USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Westford > Town of Westford annual report 1920-1926 > Part 14
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1st. To choose a Moderator.
2nd. To bring in their votes for one Selectman, one Overseer of the Poor. one Assessor, two members School Committee, one Commissioner of Public Burial Grounds, one Trustee of the Public Library, one mem- ber Board of Health, all for three years ; Moderator, Town Treasurer, Collector of Taxes, Constable and Tree Warden, all for one year ; also to vote on the following question : "Shall licenses be granted for the sale of certain non-intoxicating beverages in this Town?"
3rd. To hear the report of the Finance Committee, and act in relation to the same.
4th. To hear the report of the Town Accountant, and act in relation to the same.
5th. To hear the report of the Selectmen, including the report on guide boards and the naming of streets and roads, and act in relation to the same.
6th. To hear the report of the Overseers of the Poor, and act in relation to the same.
7th. To hear the report of the School Committee, and act in relation to the same.
Sth. To hear the report of the Trustees and appropriate money to meet the expenses of the Public Library, and act in relation to the same.
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9th. To hear the report of the Commissioners and appropriate money to meet the expenses of the Burial Grounds, and act in relation to the same.
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10th. To determine the compensation of the Tax Collector.
11th. To appropriate money for highway purposes.
12th. To appropriate money for general government expenses.
13th. To appropriate money for the support of the poor.
14th. To appropriate money for the police department.
15th. To appropriate money for school purposes.
16th. To appropriate money for the moth department.
17th. To appropriate money for the fire department.
18th. To appropriate money for the expenses in connection with extinguish- ing forest fires.
19th. To appropriate money to pay the bills outstanding on December 31, 1921.
20th. To appropriate money to meet the overdrafts of various departments.
21st. To see if the Town will authorize the erection of a barn at the West- ford Home, appropriate money therefor and act in relation to the same.
22nd. To see if the Town will appropriate money for the rent of head- quarters of Westford Post 159, American Legion, and authorize the Selectmen to execute a lease for a period not exceeding five years. and act in relation to the same.
23rd. To appropriate money for printing and distributing town reports.
24th To see if the Town will appropriate money for the care of the Common.
25th. To see if the Town will appropriate money for trimming and other- wise caring for shade trees damaged by the ice storm, and act in relation to the same.
26th. To appropriate money for liability insurance.
27th. To see if the Town will appropriate money for the construction of the Groton road under specifications approved by the Division of Highways, and act in relation to the same.
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28th. To appropriate money for the Board of Health.
29th. To see if the Town will appropriate the sum of three hundred and fifty dollars to be expended on band concerts, and act in relation to the same.
30th. To appropriate money to commemorate Memorial Day.
31st. To see if the Town will appropriate a sum not exceeding fifty dollars as compensation for and twenty-five dollars for the expenses. of a Fish and Game Warden in the event one is appointed for the Town.
32nd. To see if the Town will vote to appropriate the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars or some other amount, and elect a director for demonstration work in agriculture and home economics, the money to be expended by, and the director to serve in co-operation with the County Trustees for Aid to Agriculture of the Middlesex County Bureau of Agriculture and Home Economics, under the provisions of Chapter 273, General Acts of 1918; it being understood that one hundred dollars shall be expended for local supervision of boys' and girls' club work.
33rd. To see if the Town in accordance with the provisions of Section 6. of Chapter 40 of the General Laws will appropriate money as a re- serve fund.
34th. To appropriate money to meet the expenses of cattle inspection.
35th. To hear the report of the Committee relative to the school accommo- dations at Forge Village and Brookside, appropriate money therefor,. and act in relation to the same.
36th. To appropriate money for State and military aid and soldiers' relief.
37th. To see if the Town will authorize the Selectmen to petition the Director of Accounts of the Department of Corporation and Taxa- tion for an audit of the Town accounts for the current year.
38th. To hear the report of the committee on by-laws, and act in relation to the same.
39th. To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Treasurer with the approval of the Selectmen, to borrow money in anticipation of the revenue of the current financial year.
40th. To determine the manner of collecting taxes for the ensuing year, also the rate of interest on taxes remaining unpaid at a time to be fixed by vote of the Town, and when and how said taxes shall be paid into the treasury, and act in relation to the same.
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41st. To see if the Town in accordance with the provisions of Section 28 of Chapter 130 of the General Laws will authorize the Selectmen to petition the Division of Fisheries and Game of the Department of Conservation to stock Forge Pond, so called, with food fish.
42nd. To choose all other Town officers necessary to be chosen.
43rd. To hear the report of the Committee appointed to investigate the adoption of a system for improving the highways, and act in rela- tion to the same.
44th. To see what action the Town will take in regard to entering into a contract with the Lowell Electric Light Corporation for lighting streets at the expiration of the present contract, and act in relation to the same.
45th. To see if the Town will vote to establish an additional hydrant on Story Street, and act in relation to the same.
46th. To see if the Town will authorize the Selectmen to appoint a Com- mittee to investigate and report at the next town meeting on the possibility of establishing a Town Forest.
And you are directed to serve this Warrant by posting up true and attested copies at the Town House and each Depot in said Westford, eight days at least, before the time of holding said meeting.
Hereof fail not, and make due return of this Warrant with your doings thereon, to the Town Clerk, at the time and place of holding the meeting aforesaid.
Given under our hands, this twenty-sixth day of January, in the year of our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Twenty-two.
SHERMAN H. FLETCHER, OSCAR R. SPALDING, FRANK L. FURBUSH, Selectmen of Westford.
1
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
OF THE
TOWN OF WESTFORD, MASS.
F
WESTF
TOWN
O
INCORP
1729. c
C
R
OR
ATED
SEPT. 23
FOR THE
YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1921
Lowell, Mass. COURIER-CITIZEN COMPANY, PRINTERS
1922
3
Organization, School Committee.
WILLIAM R. TAYLOR, Chairman
.Term Expires 1922
FRANK L. FURBUSII
66 . 1922
ARTHUR E. DAY.
66
66 1923
GEORGE D. WILSON
1923
ARTHUR G. HILDRETH, Secretary
66
66
1924
A. MABEL DREW
66
66 1924
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
HERMAN C. KNIGHT, Littleton, Mass. Telephone, Littleton 12-5.
COMMITTEE ON TEXT-BOOKS
A. MABEL DREW
SUPPLY AGENT
HERMAN C. KNIGHT
TRUANT OFFICERS
JOIIN SULLIVAN
SAMUEL H. BALCII
SCHOOL PHYSICIAN
CYRIL A. BLANEY, M. D.
4
Report of the School Committee.
TO THE CITIZENS OF THE TOWN OF WESTFORD :
We submit herewith our report for the year 1921.
We feel that good work has been accomplished in our schools during the year through our able superintendent and efficient corps of teachers. The superintendent's report will cover more in detail the educational part.
Two furnaces at the William E. Frost School were found to be in very poor condition and these were repaired during the summer vacation, also one at the Sargent School.
The interiors of these two buildings were very dingy and in need of freshening, and during the summer were cleaned and painted throughont. Both buildings should be painted outside and the Sargent School needs reshingling.
Under the new system of accounting the insurance on the school buildings and furniture is chargeable to the school appropriation and is under the jurisdiction of the School Committee. We felt that there was not enough insurance on this property and voted to cover with additional insurance.
The total amount of coverage will be as follows :
Building
Furniture
Wm. E. Frost School
$15,000.00
$2,000.00
Sargent School
10,000.00 500.00
Cameron School
10,000.00
1,000.00
Cameron School (portable)
3,000.00
1,000.00
Parkerville School
1,500.00
At the annual town meeting, the Town voted to authorize the School Committee to enter into a new agreement with the Trustees of Westford Academy. The new contract is similar to the old, with the exception that under the new one the Town assumes the janitor service of $780.00 in addition to the $300.00 rent. A copy of the contract is printed herewith.
We believe that only by the payment of fair salaries is it possible, when filling vacancies, to secure competent teachers, and to retain them in the service of the Town. Let us then be as liberal as we can with our teachers, and hold them responsible for results.
Visit the schools often and get acquainted. Help in the problems you parents and teachers have in common. You will find the teachers patient, conscientious and hard-working.
We would call your attention to the reports of the superintendent of schools, principal of Westford Academy, special teachers and school phy- sician.
The expenditures for 1921 will be found elsewhere as tabulated by the Town Accountant.
5
We respectfully ask for the following appropriation to cover our expenses for the year 1922 :
Salaries
$29,000.00
Care of Buildings
11,300.00
Transportation
9,600.00
Text-Books and Supplies
2,850.00
General Expenses
1,900.00
Furniture and Fixtures
670.00
Tuition to Other Towns
200.00
School Physician
200.00
Total
$55,720.00
Respectfully submitted, WILLIAM R. TAYLOR, Chairman.
6
A Copy of the Contract Between the Trustees of Westford Academy and the Town of Westford.
That whereas the Town of Westford does not own any building suitable for High School purposes, as required by law, the party of the first part by its School Committee, as authorized by vote of the Town passed February 14, 1921, and the party of the second part known as the Trustees of West- ford Academy, acting jointly, do hereby enter into this agreement :
1st. That the party of the second part hereby agrees to lease the Academy building for use as a High School to the Town of Westford, Mass., and the party of the first part agrees to lease said building at an annual rental of three hundred dollars ($300), said sum to be paid by said party of the first part in equal quarterly installments.
2nd. That the party of the second part hereby agrees to keep the building in repair, provide fuel for heating purposes, and the party of the first part agrees to pay all other expenses connected with said school and said building, including repair of all school furniture, payment of teachers, and the furnishing of all text-books, supplies and other articles for school purposes, and to pay all taxes, if any, water rates and janitor service.
3rd. That during the continuance of this agreement, the High School of the Town of Westford shall continue to use the name of Westford Academy, and all graduates shall be entitled to receive a diploma signed by the President of the Trustees of Westford Academy.
4th. And it is further agreed, that neither the said Trustees of Westford Academy, nor persons signing this agreement for the said town of Westford, nor their executors or administrators, shall under any circum- stances be liable in their individual capacity either jointly or separately in said agreement.
5th. This agreement may be annulled at the expiration of any annual period by either party giving three months' notice of termination.
In testimony whereof the said parties have to this and to one other indenture of the same tenor and date interchangeably set their hands and seals.
The inhabitants of the Town of Westford, Mass., by their School Committee.
Date April 1, 1921.
W. R. TAYLOR, A. G. HILDRETH, GEORGE D. WILSON, A. MABEL DREW, FRANK L. FURBUSH,
School Committee.
HERBERT E. FLETCHER, President
SHERMAN H. FLETCHER, Secretary.
Trustees of Westford Academy.
7
School Calendar, 1922.
HIGH SCHOOL
April 6-Winter Term Closes
April 18-Spring Term Begins
June 21-Spring Term Closes 1922-1923
September 5-Fall Term Opens
November 29-Fall Term Closes
December 4-Winter Term Begins
Christmas Vacation, December 21 to January 2, 1923.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Same calendar as above, except closing date, June 9, 1922.
Special Exercise Days and Holidays, 1922.
Feb. 11-Lincoln Exercises. one-half hour.
Feb. 21-Washington Exercises, one-half hour.
Apr. 18-Patriots' Day Exercises, one-half hour.
May 27-Memorial Day Exercises, one hour.
Oct. 11-Columbus Day Exercises one-half hour.
Nov. 23 .- Thanksgiving Exercises, one hour.
LEGAL HOLIDAYS
January 1, February 22, April 19, May 30, July 4, First Monday of September, October 12, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day. (The day fol- lowing when any of the four first days mentioned, the 12th of October or Christmas occurs on Sunday. )
Arbor Day falls on the last Saturday in April and is not a legal holiday.
Flag Day falls on June 14, and is not a legal holiday. It should be observed by proper exercises by any school in session on that day.
8
Teachers in Service, 1922.
Academy
Teacher Grades Taught Where Educated
William C. Roudenbush
IX-XII
Williams
Dorothy Latham
Boston University Salem Normal
Katherine Ott
Elizabeth Brown
Mt. Holyoke
Home Address Westford Waltham
Shrewsbury Littleton
Cameron
Mary C. Bergstrom
I Salem Normal
Gloucester
Abbie Nelson
II Salem Normal
Townsend
Florence Wyeth
III Fitchburg Normal
Townsend
Mary Cleary
IV-V Hyannis Normal
Cambridge
Elsie Richter
VI Lowell Normal
Lowell
Mrs. Letitia O'Clair
VII-VIII
Sum. Session Hyannis Normal
Forge Village
William E. Frost
Edith Wright
I Westford Academy
Westford
Ruth Tuttle
II-III
Lowell Normal Westford
Martha Crocker
IV-V Bridgewater Normal Brockton
Charles G. Carter
Gorham Normal Westford
Mrs. C. G. Carter, Assistant
Fitchburg Normal
Westford
Sargent
Veronica McNiff
I Fitchburg Normal Ayer
Ruby Willey
II Hyannis Normal
Charlemont
Catherine Mulligan
III Lowell Normal Lowell
Lillian Wright
IV-V Lowell Normal Graniteville
Stanley C. Jones
Mass. I. T.
Baldwinville
Issie A. Parker
VIII Westford Academy
Graniteville
Parkerville
Ruth Robbins
I-VIII Carlisle
Cooking
Ruth Sargent
Simmons Summer Session
Westford
Music
Mary B. Raynes
N. Y. School of Music Lowell
Drawing
Position not filled.
9
Superintendent's Report
MEMBERS OF THE WESTFORD SCHOOL COMMITTEE :
Lady and Gentlemen :
I submit my second annual report, which is the thirtieth report of superintendents of schools since Westford has been a part of a union.
The schools of Westford have undergone many experiences incidental to any system that is evolving from the chrysalis stage. Cramped accommo- dations for the increasing number of pupils, changes of teachers, problems in transportation-all these have contributed to the school problem of a year that has marked real educational progress for the schools of the town.
The town, at an adjourned town meeting last spring, appointed a committee to study its school problem, and this committee invited Mr. Jones, agent for the elementary schools, to make a survey of the problem from the standpoint of necessary additions in the town.
Mr. Jones came to Westford and made a study of the several school buildings in the town, the enrollment in these buildings, and the following comprehensive report was received as a result of his visit :
At Forge Village, I found four rooms to accommodate 194 pupils in eight grades ; at Graniteville, four rooms to accommodate 151 pupils in six grades, and at the Centre, four rooms to accommodate 180 pupils in eight grades.
You are handling these large numbers by the use of the platoon plan. I heartily approve of the measures that have been taken to cope with the present situation. In my opinion a four-hour session with a class of 24 produces far better educational results than a five-hour session with a class of 48. Granting a reasonable number of pupils per teacher, however, we all recognize that the platoon plan, with its short school day, cannot achieve the results attained in the longer school day, and it should therefore be resorted to only as a temporary expedient when such emergencies arise as that which we have encountered recently.
Generally speaking, when the number of pupils assigned to one teacher in the elementary schools is much in excess of 30, it is not likely that the teacher can give sufficient attention to individual needs. Furthermore the work of discipline is likely to demand too much of the teacher's attention and strength. If the grades in the three villages mentioned were of such size that either one grade alone or two grades combined approximated 30 pupils, it would be clear that a minimum addition of five new rooms would be needed in Westford. It so happens, however, that at Forge Village the average size of a grade is 24, slightly under the desirable maximum for one room. The same situation exists at Graniteville where the average is 25 pupils to the grade, and at the Centre where the average is 22 pupils to the grade.
From these figures it appears that the school enrollment of Westford is so divided in location that at the present time it becomes impossible at
10
Forge Village and at Graniteville to use a standard 30-pupil classroom to its full capacity. This makes it necessary to provide more than five new rooms.
In making a definite recommendation for enlarging your school accom- modations in Westford, I wish to call your attention to two considerations additional to that of merely providing for the new seating accommodations needed. In the first place I strongly recommend that instruction in the manual and domestic arts be provided for the pupils of the upper elementary grades and for the high school. Such studies not only give instruction of practical value, but in the case of many pupils arouse stronger interests in school work, and tend to hold in school those whom academic work alone would fail to hold. Suffice it to say that the work in practical arts is making so strong an appeal to the people of Massachusetts that 113 towns of less than 10,000 population have introduced manual arts into the work of the elementary schools.
The second consideration which I wish to emphasize is the growing tendency to centralize the upper elementary grades in one building. This is now done in 93 Massachusetts towns of less than 10,000 population. When the seventh and eighth grades are thus centralized, they may constitute either a central grammar school, junior high school or a division of a six- year high school. In towns of the size of Westford the six-year high school plan seems to be the best.
In this brief report I can only enumerate a few of the benefits derived by the pupils of the seventh and eighth grades from this type of organization :
1. They receive the benefit of departmental instruction and therefore of more expert teaching.
2. Usually instruction in the practical arts and elementary science is available to them through the use of the shops and laboratories provided for the upper classes.
3. In the six-year high school, pupils of approximately the same age and mental attainment are brought together in sizeable groups. As a result of the keen competition and rivalry there develops a stronger interest in school work.
As a result of the three benefits here outlined, pupils in the upper elementary grades are much more likely to continue in school after com- pleting the compulsory school age period than otherwise. This advantage is worthy of special consideration in the Town of Westford because of the large loss of pupils evident in the high school years. Westford has nearly 550 pupils in the eight elementary school years, but only about 70 in the four high school years. This proportion in the high school is less than the average for the state, also for the 116 towns of less than 5,000 population and maintaining high schools.
In the light of my inspection of school accommodations in Westford and in view of the considerations above outlined, I wish to recommend the following plan for developing and extending your school plant :
1. If possible, secure a long-term lease of the academy and permission to build a four-room addition so as to make the academy into a six-year high school.
It would appear that as long as the academy stands it is likely to be used as the high school building for the town. It would seem reasonable, therefore, that the town should accept this situation and adapt it so that
11
it will best meet the needs of secondary education in Westford. Two of the four new rooms recommended would be utilized by the pupils of grades seven and eight who would be transported to this central school, each grade having enough to form a normal sized class. In the long run it would appear that the added cost of transportation for the pupils in the seventh and eighth grades would not be large because of the fact that transporta- tion routes are likely to be established for high school pupils as a conse- quence of recent legislation which in effect guarantees transportation to any public school pupil who lives over two miles from the school he is entitled to attend. (See Section 6S, Chapter 71, General Laws.)
The third room of the addition would be used for domestic science instruction and the fourth for manual arts work, each room serving the pupils of the whole school. The rooms now used for cooking in the high school could then be devoted to science and commercial work, purposes for which they are now needed.
2. Build a two-room extension at Forge Village, thus providing one room for each of the six grades.
3. Build a two-room extension at Graniteville, thus providing one room for each of the six grades.
4. Build a two-room building at Brookside, so planned as. to permit of enlargement when necessary. This building would house three small grades in each room. I would suggest that the two rooms be separated by folding doors so that they could be thrown together into a large room for assembly purposes.
With the erection of this new building at Brookside, about 60 pupils would be withdrawn from the William E. Frost School at the Centre. It would seem that this building would then be adequate to accommodate the pupils remaining in the first six grades.
It will be seen that the foregoing plan calls for ten new class rooms. It provides for the six-year high school organization, and for the introduc- tion of instruction in practical arts. This plan seems to meet the obvious needs for schoolhouse extension and would in addition put Westford in line with other progressive school systems in Massachusetts in respect to school organization and school facilities.provided.
In case any legal obstacle should prevent the securing of a long-term lease of the academy and the building of an addition, I would suggest that most of the benefits to be derived from this plan could be secured by building such an addition to the William E. Frost School. The two build- ings are so near that the academy pupils could use the practical arts equip- ment at the William E. Frost School and the upper grade pupils could utilize the science equipment, the gymnasium and the athletic field of the academy.
In making the above suggestions it is quite possible that I have gone farther than the schoolhouse building committee had thought of going. If it should appear to the committee that at the present time Westford cannot do more than meet the pressing needs for greater seating capacity, I would suggest the following extensions :
1. Four rooms at Forge Village. This would provide one room for each of the eight grades. I recommend that the extension be so consructed that two rooms be finished off in the basement for the practical arts. In case the town should later centralize the upper grades, and I think this
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move is inevitable, the two rooms in the addition used by grades seven and eight could be utilized for an assembly room by removing a partition. The new addition should be constructed with this plan in view.
2. A two-room extension at Graniteville, as called for in the first plan. 3. A two-room building at Brookside as called for in the first plan.
The committee gave the matter due consideration, and decided that for Westford. Plan II was the most desirable, and following the instruc- tions given at a previous town meeting, they studied the problem with a view to providing extra facilities at Forge Village, and a new school at Brookside.
At a subsequent town meeting, after architects had been consulted, it was decided to ask for a new building at Brookside, and for temporary accommodations at Forge Village. Money was appropriated at a special town meeting, for both projects, and the temporary quarters at Forge Village were ready for use early in December. The preliminary work for the building at Brookside is being pushed as rapidly as possible.
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