USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Wilmington > Town of Wilmington Annual Report 1921-1922 > Part 4
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MISS SWAIN
MRS. BUCK
Assembly
9.00
9.25
Assembly
English 2
9.25
9.50
Arithmetic 1
English 2
9.50
10.15
Arithmetic 1
Drawing
10.15
10.40
Arith .- Eng.
RECESS
10.40
11.05
RECESS
English 1
11.05
11.30
Arithmetic 2
English 1
11.30
12.00
Arithmetic 2
Music Thurs.
Organization
1.00
1.10
Organization
Hygiene 2
1.10
1.30
History 1
Hygiene 1
1.30
1.50
History 2
Geography 2
1.50
2.15
Literature 1
RECESS
2.15
2.30
RECESS
Geography 1
2.30
2.55
Lit. 2
Omit Mon .- Fri.
Omit Mon. Fri.
Arts
2.55
3.30
Arts
Division 1 and 2, alternate in order to equalize total time.
2.30-3.30 Art. period. Monday " Club period. Friday.
Double periods in morning for Supervised study.
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In the readjustment caused by the resignation of Miss Leighton, it was deemed expedient to give up the household arts classes in the High School for the present, with a consequent diminishment of the staff of teachers from five to four. This economy made possible the innovation of a sub-master in the High School with results that are highly gratifying.
It is to be hoped, however, that the abandonment of domestic science and manual training is not to be permanent. The modern industrial changes and inventions which have taken away from the American home even in rural and suburban communities so many activities that were of real educational value, make it necessary for the school to furnish that which the home formerly provided. The home used to be much more of an independent economic unit than it is now. Even a few years ago, the home manufactured practically all of the food and clothing required for the family. For many of our pupils the domestic science class and the manual training class pro- vide the only opportunity to secure that which should be theirs by American birthright.
This is not to be interpreted as a plea for new equipment because elaborate and expensive equipment often stultifies the initiative of the child. The real need is for instruction and guidance. The true project is a problem, the solution of which often requires that the pupil manufacture his own equipment. The truth of this principle was demonstrated in connection with the High School lunch counter. Without a domestic science teacher, it seemed that the lunch counter must be given up, but upon investigation, the situation was seen to be an excellent opportunity for a school project. Miss Sartelle had had considerable training in domestic science at Simmons and in spite of the fact, that she was already teaching more than a full program, she generously volunteered her services and under her leadership, the girls of her Science Club with the co-operation of many of the other teachers and pupils re- established the lunch counter.
70
With only a small equipment, and entirely on a credit basis, the pupils soon began to serve lunches that compare favorably with those of many city schools which maintain elaborate establishments. While not fully developed, such a project offers a fertile field for the co-operative efforts of the whole school. Some of these possibilities may be noted: The need for decorated place cards, price cards, menus, etc., offers unlimited opportunities for the drawing department, the bus- iness correspondence and the opportunity for live theme subjects have already been accepted by the English department, while the pupils in the commercial department have done the book- keeping and auditing under the direction of Miss Wheeler.
If a change in the bell schedule can be made practical, it is planned to arrange a luncheon period for the pupils at the Center School, thus affording greater service to those pupils in the grades and for the High School pupils interested in this project a wider market for their wares.
The manner in which the lunch counter has been handled served as an illustration of the loyal and co-operative spirit found almost without exception among our pupils and teachers.
The truth of the old saying "The way to learn to hoe corn is to hoe corn", is beginning to find new application in our modern educational theory and practice. We never attempted to teach swimming while remaining on dry land, but some of our methods remain almost as absurd and unpractical in their waste of time and effort. Experience compels us to admit that we may continue to teach spelling and grammar to the limit of the compulsory attendance period without satisfactory results. If we want correct writing and correct speech, we must teach correct writing and correct speech. With very little cutside assistance, the pupils of a western state, by their own efforts and under the direction of their own teachers, recently plarred and erected their own school building. The most eccromic method of learning is by doing. If education is to be practical and economical, the pupils must do more to help themselves. We must make the school world a true world. We must pay more attention to instruction and leadership
71
and less to text books and equipment. If teachers are to receive more pay, they must do more and better work. It requires little perspicuity to realize that if our school authori- ties, teachers, and pupils will work together there is a vast deal that may be done toward the improvement of our schools without the expenditure of a single additional dollar.
The successful conduct of a school depending as it does upon the loyalty, co-operation, and efficiency of its teachers, it seemed desirable to effect some organization to promote the welfare of the schools and secure a better understanding between the teachers and the town. As a result, the Teachers' Community Club has been organized.
The club is in reality a substitute for the montlhy teachers' meeting and, although in many ways an experiment, it has already proved to be something much better than a substitute. Mrs. Haley has been chosen the first president and Miss Mar- land, secretary-treasurer. The meetings are conducted without undue formality, being devoted mainly to committee reports, the discussion of professional subjects, and to topics of imme- diate interest in our schools. The membership is divided into the following committees: the committee names suggesting the activities contemplated within the club:
Entertainment:
Mrs. Kimball, Miss Wheeler, Miss C. Swain, Miss Luce, Miss Murray.
Library :
Miss Marland, Miss Sartelle, Miss H. Swain, Miss Doucette Miss Cutter.
Tests and Scales :
Miss Murray, Miss Eames, Miss Lungren, Miss Bromley, Mr. Mixer.
School Improvement League:
Mrs. Haley, Miss Murray, Miss Chapman, Miss Shaw, Miss Bromley.
72
Debating:
Miss Shaw, Mrs. Buck, Miss C. Swain, Mr. Mixer.
Extra-curriculum Activities :
Miss Lungren, Miss Sartelle, Miss Cutter, Mr. Ganley.
Opportunity :
Mrs. Haley, Miss Fuller, Miss Doucette, Miss Luce.
Athletics:
Mrs. Buck, Miss Shaw, Miss C. Swain, Mr. Mixer.
The Club already has revived the Wilmington School Savings Bank, organized a troop of Girl Scouts, and now plans the organization of a School Improvement League, conducted with some degree of competition to promote progress in scholar- ship and conduct, and to improve and beautify grounds and buildings.
In the report for 1919-20, the committee submitted four plans for the transportation of pupils. That the citizens of the town voted against the recommendations of the committee and declared for the system now in use which fulfills only the minimum required by law, is a matter of town history. It does not behoove one utterly unfamiliar with the circumstances at the time to criticise the wisdom of their choice, but it would be unfair to pass unnoticed the present conditions that can hardly be satisfactory to many parents of school children.
The arguments for consolidattion are undebatable pro- vided that suitable transportation is furnished. But in the absence of adequate transportation, one can well sympathize with the parent who chooses the lesser of two evils, preferring to send his children to the obsolete, ungraded, rural school rather than subjecting his children to walking distances that are beyond the physical capacity of most children to endure.
Reports of the State Department of Education issued for 1920 show that Wilmington, listed among the 227 towns having less than 5,000 population, ranked as follows:
Valuation per pupil in net average membership:
Amount $4,199 Rank 94
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Expenditures for school support from local taxation per $1,000 valuation :
Amount $9.85
Rank 20
From the above, it is evident that compared with the other towns of Massachusetts, the number of our pupils in average daily membership, is entirely out of proportion to the assessed valuation per pupil in average membership. Our town is relatively large in area but the homes of its people are scattered over a wide area with almost no urban concentration.
With our unusually large school population we must in- evitably face from year to year a severe financial problem in the matter of transportation. Our situation to some extent, resembles that of the old lady who lived in a shoe; the number of school children taxes our ability to provide, but certainly the old lady of the Mother Goose story was entirely free from our transportation troubles.
The development of a state-wide policy in public education has witnessed a vast amount of legislation involving minimum salaries for teachers, university extension, vocational education, continuation schools, public health, school attendance, and state aid and reimbursement, the latter tending to equalize educational opportunity throughout the state. These recent statutes have forced many changes in school finance. The state now requires that the towns appropriate for schools a definite sum of money, a "flat appropriation." The reimburse- ments cannot be given to the school committee, but must be paid directly to the town. Moreover, the matter of reimburse- ment, depending as it does upon the state averages cannot be determined accurately in advance.
The inevitable consequence is an enlargement of the school budget. Naturally, the inclusion of so many new activities in our schools, increases the expense as compared with that of even a few years ago but, in the main, we may congratulate ourselves that this budget increase is more apparent than real. The state reimbursement, on account of vocational education,
74
salaries, and transportation is particularly generous to towns of the Wilmington type.
In view of the above and so long as present conditions hold, it should be seen that our policy requires a liberal attitude toward transportation, perhaps involving further consolidation, some improvement in our teaching corps even to the extent of further salary increase, thus securing at the same time better instruction and greater reimbursement.
The methods and requirements for vocational education must change in conformity to the constant changes in industry. Thus a complete program of vocational education is altogether too expensive for a town of our size and wealth. When the many and varied opportunities afforded by our neighboring towns and cities are taken into consideration, it seems that the better course for us would be to send our boys and girls to those places, thereby obtaining for ourselves a saving through reimbursement and for them much better training than we could hope to give.
It will be necessary for us to do more for public health than we have done formerly, in order to comply with the new laws. In this connection, allow me to point out one important fact that is of vital importance to the health of our children and the community in general. The majority of our school children come from such distances that a cold lunch must serve for a noon-day meal. There is at the present time, a nation-wide movement to provide hot lunches for school children, but there is little doubt that our teachers and the parents will solve this problem for themselves. A much more grave aspect of this problem is that the pupils at the Walker, Whitefield, and South Schools are compelled to remain through the greater part of the day with only the most crude and primitive sanitary facilities. It would appear that our first duty to these pupils would be to supply a modern water supply system providing pure drinking water together with proper lavatories giving hot and cold water. With such provision for the prime essen- tials of cleanliness, the public health work in our schools might be carried beyond mere compliance with the letter of the state
75
law to a program of efficient service to the pupils and the community.
If we are to make economy our watchword, it follows as a correlary that the outlying school properties should be dis- posed of as an unnecessary burden on our overtaxed resources. The West School might be retained and remodeled as a two- room, four-grade school, in the event that the transportation problem proves unsolvable. Finally, we should concentrate our best efforts on the schools already in operation to the end that they be maintained as comfortable homes for our school children wherein they may find ample room and suitable equipment for their best work.
I wish to express to the Committee my deep appreciation of their help and co-operation and to testify again to the loyal support and faithful work of our teachers.
Respectfully submitted,
RALPH R. BARR
76
THE REPORT OF THE HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
To the Superintendent of Schools:
I herewith submit my third annual report as principal of the Wilmington High School.
The enrollment this year is 101 as compared with 116 last year. This is a normal fluctuation. Next year the enrollment should be a little larger than that of a year ago. The present Senior class has been a relatively smaller group than the other classes for the past two years and was probably a smaller group in the grades. Of the pupils in this class a year ago all but two are in school now. One has moved away and the other is out because of a severe illness. Of last year's eighth grade who are this year's Freshman class and the three lower classes in High School last year only 9 are not attending school or a total elimination of only 18%. This figure compares with elimination figures, compiled by some of the nation's best educational authorities, which show a percentage of elimination between grade eight and first year of high school of 20% to 34% and between first year of high school and second of 37% to 50%, between second year of high school and third 18% to 40% and between the third year of high school and the last of 17% to 32%. In discussing the tables from which these figures are taken Dr. Inglis in "Principles of Secondary Educa- tion" says "On the basis of such figures it is probably safe to say that of pupils entering the first year high school from one- half reach the third grade, and from one quarter to one third reach the fourth grade." This relatively low percentage of elimination shows that the school is meeting the needs of the community and that its teachers backed by the support of
77
home and community are holding the boys and girls of Wil- mington in the High School. It is interesting to note that the records of 1900 show but thirty pupils in the High School at that time.
Of last year's class eleven are continuing their work in other schools or colleges this year.
Some preliminary work in the giving of standardized tests was begun in the High School during the past year. The Terman Group Tests of Mental Ability were given all the pupils in the High School and the eighth grade. The median scores made and their comparison with median scores in six other school systems in various parts of the country are as follows :-
Grade
8
I
II 105.
III 127. 137.
IV
Wilmington
82.
83.5
Other systems 85.9 91.4 119.5 137.1 143.2 It will be noted that these scores are on the whole lower than the percentages of elimination given in a preceding paragraph that Wilmington is meeting individual differences and keeping the slower pupils in school rather than dropping them out to shift for themselves. If the pupils who scored low had not been held in school the median score would have been as high as those of the standard. This is only a beginning in the giving of standardized tests. The results obtained in these tests have been used to help individual pupils and have been very valuable.
The Commercial Department justifies itself as always. The percentage of pupils enrolled to commercial courses not eventually different than it was for last year. Pupils who pass the requirements and are graduated from the commercial course go into the business world and hold positions. The experimental stage is entirely passed. The next step should be to give a firmer basis for commercial education which is
78
quite a different thing than training a commercial artisan. Economics, business law, salesmanship, and allied subjects should be given when it becomes reasonably possible to do so.
Extra-curriculum activities have contributed their share in keeping the interest of the pupils alive and in developing them along lines where books and regular lessons fail. The work of the Science Club, under the direction of Miss E. Althea Sartelle, among their other activities are conducting the lunch room and doing all the work. Miss Doris M. Wheeler of the commercial department has been a very real help in keeping and auditing the accounts. The dramatics have been very successful under the direction of Miss Laura N. Marland. We are fortunate in having on the faculty one who has some familiarity with instrumental music. Mr. Arnold L. Ganley has organized an orchestra and is doing remarkable work with the children along this line.
In baseball we had one of the best teams the school ever turned out. The school weekly newspaper continues to furnish invaluable training to many pupils and supplies a community need. We have no apologies to offer for our outside school and class activities. They are as valuable educative devices as Latin or Mathematics.
Next year we shall have to give Physics instead of Chem- istry. The class will be quite large. This will necessitate the purchase of considerable material. Some new material should also be added. To teach Physics as a pure science and a text- book subject we are quite well equipped. Our apparatus for current electricity is entirely inadequate. We should have a volt meter, an ammeter, resistance boxes, a Wheatstone bridge, and considerable smaller apparatus. In connection with the question of supplies I would call your attention to another important need. For modern methods of teaching library facilities are needed. There should be reference books for all subjects and a good collection of professional books for
79
the teacher's own library. The question maps should also not be overlooked. The maps at our disposal are entirely inade- quate.
There has been but one new teacher in the High School this year. Mr. Arnold L. Ganley was elected to succeed Miss Maud Disbrow as teacher of French and Latin. The innova- tion of having an additional man on the staff has justified itself and should be continued. In the eighth grade of the Junior High Miss Eve Fuller succeeds Miss Josephine Harmon. Miss Fuller is a teacher of long experience and has been of great assistance in preparing next year's Freshmen. The offering of Latin in the eighth grade has been a success and the younger pupils taking the subject are doing as satisfactory work as the regular Freshmen.
In conclusion I wish to thank you, the teachers and this community for whatever success may have attended another year's work.
NELSON I. MIXER, Principal
80
REPORT OF SUPERVISOR OF MUSIC
To Mr. Ralph Barr, Superintendent of Schools, Wilmington, Mass.
Dear Sir:
I trust a brief statement of the work and plans will be sufficient, thus early in my work.
I found the "New Educational Music Course" in the grades, which is still meeting the needs satisfactorily, we feel. We shall hope to supplement this with "Silver Song Series," "Junior Song Book," or similar material. Community song books have been purchased for the High School. A Glee Club has been organized and a good beginning made. It is gratifying to note the interest and effort of the pupils.
Outlines have been left with the teachers of the first four grades, which should help to unify the work.
My aim, at present, is to develop a smooth, pure quality of tone; and to gain accurate and quick sight reading. Written work is begun in the third grade.
Folk dances and singing games will be used in the lower grades. These, I find, are of great help.
I hope the course in music will give the pupils a knowledge and love of good music; that will encourage the best work possible, work that will in later years express itself in the community, in the church choir, in the public day celebrations, in the selection of music for places of amusements, and in many ways that reflect the school training.
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It is my earnest desire that parents and friends will visit the music classes often. This means encouragement to pupils and teachers.
I wish to express my appreciation to the Superintendent and School Committee for their kindness and help; to the teachers, for their earnest co-operation.
Respectfully submitted, GENIE FULLER KIMBALL, Supervisor of Music
January 21, 1922
82
REPORT OF SUPERVISOR OF DRAWING
To the Superintendent of Schools:
Dear Sir:
I have the honor of presenting my first annual report, as supervisor of drawing, in the public schools of Wilmington, Massachusetts.
Monday and Tuesday are the days on which the drawing supervisor visits Wilmington. The drawing, thus for this year, has been divided up into two half hour periods a week, for the lower grades, and two three-quarter hour or two one-hour periods a week, for the upper grades. One lesson a week is taught by the supervisor and one lesson by the grade teacher. The High School is alloted three regular periods a week under the drawing supervisor. A great many High School students are doing outside work, at their own desires. Outside work is not required.
The work covered, up to the present time in the grammar grades has been paper cutting, the correct method of using crayons, drawing of objects in squares, animal drawings, by use of various devices, some figure drawing, and perspective. In the High School the work has consisted of perspective light and shade and various practical problems, such as "exit" signs, for the school buildings of the Town, and posters for the High School play. The drawing class has orders for a great many more things of a like nature.
This year the High School has, also, taken up mechanical drawing. Two periods are devoted to mechanical drawing,
83
some people doing outside work, beside. The work at present is very simple, consisting of simple geometric problems and simple construction, stress being laid upon line work. Later on it is the intention to complete some practical problems.
In closing, I wish to thank the Superintendent and the teachers for their co-operation and friendly interest in the work.
Respectfully submitted,
BLANCHE A. MILLARD, Supervisor of Drawing
December 28, 1921
84
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH
To the Citizens of Wilmington:
The Board of Health herewith submits its annual report.
The number of contagious diseases reported to this Board in the past year is as follows:
Diphtheria, 5
Chicken Pox,
3
Scarlet Fever,
2
Typhoid Fever,
2
Measles, 5
In accordance with the vote at the last Annual Town Meeting $500 was expended for Public Health Service Work, in the schools, under the direction and supervision of the Board of Health and its agent.
Respectfully submitted,
FRANK W. DAYTON, Chairman, ASA G. SHELDON, HAROLD E. MELZAR, D. T. BUZZELL, M.D., Agent, Board of Health of Wilmington ..
85
REPORT OF TREE WARDEN AND
MOTH SUPERINTENDENT
Wilmington, January 2, 1922.
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen :
I herewith submit my report as Tree Warden and Moth Superintendent for the past year.
The shade trees on the public highways received the customary care and twenty young trees were set out on Burling- ton Avenue. Limbs of trees interfering with electric light or telephone wires, or obstructing passage, received the usual care in trimming. The November ice storm necessitated extra work of this nature in all parts of the Town.
In the south and west parts of the Town there are still a number of chestnut trees that have been killed by the chestnut blight which will have to be removed the coming year.
Spraying for gypsy and brown tail moths along the street limits has been done. Private work not done by property owners was also attended too.
Respectfully submitted,
OLIVER A. McGRANE,
Tree Warden and Moth Superintendent
86
REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN
To the Honorable Board of Trustees:
Gentlemen: I herewith submit my annual report as I.i- brarian :
Public documents received, 12 volumes. Number of new books purchased during the year, 109 volumes. Number of books presented, 11 volumes. Number of books in library, 6,031 volumes. Number of persons taking out books, 715. Number of books taken out during the year, 10,316.
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