygiene including the care of the teeth, heads and hands and special emphasis laid on means of preventing the communication of diseases.
Special classes were conducted in the Cameron and Sargent Schools for the older girls in "Hygiene in the Home" as well as "Personal Hygiene" and subjects of Sources and Modes of Infection, Ventilation, Proper Clothing and Food, etc., were discussed very freely at these classes as were also "Care of Young Children" and "First Aid."
We were unfortunate in having two invasions of contagious diseases which necessitated closing the schools. This, however, gave an opportunity for many home visits where personal talks with the mothers usually resulted in gaining medical attention or the improvement of some physical defect for some member of the family.
During the year the following work was done:
School Visits 275
Children Inspected 974
Instructive Home Visits 159
School Hygiene Talks 129
Personal Hygiene Talks 1,142
Several children were excluded by the school physician for infectious diseases.
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First Aid outfits were provided by the School Board for the Frost and Sargent Schools and by a friend for the Cameron School.
United States Public Health Service cards for physical records were adopted thus aiding in establishing a universal sys- tem of school health records in the United States.
In addition several children were taken to hospitals for the removal of tonsils and adenoids and to dentists for attention to teeth.
We feel confident that as soon as the physical examinations, which are now in progress, are completed and the recommenda- tions are made that many more parents will be willing to secure for their children the medical attention necessary in order that they may enjoy health and increased efficiency.
It is hoped that the health already started in Westford may be carried on and increased.
Respectfully,
EVA E. CROCKETT, R. N.
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REPORT OF SCHOOL PHYSICIAN.
Gentlemen of the Committee :
On my various visits to the different schools, I find still a chance for the parents of the children to be a little more careful about sending their children to school with infectious or con- tagious diseases, particularly skin difficulties, as I have had to send home children from all the schools with various skin diseases which will not permit of their attendance in school.
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