USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Wilmington > Town of Wilmington Annual Report 1915-1916 > Part 9
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12
36
Males
15
Females
21
Dog License Account :
Number of Licenses issued . 188
By cash paid County Treasurer $428.40
Account of printed Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths:
Number on hand January 1, 1916 214
Sold during the year
2
Number on hand January 1, 1917
212
Respectfully submitted,
JAMES E. KELLEY, Town Clerk.
The Town Clerk will furnish to parents, householders, physi- cians and midwives, applying therefor, blanks for returns of births as required by law.
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
SCHOOL. COMMITTEE
Together with the Reports of the
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS PRINCIPAL OF HIGH SCHOOL SUPERVISORS OF MANUAL ARTS SUPERVISOR OF MUSIC
For the year ending December 31, 1916
y
School Committee
Howard M. Horton
Ellen S. Perry
Philip B. Buzzell
.
Term expires 1917
Term expires 1918
Term expires 1919
Superintendent of Schools
Charles L. Randall, 97 Eighteenth Street, Lowell, Tel. 4746 resigned September 1.
James A. MacDougall, North Wilmington, Tel. 3-3. Elected.
Attendance Officer
Samuel R. Rice
School Physician
Daniel T. Buzzell, M.D.
43
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
To the Citizens of the Town of Wilmington:
The year 1916, destined to go down into history as one of the most noted of the Christian Era, has brought more than the usual number of changes in the administration of the public schools of our town.
At the beginning of the year, Miss Agnes Hayward of Pep- perell was elected as teacher of English in the High School to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Miss R. M. Giles. Miss Hayward has given good satisfaction in her position and we trust we may retain her services in the future.
At the annual meeting of the Joint-Committee of the Super- intendency District, a proposal for the dissolution of the District was brought forward by the towns of Dracut and Tewksbury. There was a feeling on the part of those towns that the district was too large and that they were not getting the attention necessary. While we were perfectly satisfied with conditions as they were, we did not desire to remain in a district in which we were not wanted. The district was there- fore dissolved by an unanimous vote.
During the month of June an attempt was made by your committee to form a new district consisting of the towns of Topsfield, Middleton and Wilmington. This idea was aban- doned as it was deemed unwise to take the two towns, Tops- field and Middleton, from the same district.
44
Late in August, a district was formed consisting of Boxford, Middleton and Wilmington. This district having received the approval of the State Board of Education, the Committees of the several towns met at Middleton to apportion the expense and elect a Superintendent.
It was voted that Wilmington should pay five-tenths, Boxford three-tenths, and Middleton two-tenths of the expense.
Mr. James A. MacDougall of Taunton was selected from a number of applicants to serve as Superintendent at a salary of nineteen hundred dollars per year. Mr. MacDougall comes to us with years of experience as a school principal and superin- tendent and we feel confident that he will maintain the same high degree of success as was obtained by our former officials.
In regard to the financial aspect of the change, we will say that the net expense to the Town will be somewhat less than the former district. At the close of the school year in June a number of resignations were received.
Miss Batchelder who had been at the head of the Commer- cial Department of the High School for the past four years accepted a position in the Reading High School.
Miss Everett, the instructor in the Domestic Science Depart- ment, received an appointment at Belmont at a largely increased salary.
Miss Alice Rigby of Melrose was elected to the Commercial Department and Miss Alva Chisolm of Malden to the Domestic Science Department.
Some weeks after school closed, Mr. Bates, principal of the High School, resigned. Mr. Bates was elected at Maynard with a larger school and increased salary.
45
From a list of forty applicants, Mr. W. F. Allen of Goldsboro, N. C., was elected to fill the vacancy.
Mr. Allen comes to us highly recommended and judging from the success obtained up to the present time, we feel assured that the selection will prove a wise one.
Among the teachers of the Grade Schools, there were fewer changes. Miss Florence Koford of the Whitefield and Miss Jessie Carter of the West School severed their connection as teachers in our schools. These young ladies, successful teachers for the past three years, have retired from the profession to accept positions as home makers and we wish them every success in their new walks of life.
The vacancy at the West School was filled by the election of Miss May Lund, Salem '16, and at the Whitefield by the election of Miss Helen Gibbs, Salem '16.
Various complaints having been made by the parents in regard to the heating of the District Schools, we have prepared an article in relation to same, which will come before you at the March meeting. The system we have in mind is the same as has been in use at the South School for the past eighteen years.
Plans and estimates of the probable cost will be submitted at the Town Meeting.
With this exception the graded school buildings are in good condition and will require only minor repairs.
The roof of the High School is leaking and the plastering is becoming badly discolored. Your Committee have tried to have it remedied, but the contractors seemed unwilling or un- able to remedy the defects.
While two different bonds were given to insure a satisfactory job, there was a question as to the rights of the Town under
Grades
Aggregate Attendance
Number of Days
School in Session
Aggregate
Membership
Average
Membership
Average Daily
Attendance
Per cent of
Attendance
Previously enrolled elsewhere in State
High School.
18,536
187
121
104.48
99.12
94.87
Center School:
Eva L. Hersey .
VIII VII
5,824
180
41
35.73
32.43
90.7
Carolyn M. Swain
6,415.5
17712
42
39.54
36.14
91
2
M. Ethel Chapman .
I-IV
4,334.5
177
28
26.27
24.45
93
5
Walker School:
Ida L. Shaw.
VI
6,855.
179
50
42.14
38.28
90.
9
Henrietta A. Swain.
V
5,824.5
178
43
36.60
32.84
90.
3
H. Mildred Eames.
III-IV
6,133.5
179
42
38.70
34.26
88.5
1
Gertrude M. Eames.
I-II
6,175
17812
45
40.16
34.84
87
2
Whitefield School:
Florence Koford .
V-VII
4,143.5
176
29
25.16
23.54
93.6
1
Nettie M. Haley
I-IV
4,099
177
29
25.75
22.54
87.53
1
South School:
Marion Perry
I-III
2,670.5
180
22
16.63
14.83
89.2
1
East School:
E. Lillian Sutherland .
I-IV
1,840
170
21
11.87
10.80
91.15
10
West School:
Jessie M. Carter .
I-IV
5,407
177
40
35.4
31.1
87.67
2
North School:
Genenia M. Kimball.
I-IV
2,986
17812
24
18.8
16.7
83.5
6
Totals.
81,244
577
497.23
452.17
90.9
43
46
47
NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PUPILS ENROLLED DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR
Under 5 Years of Age.
5 Years or Over and Under 7.
7 Years or Over and Under 14.
14 Years or Over and Under 16.
Over 16
Totals (5 Preceding Columns.)
Boys,
3
40
164
32
23
262
Girls,
1
40
174
42
22
279
Totals,
4
80
33S
74
45
541
those bonds. We were unable to enforce them legally without good counsel. This being denied us, by a vote of the Town at a Special Meeting, the matter was dropped.
The matter should receive immediate attention if the interior of the building is to be preserved.
Conditions in the basement are also very unsatisfactory. Last spring we had from ten inches to a foot of water in the boiler room and gymnasium. In order to keep up the fires we were obliged to have a pump working night and day.
After consultation with the Board of Selectmen, we engaged an engineer to prepare plans for a series of drains which we felt would take care of the water. These plans, submitted to the voters of the Town, were rejected and a proposition of waterproofing was brought forward.
At the present time and with such information as we have at hand, we cannot recommend the expenditure of a thousand dollars with no surety of success.
48
Our experience with the roof has rendered us skeptical as to the value of a guarantee for a tight job of waterproofing.
We would call also your attention to the fire well near the High School. This reservoir is covered with a plank platform which is getting weak from exposure to weather and we recom- mend that a concrete curb with an iron manhole be placed about it. We trust that the amount asked for will be granted so that this portion of the grounds may be made to correspond with the remainder. In accordance with a vote passed in March, 1916, a report will be submitted by the Committee in regard to the transportation of pupils.
As the transportation of pupils upon the lines indicated in this vote will require considerable expense, we trust that the citizens will consider the matter carefully before taking action.
In making up our budget for 1917, we were obliged to increase the amount for fuel and books and supplies.
The advance in price of all kinds of paper stock and the scarcity of coal rendered this imperative.
The routine work of the various schools will be more fully explained by the reports of the several principals and super- visors to which we would call your attention and ask a careful examination of the same.
The grading of the High School lot has been completed and the final payment made.
We desire to thank the citizens and organizations who aided us in the improvement of the grounds by the planting of trees and shrubs.
49
We trust that the example thus set will induce others to assist in future years, so that the building and grounds will become an ornament and credit to the Town.
The fencing of the Whitefield and West Schools has been completed in accordance with the vote of the Town and a de- tailed financial report will be found of same.
In closing we desire to thank the citizens for their loyal support in the last year and solicit a continuance of the same in the future.
Respectfully submitted,
Signed,
HOWARD M. HORTON, ELLEN S. PERRY, PHILIP B. BUZZELL.
50
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Recapitulation
Appropriation for 1916
$19,650 00
Expenditures :
Salaries of Teachers
. $11,875 92
Salaries of Janitors
1,695 00
Salaries of Committee
200 00
Salaries of Superintendents
892 64
Salary of Physician
75 00
Salary of Director Savings Fund
25 00
Salary of Attendance Officer
1 00
Industrial education .
282 00
Transportation
20 00
Fuel
1,212 44
Insurance
166 50
Repairs
445 14
Books and supplies
1,750 67
Furniture .
446 63
Miscellaneous
554 01
$19,641 95
Balance unexpended $ 8 05
Miscellaneous
L. E. Kincaid (repairing clock) $ 1 00
S. C. Harriman (toilet paper) 3 00
New England Telephone & Telegraph Co. (telephone service) 48 04
51
S. R. McIntosh (brushes) . $ 1 25
A. & E. Burton (brushes) . 30 50
J. W. Van Buskirk (rubbish burner) 1 98
Butterfield Printing Co. (printing) 8 79
S. R. Rice (cleaning) 36 00
Charles D. Blake & Co. (account of piano) . 75 00
Hickox Refining Co. (gasoline)
27 54
H. M. Horton (car fares) . ·
1 90
J. C. Addison (cleaning clocks) 3 00
J. Frank Muse (pumping water) 7 50
Carrol Horton (pumping water) . 6 00
Chester Horton (pumping water)
6 50
Clinton Horton (pumping water)
2 00
Boston Lead Co. (valve for pump)
1 75
Hamlet & Hayes Co. (toilet paper)
10 00
C. S. Harriman (teaming) .
3 00
Wright & Potter Co. (printing)
1 85
Thompson Hardware Co. (lawn mower) 6 30
Grace A. Jenkins (sundries) 7 93
Albert D. Mack (diplomas) 4 00
Carrol A. Horton (automobile hire)
12 00
Ellen S. Perry (ribbon for diplomas) 2 75
Christian Neilson (teaming)
8 50
Moth Department (testing roof of High School) 1 93
Oliver McGrane (testing roof of High School) 1 25
H. R. Pratt (testing roof of High School) 70
F. A. Guyette (floor oil) ·
8 00
Thompson Hardware Co. (floor oil)
3 00
E. E. Smith & Co. 6 64
Charles V. Blaisdell (cleaning vaults) 25 00
Charles V. Blaisdell (cleaning cesspool) . 17 00
Gould Buckle (cleaning) 4 00
L. H. Kincaid (cleaning) 5 00
52
Maybelle L. Counce (sundries) $ 1 44
Singer Machine Co. (needles) 1 20
Clarence E. Carter (surveying)
11 50
Ellen S. Perry (telephone and postage) . 2 00
Massachusetts District Police (inspec- tion of boilers) 6 00
Municipal Light Board (electric lights) 44 24
Mrs. J. E. Surrette (cleaning) 5 00
Boston & Maine R.R. (freight) .
4 68
American Express Co. (express) . 2 42
H. M. Horton (sundries) 7 85
W. F. Allen (express and postage) 3 28
A. A. Smith & Co. (repairs on typewriter) 7 99
Buck Bros., North Wilmington (sundries) 3 72
C. L. Randall (office expenses) 47 09
F. A. Lowell (programs)
15 00
$554 01
Furniture
Kenny Bros. & Wolkins (seats and desks) $363 20
Edward Caldwell (furniture) 59 63
Edward Caldwell (shades) .
23 80
$446 63
Repairs
E. A. Hamlin (labor) . $ 7 45
W. & B. Douglas (pump and motor) 136 35
F. H. Jones (electrical repairs) 4 70 ·
A. E. Robinson (labor)
50 24
G. W. Blanchard & Co. (lumber)
42 90
Boston Plumbing & Heating Co. (soil pipe) 15 90
Everett Avery (labor) .
7 50
Chester T. Horton (labor) . .
9 00
53
H. N. Clark Co. (grates) .
$ 4 60
H. M. Horton (labor) 62 77
R. P. Burgess (labor)
5 25
C. S. Harriman & Co. (valve packing) 50
E. E. Carter (lumber and hardware) 37 76
Atlantic Clock Co. (repairs on clock) 11 98
S. R. McIntosh (lumber and hardware) 42 17
Dodge, Haley Co. (iron beams) . .
6 07
Total $445 14
Fuel
Frank L. Eames (coal)
$842 94
Walter L. Hale (coal)
160 00
H. C. Barrows (measuring wood)
1 50
C. S. Harriman (wood)
143 00
Walter L. Hale (wood)
16 00
W. B. McIntosh (wood)
11 00
J. C. Horton (sawing wood)
38 00
Total $1,212 44
Insurance
Fred A. Eames $166 50
$166 50
Transportation
Bay State Street Railway Co.
$20 00
$20 00
Industrial Tuition
Town of Reading $192 00
Lowell Vocational School 90 00
. Total
$282 00
54
Books and Supplies
Ginn & Co. (books)
$ 62 37
F. H. Roberts (cocoa)
.
2 70
C. F. Perry (milk)
91 38
Buck Bros. (groceries)
115 95
A. C. Buck (meat)
1 34
Cora Strong (doll)
1 75
Educational Associates
10 00
Oliver Typewriter Co.
64 00
Henry Holt & Co. (books)
20 00
Houghton, Mifflen & Co. (books)
23 41
Macmillan Co. (books)
45 93
Atkinson, Mentzer & Co. (books)
4 32
Milton Bradley Co. (supplies)
24 69
E. E. Babb Co. (books)
220 14
American Book Co. (books)
33 10
D. C. Heath Co. (books)
71 46
J. L. Hammet & Co. (supplies)
667 22
Oliver Ditson Co. (music) .
12 67
A. G. Pollard Co. (dry goods)
83 02
Wilmington Town Farm (eggs)
11 97
Silver, Burdett Co. (music)
3 97
Allyn & Bacon (books)
20 20
L. E. Knott Co. (chemicals)
24 60
Three Millers Co. (extracts)
4 55
W. L. Hale (ice)
2 27
Teachers' Exchange (books)
8 44
E. E. Carter (lumber, glass, etc) .
109 22
$1,750 67
SALARIES School Committee
Howard M. Horton
.
$75 00
Ellen S. Perry .
.
.
.
75 00
Philip B. Buzzell
.
.
.
50 00
·
$200 00
55
Superintendent of Schools
Charles L. Randall
$576 00
James A. MacDougall .
316 64
$892 64
School Physician
Daniel T. Buzzell, M.D. $75 00
$75 00
Director of School Savings Fund
Helen H. Buck $25 00
$25 00
Attendance Officer
Samuel R. Rice $1 00
$1 00
56
Construction of Fence at Whitefield and West Schools
Appropriation
$400 00
Expenditures :
E. E. Carter (wire and lumber)
$179 52
Boston Lumber Co. (posts)
40 30
H. M. Horton (labor)
99 20
A. E. Robinson (labor)
42 25
New England Paint Co. (paint) .
5 10
American Express Co. (express)
44
W. B.McIntosh (teaming posts)
6 00
$372 81
Balance unexpended
$27 19
57
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
To the School Committee of Wilmington.
Dear Madam and Sirs I herewith present my first annual report, it being the twenty-first in the series of superintendents' reports.
It was after the opening of schools in September that I took over the duties of the office and accordingly the work of getting started had been done by Mr. Randall. The teachers had been chosen and were in their places; text-books and sup- plies had been purchased and distributed. It was for me merely to see that the machinery was kept running. My report therefore will be brief.
Permit me to compliment you, and to congratulate the Town, upon the excellent general condition in which I found the schools. The new principal of the High School had already got a good knowledge of the conditions in the school and was studying with earnestness and energy the best methods of solving the various problems as they arose. He appeared to be getting the co-operation of his assistants, and good will and a good degree of effort from the pupils. His chief difficulty at this time grew out of the fact that the laboratory equipment and the text-books in some departments were inadequate and the appropriation for text-books and supplies was prac- tically spent. These problems are being gradually solved.
The general aim is to put the work of the school on such a standard as to merit the approval of the College Entrance Certificate Board. Although approval by this board of the
58
colleges does not necessarily mean a superior school, or lack of approval an inferior one, it does mean a decided advantage, because most New England colleges without examinations admit graduates of approved schools. Approval is based principally upon thoroughness of work, and the continued study of a subject for such a period as to insure a fairly inten- sive knowledge of it. Continued approval is contingent upon the satisfactory work in the colleges of the graduates of the school.
The quality of the work done in the grades is, in general, highly commendable. The attitude of the teachers, almost without exception, indicates a devotion to their work and a loyal interest in the progress and growth of their pupils. This spirit on the part of the teachers has become the spirit of the schools, and there is apparent an atmosphere of self-reliance combined with co-operation - an ambition to do good work and to help others to do well. Even when there has been a spirit of dogmatic authority it has generally been so tempered by one of justice and kindness that pupils interpreted it rightly as one of interest in their well-being.
The end and aim of all school work, to be of value to the community, is, and must be, a preparation for citizenship, and the essentials of good citizenship are loyalty to constituted authority and the ability for independent application to duty, combined with a spirit of interest in the welfare of the com- munity. Any educational system, however efficient it may be in mental training, is a failure if any of these aims are lost sight of or neglected. The college graduate, however brilliant, is a failure if he does not have the ability to work, and if he does not have an interest in the welfare of the town and of the state in which he lives.
It is often difficult to get pupils and even parents to realize that school work should be work. Giving up a subject because it is hard and substituting something easier is one of the steps
59
in training for failure. Success in any line is the result of persistent, continued effort along a chosen line. A father once said to me, " I had to work like a dog to get anywhere and I am going to give my children an education so that they won't have to work." I trust that the schools were able to counteract the ill effects of the father's attitude.
The aim of the work of the first three grades is to give the children the mechanics of reading, number, writing, and give some training of the nervous system for the purpose of co- ordinating the activities of hand and voice with those of eye and ear. During the first year especial emphasis is laid upon reading and story-telling, and upon giving the child concrete work in number. During the second and third years this aim continues but broadens so that by the time he enters the fourth grade the child should be able to read readily and fluently and should have the ability to work out the pronuncia- tion of unfamiliar words. He should have the ability to do addition and subtraction without counting, and should also know readily the multiplication combinations to ten times ten or possibly to twelve times twelve, and simple division. In writing he should have the letter forms and he should be able to spell the common words of his own vocabulary.
In the fourth year he is taught to use these " tools " for practical purposes. He begins to read history for information; he uses the number facts in the solution of easy problems, and he writes the stories that he has been giving orally. In addition he is drilled in reading for vocabulary, pronunciation, fluency, and articulation; in number combinations for readiness and accuracy. His writing and spelling will go on for training in ability to use these in expressing his thoughts on paper. His work in singing, drawing, and nature study has been laying a foundation for later work.
From the beginning of the fifth year the aims of the teachers should be to give the child as great a fund of knowledge of
60
history, geography, literature, etc., as possible, and by means of the teaching of these to give him the power to acquire in- formation for himself and to apply what he has acquired to such problems as may come into his life. Furthermore the method should be such that his interest in these subjects will continue after he leaves school. He should carry away not merely the knowledge gained but a compelling desire and ambition to acquire more. Life is made up largely of habits. When a pupil leaves school he should, therefore, have well established habits of industry, of thoughtfulness, of fairminded- ness, of honesty of thinking. Failures in life, whether they consist in definite violations of law or whether they consist in a lack of sufficient force of will to act positively, are almost invariably due to inability to think straight - to correctly estimate values. How much of this crookedness of thinking is due to shirking in school and trumping up excuses for failure or having them trumped up, rather than accepting honest failure!
The school work in Wilmington is being done in an honest and wholesome way. Children are getting to a good degree a training for the establishing of right habits of thought and action.
I desire to thank citizens, school committee and teachers for the cordial friendliness and co-operation that have been accorded us.
Respectfully submitted,
J. A. MACDOUGALL, Superintendent of Schools.
61
REPORT OF ATTENDANCE OFFICER
Wilmington, Mass., January 8, 1917.
Superintendent MacDougall and School Board:
I hereby submit my third annual report as attendance officer of Wilmington Schools. I have had but two calls. One boy was discharged from school and has gone to work. The other case was necessary detention.
Yours respectfully,
SAMUEL R. RICE.
62
THE REPORT OF THE HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
To the Superintendent and School Committee:
I am submitting to you a brief report of the Wilmington High School during the time that I have had the honor of being principal. This report must of necessity be brief and will deal more with present and future conditions than with the past.
Our High School is composed of two distinct classes of pupils. In the first place there is a class of students who lack knowledge of their own ability and who have not yet found out their own desires. Since they have an abundance of time and means at their command, their education has been extended beyond the compulsory school age. It is not necessary for them to deter- mine at this time what they will do in the future - keep on with their studies in school or choose some vocation. They are of the opinion, and they have a right to be, that the High School will be of assistance to them in discovering themselves.
This class of students has been subdivided into four sections, the fourth and third-year boys constituting section one, the fourth and third year girls making up section two, and the second and first year pupils forming sections three and four respectively. To each of these, a teacher has been assigned whose duty it is to consult and confer with all individuals in her respective section so that, if possible, the powers and per- manent interests of all pupils may be discovered - in other words- to assist the pupils to self-discovery.
63
There is a second class of students who have some definite aim and purpose in life. They are eager to succeed and to achieve their ambitions, and what is more natural than that they should expect their High School course to assist them in some specific training and teaching so that their aims and purposes may be accomplished? The students of this class are subdivided into four groups. In the first place, there are those who, for divers reasons, contemplate only a short course in the High School. They desire a brief but broad education adapted to their several interests, or a certain proficiency which may be helpful to them in their future vocations. There , are many and varied reasons which mould their aims, chief among which are limited means, indifference, failure to appre- ciate an extended education, mental or physical weakness, and sometimes a weakness of moral fiber. It is right that this student should receive as quickly as possible what he is justly entitled to so that he may leave school; or his ambition should be so aroused by frequent consultations with his adviser that his course of procedure will be changed.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.