USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Wilmington > Town of Wilmington Annual Report 1919-1920 > Part 3
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The following named persons were buried in Wilmington, but died elsewhere during the year 1919. January 29, George T. Eames at Danvers, Mass. aged 81 yrs. 7 mos. 2 dys. February 4, Thomas Fielding at Somerville, Mass., 33 yrs. 1 mo. 8 dys. February 9, Mary E. Robinson at Farmington, N. H., 72 yrs. 2 mo. 15 dys. February 14, Jessie A. Hooper at Woburn, Mass., aged 59 yrs. 5 mos. 8 dys. April 7, Arthur Darwin Folkins at Boston, Mass., aged 54 yrs. 2 mos. 4 dys. May 19, Edmund Buxton at Reading, Mass., aged 89 yrs. 7 mos. 2 dys. December 13, James Harvey Gowing at Medford, Mass., aged 63 yrs. 11 mos. 12 dys.
Wi!mitagbar Mimada! Library
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Richard C. Young, Lizzie W. Burley Warren Eames, Elizabeth A. Carter
Wilmington
Mary E. White
46
RECAPITULATION
Births registered in 1919
53
Males
28
Females
25
Marriages registered in 1919
32
Deaths in 1919
33
Males
15
Females
18
Dog License Account :
Number of Licenses issued 203
By Cash paid County Treasurer $449.40
Account of printed Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths :
Number on hand January 1, 1919 209
Sold during the year ...
Number on hand January 1, 1920 209
Respectfully submitted,
JAMES E. KELLEY, Town Clerk.
The Town Clerk will furnish to parents, householders, physicians and midwives, applying therefor, blanks for re- turns 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
For the year ending December 31, 1919
Philip B. Buzzell Ellen S. Perry Charles C. Alden
School Committee
Term expires 1920
Term expires 1921
Term expires 1922
Superintendent of Schools Roscoe G. Frame
Attendance Officer M. Leontine Buck
School Physician Daniel T. Buzzell, M. D.
49
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
To the Citizens of the Town of Wilmington :
The school committee submits the following report, together with the reports of the superintendent, principal and super- visors.
The funds entrusted to the committee in March, 1919 have been entirely expended in maintenance and current repairs, unless the extensive repairs at the Central Grammar School should properly be classed as an improvement. Because of the increasing scarcity of teachers, it has been necessary to expend a greater amount than heretofore on salaries. Owing to the large increases which other cities and towns throughout the State have granted their teachers during the last few months, it is absolutely necessary that we provide a further substantial increase here, to take effect as of January 1, 1920. Otherwise we are likely to find ourselves without teachers next fall. After careful consideration, the committee is convinced that a flat raise of $300 a year for every teacher (making our minimum salary $950) is the least which will meet the emer- gency. This is the figure which we have used in making up our budget for the current year. The committee is confident that the town will receive full value for the increased expen- diture in the form of greater efficiency in its teaching force.
Many of the teachers have expressed to the committee their desire to keep in touch with modern educational methods by taking summer courses, and the committee plans to aid them
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50
by giving a bonus of fifty dollars for each such course success- fully completed. There is no reason why Wilmington cannot have a school system second to none in the State. The quality of our schools is what we make it, and we ought to be willing -pupils, teachers, supervisors, superintendent and committee -to give our best efforts toward improving that quality. This constant striving to improve-this making a business of pro- gress-is perhaps the best way in which we can express to the citizens of the town our appreciation for their sincere interest and co-operation, which has been evinced in countless ways during the year.
The committee wishes to take this opportunity of publicly thanking Mr. F. H. Roberts and Mr. C. S. Harriman for their generosity and public spirit, in giving to the schools a complete equipment of playground apparatus-an equipment, as has been stated on good authority, which is superior to that of any other town in the State.
Through the initiative of Mrs. Nettie Haley, the principal of the Whitefield School, and the co-operation of several of our public spirited citizens, the grounds of that School have been beautified. Mr. J. D. Wright gave his services in laying out the grounds without compensation.
During the coming year it is the intention of the committee to install in each of the principal buildings (except the High School, which is already equipped) a modern system of sanita- tion.
The closing of the West School was decided upon by the com- mittee for several reasons. Of these the principal one was the desire to give all the children the advantages of our larger and more modern buildings. While there is available space in these buildings, it seems most unwise to keep the children segregated in small groups, in the antiquated district schools. The in- creasing sentiment on the part of the townspeople in favor of
51
transportation was also a moving consideration. The commit- tee believes in concentrating all the children in the large cen- trally located buildings, and in furnishing transportation for all of the younger children who live at any considerable dis- tance from these buildings.
The committee wishes to express to the Selectmen its appre- ciation of their aid and co-operation.
Respectfully submitted,
ELLEN S. PERRY, Chairman, CHARLES C. ALDEN, PHILIP B. BUZZELL, School Committee.
INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNT
J. H. Addison
$2.75
C. C. Alden
62.50
Allyn & Bacon
4.91
American Book Co.
5.39
American Multigraph Sales Co.
273.91
W. F. Allen
3.09
Atlantic Clock Co.
13.82
American Express Co.
10.29
E. E. Babb & Co.
781.23
M. Babine
10.35
B. & M. R. R. Co.
42.79
H. C. Barrows
1,291.20
The Beale Press
7.00
Belmont Water Co.
80.50
Charles Blake & Co.
60.00
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52
Charles Blaisdell
44.00
Braman Dow & Co.
3.75
C. C. Birchard
4.20
M. L. Buck
50.00
Burroughs Adding Machine Co.
183.75
Daniel T. Buzzell
50.00
Philip B. Buzzell
62.50
E. H. Chase
325.00
C. B. Courburn
8.86
Mabelle P. Counce
8.44
Ernest R. Currier
6.00
Oliver Ditson Co.
15.76
Mary Doherty
5.34
Lena Doucette
12.00
Fred A. Eames
189.00
Elliott Fisher Co.
186.91
Frank L. Eames
1,011.27
Charles L. Feindell
71.20
F. A. Fraser
4.50
Francis Bros.
5.80
M. H. Foskett
3.00
R. G. Frame
13.42
Ginn & Co.
59.92
Walter Hale
933.05
Frank Hamlin
35.87
C. S. Harriman Co.
1.73
D. C. Heath & Co.
37.78
Hickok Producing Co.
45.36
John Horton
33.00
Howard M. Horton
698.66
E. L. Howe
9.01
Houghton Mifflin Co.
3.40
L. E. Knott Co.
.79
Frank T. Knight
14.00
C. A. Livingston
9.50
W. T. Leavitt Sons Co.
250.00
Library Bureau
9.46
53
F. A. Lowell
26.00
Laura B. Marland
30.00
Mass. State Prison
13.00
S. R. McIntosh
69.03
Kelley & McGrane
270.00
MacMillan Co.
5.01
Middlesex Co.
41.00
Granville Miller
8.75
Edward Mores
6.00
N. E. T. & T. Co.
123.36
Neostyle Sales Agency
7.75
Peter Neilson
229.51
National Geographic Society
2.75
A. N. Palmer
6.90
Payroll
16,487.17
Ellen S. Perry
90.90
Phonographic Institute
2.02
Walker Pratt Co.
1.77
Town of Reading
364.08
Remington Typewriter Co.
182.10
Samuel Rice
4.45
W. W. Rice
4.00
B. H. Sanborn Co.
85.51
Silver Burdett Co.
4.35
Standard Oil Co.
11.50
Wilbur Staverly
14.40
L. C. Smith Bros., Typewriter Co.
6.00
Talbot Chemical Co.
114.85
Frank Twomey
5.00
Underwood Typewriter Co.
200.00
E. A. Woodside
6.34
H. S. Wright
26.00
$25,515.46
......... . ....
Grades
Attendance Aggregate
Schools in Session Number of Days
Membership Aggregate
Average
Membership
Average Daily
Attendance
Per Cent of
Attendance
Previously Regis-
tered in State
High School.
9-12
15,765
180
105
92
88
91
..
Center School :
Fern R. Price .
8
5,307
174
36
36
34
90
3
Caroline M. Swain
7
5,897
173
52
38
34
91
ยท
M. Ethel Chapman.
1-4
4,980
174
24
20
26
92
2
Walker School :
Ida L. Shaw. ..
6
6,017
174
45
38
34
77
3
Henrietta Swain .
5
6,933
175
49
45
40
89
1
H. Mildred Eames.
3-4
6,121
170
45
39
36
91
4
Margaret L. Knights
1-2
6,438
176
72
44
38
85
9
Whitefield School :
Nettie M. Haley
1-3
6,177
175
45
4.0
36
89
5
Lena Doucette (Substitute)
6-7
4,174
176
30
25
24
93
2
Hilda M. Buck .
4-5
4,322
176
33
27
24
90
. .
West School :
Helen M. Bromley .
1-3
2,701
167
27
18
16
85
. .
South School :
Vilma Bryant.
1-4
4,480
173
37
32
26
80
8
54
. .
..
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REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
Wilmington, Mass., Feb. 2, 1920.
The School Committee of Wilmington, Mass.
Your Superintendent has the honor to submit his third an- nual report for your consideration.
During the year the work of the schools in general has been a steady advance and improvement. There have been a number of causes which have seriously interfered with the work, such as sickness to the extent of the epidemic, but the teachers have cheerfully worked all the harder and in many respects have accomplished more than was done a year ago.
Wilmington, together with many other small towns was afflicted with the loss of many valuable teachers. In nearly every instance the reason for resignation was to accept a bet- ter salary in a much larger place. While change of position is a recognized means of promotion for the teaching profession, seldom is it as rapid as was the case of the last two years. One consolation we may take for ourselves is the fact that we had engaged teachers which were of a type that were in demand by other school officials. From a professional point of view, promotion is a highly desirable thing, but when it verges on the border of being a procession, the reaction is dan- gerous, not only to the school system but to the individual.
At the High School, Miss Carol Judkins was our only vet- eran teacher. Her work of a year ago was such as to justify
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confidence that her influence and ability would be a valuable asset to the new corps of teachers which must be enlisted. Mr. Nelson I. Mixer, whose experience as a teacher, principal, and as a group leader in Americanization work, under the direc- tion of the Y. M. C. A., gave him particular qualifications for the position was elected as Principal. To complete the staff the following elections were made: Miss Elizabeth Leach, a graduate of Boston University; Miss Laura B. Marland, an Honor Graduate of Jackson College; Miss Mildred E. Ord- way, who has had successful teaching experience after her graduation from the Bryant and Stratton Business College, and Miss Mildred E. Leighton, a graduate of the University of Maine, together with an enviable record in teaching, complete the list.
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The resignation of Mr. William Fernald Allen was received and accepted with regret at the close of three years most suc- cessful and valuable to the High School. Mr. Allen has de- voted his entire life and energy to school work, with credit to himself and to the profession. He is a man who leaves a permanent record in the life and character of each pupil with whom he has made contact, the value of which may never be fully estimated. Mr. Allen left Wilmington to accept the Principalship of the Plymouth High School, at a very con- siderable increase in salary.
At the Center Grammar we have been able to retain the same teachers as of last year, together with one addition to the force in the person of Miss Helen Brown. Miss Brown is a graduate of the Salem Normal School of a year ago, and has had one year's experience with most excellent and suc- cessful results. Miss Brown is a strong teacher, and one who will go far in the profession. This year, as last, Miss Chap- man has the ungraded or overflow room with grades one to five. The seventh and eighth grades are divided between Miss Brown, Miss Swain and Mrs. Gowen.
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The Walker School, as usual, continues to be popular in the matter of registration records. Here our teaching force re- mained intact until the first of January, when we were forced to accept the resignation of Miss Margaret Knights, who left for a larger salary. Miss Anna R. Cremins, who started her work in town at the Whitefield School, was transferred to fill the vacancy left by Miss Knights. Miss Ida L. Shaw, Prin. of the Walker Building, has been granted leave of ab- sence both last spring and since the Christmas Recess this year, because of sickness in her family and on her own ac- count. The place has been filled both times by Mrs. Leontine Buck, as substitute. We are indeed fortunate in having an experienced teacher on whom we may depend in such an emergency.
The Whitefield School now registers grades one to six in- clusive, taking these pupils from the North and East sections of the town. Last spring, Miss Margaret Lyons was forced to resign because of a nervous collapse, and we were fortunate in being able to secure Miss Lena Doucette of North Wilming- ton as a substitute for the position. Miss Doucette was able to stay until the close of School in June, and filled the place in an able and efficient manner. Miss Anna Cremins, now transferred to the Walker, was engaged for the position at the opening of the term.
Miss Vilma Bryant, for the second year in charge of the South School, has already proven her value as a teacher and as a resident of the town. Although the work in a one room building is often discouraging, she has met every difficulty with enthusiasm and force of character sufficient to turn each task into a pleasure.
The West School, under the care of Miss Helen Bromley, was maintained until the Christmas vacation, when it was closed and the pupils furnished transportation to the Walker, Center and Whitefield Schools. As fast as room is available
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they are being brought back to the Center and Walker build- ings. Miss Bromley was transferred to the Whitefield, to the room made vacant by the transfer of Miss Cremins.
The school system of Wilmington, like many other towns of large area and small population, presents a serious prob- lem. All the citizens expect and are justified in demanding, better schools than were in existence during their own school experience. It is very possible that some will say that the schools of the old days were better than those of the present. Very possible. But what was the reason ? Every pupil who came was there not because of attendance laws, but because they were offered something which they wanted. The same and more is offered at the schools today, but the desire to ob- tain is not so great. One man said that in his boyhood he went to school to avoid the hard work that otherwise he would have had to do at home. There were few in those days that escaped hard work. Their home training made them used to it. They had individual responsibilities at home, and these translated into a school environment made them eager to grasp every opportunity. Then, too, a large factor was often an exceptional teacher. It was not so much the amount of knowledge possessed or any special method used in presenting it, but a strong and dominant personality which had im- pressed itself on every pupil from that day to this. The old school was efficient in that it gave exactly what was demanded of it. Today the country and the city are separated by a very distinct line, especially in the needs and aims of the public schools. In many instances we find ourselves demanding a city education from country schools. What we should expect is a course of study suited for country life, but maintained at standards required in progressive city communities. In every case we are expected to accomplish this with equipment which answered its purpose many years ago. The incentive on the part of the pupil has disappeared, the work is made easy for him, he has no idea of individual responsibility, in short, every factor save that of the physical conditions have been changed.
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The rural equivalent of a city education will prove more expensive, child for child, for the reason that education in rural communities will always be more expensive than in the larger schools in organized centers. In rural districts with the many school plants the ratio of teachers to pupils will al- ways continue larger than in the cities. Transportation fa- cilities have to be provided and teachers' salaries have to be increased if good teachers are to be obtained. It is safe to say that the period of experimentation in school consolida- tion has passed. Even though there is nothing saved in the salary of a teacher, there is saved to the pupil grades, rather than the present method of two teachers duplicating each other's work a few miles apart.
As usual each year we make an appeal that the parents visit school, and still the visitor's list on the register shows lack of interest and failure to respond to our invitation. It is realized that the parents are busy. that they have many home cares, and possibly they may feel diffident about visit- ing the school room, or possibly they may think they have no errand or reason for spending an afternoon at the school. For no other reason than that of knowing personally the teacher of their children, each mother should come to the school and become acquainted. One suggestion is that a group of neighbors form a neighborhood party for the purpose of visiting school. The results are mutual; the teachers and pupils are encouraged, to feel that a personal interest is being taken in what they are doing, and the parent secures at short range the individual problems which their own children may present. Then, too, there is the possibility that the parents might spend an afternoon of pleasant enjoyment.
A very necessary part of the school are the pupils, who if they are absent seriously break up the work. While the great- est loss is to the one who is absent, the other members of the class, and in a measure the whole school suffers, both on ac- count of the interruption of the schedule, and also the neces-
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sity for special time to see that the lost topics are made up. In a large measure unnecessary absences have been eliminated, but there are a few every year that might seem to be avoided.
The children of Wilmington are fortunate in having friends, especially such friends as Mr. Caleb Harriman and Mr. F. H. Roberts. For several years Mr. Harriman has been an active supporter of the High School, both in athletic and in social functions. This year he and Mr. Roberts decided that there should be some provision for physical development of all the children of the town, and last spring they gave to the town, for the use of the school children, playground apparatus to the value of one hundred dollars. The apparatus consists of Swings, Slides, See-Saws, Giant Strides and Games. In be- half of the school children of the town, the superintendent takes this opportunity of expressing thanks and appreciation to Mr. Harriman and Mr. Roberts for their most generous gift.
The Public Health Nurse Association has done two things, among others, that have been of great benefit to the schools. First, making available for school work the services of the nurse, and second, the establishment of a Dental Clinic. The physical record of each child in school was tabulated at the time of the annual medical examination by our School Physi- cian, Dr. Daniel T. Buzzell, assisted by the Nurse. Tabula- tions of statistics of themselves are of no value, but when they are made the basis for constructive, educational health campaigns, they are become at once of the utmost importance. Until one has seen the daily stream of school children enter- ing the rooms of the Dental Clinic at the High School, it would be hard to realize that so many children in town had defective teeth. A large number of these treated have never before received dental treatment. If nothing but freedom for a year from lost time on account of toothache, not count- ing the physical discomfort to the individual, the value of the work is clearly indicated.
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The subject of teacher's salaries is of more import this year than ever before. It is a trite saying that teachers have al- ways been underpaid, and it is doubtless on account of the fact that they have regarded themselves with a certain pro- fessional pride, that it would not be fitting for them as a pro- fession to enter upon a campaign for more money, but that their value to the community should be recognized. Teachers have been underpaid for so long that communities do not seem to realize that the salaries must be very heavily increased in order to even pay a living wage. The mere fact that the cost of living has exactly doubled since 1913, and that anything less than doubling salaries is to make them lower than before, does not seem to have penetrated.
"Most of the elements which keep teaching from being professional in the truest sense can be remedied only through better salaries for teaching. Better salaries for teaching will not come until salary schedules are generally used and based upon more generally accepted standards than at the present time."-National Education Association Salaries Report, L919.
If there is any surer way of destroying the teaching pro- fession than by the present method of starving the teachers, it is not clear what it is. People simply will not go into a pro- fession that forever bars them from the possibilities of a nor- mal income and a decent living and as the opportunities of women grow greater, increasingly few capable women will enter upon teaching.
The state in view of recent legislation, seems to have sensed this, the critical condition of the teaching force of the state, especially as regards its future supply and quality. By new methods of distribution of the Massachusetts School Fund and of the income tax, a marked incentive is given the cities and towns to pay the teachers at least $850 per year. If a teacher receives as salary at least $850 per year and possesses
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certain qualifications as to training and experience, the town is reimbursed to the amount of $200. In other words, in this town, if the teachers are given an increase of $300, the net cost to the town will be $100. The effect of this method of distribution is to make the school budget appear much larger than usual for instance, to increase the salary of each teacher to the extent of $300, would add $5700 to the budget ; the net cost, however, would be $1900. It is hoped that sufficient funds will be given the Committee at the Annual Meeting to enable them to give each teacher an increase of $300.
This increase is planned to be given for this year, but con- tingent upon the teacher signing a contract to return for the school year of 1920-1921.
In order to promote professional improvement throughout the teaching force, it is planned to give each teacher who will bring back a certificate of successful completion of a summer school course, a bonus of $50 to carry out this plan, provided that each teacher takes advantage of this plan would cost about $950.
For the hearty co-operation of the Committee, Teachers and citizens of the town the superintendent expresses his sincere appreciation.
Respectfully submitted,
R. G. FRAME, Superintendent of Schools.
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THE REPORT OF THE HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
To the Superintendent and the School Committee:
I have the honor of submitting my first annual report as Principal of the Wilmington High School.
ATTENDANCE
The question of attendance is of immediate significance in any school. It shows the attitude of the community as a whole toward their schools, as well as the interest of individ- ual parents in having their own children in school punctually and regularly.
Following is the enrollment of the school by classes up to January 1 :
Freshmen
36
Sophomores 27
Juniors 29
Seniors 19
Thus it will be seen that the Freshman Class is 32.4 per cent., the Sophomore, 24.3 per cent., the Juniors, 25.2 per cent. and the Seniors, 17.1 per cent. of the total enrollment. The ideal would be 25 per cent. in each or with the lower classes showing but a trifle more than that due to an increasing school population. Wilmington is to be congratulated on the
64
showing of these percentages, indicating as they do that nearly all pupils that are entering High School are complet- ing their course.
The record of attendance for the first sixteen weeks shows a commendable interest on the part of the parents, in the at- tendance of their children. The percentage of absence and of tardiness is shown by classes to be as follows :
Absence
Tardiness
Freshmen
99.91
99.98
Sophomore
99.98
99.92
Junior
99.99
99.99
Senior
99.69
99.89
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
I feel strongly that student participation in school affairs is absolutely fundamental. If under our present social con- ditions we are to develop pupils who will grow to men and women safe for democracy, we must train them to initiate and co-operate as boys and girls. There is surely a new spirit in education or if not a new spirit then we are beginning to look at a very old and fundamental thing in a new way. State Superintendent Cary, in the November issue of his Education- al News Bulletin is worth quoting :
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