USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Wilmington > Town of Wilmington Annual Report 1927-1928 > Part 6
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The Board of Health employed Mr. Foster to collect the garbage in the Silver Lake District during the summer months. We also have requested the storekeepers at Wilmington Square to clean the rubbish from the back yards and by using the Highway De- partment trucks one night a week we have helped the health and fire menace in the Square.
We have established a Public Dump in the woods at the Town Farm and hope that our citizens will not dump rubbish on our public streets.
In accordance with the vote of the Town at the annual meeting $1,000 has been expended for public health work under the direction of the Board of Health Agent and the Public Health Nurse.
The work of the District Nurse is as follows:
Nursing Visits
944
Infant Welfare Visits
145
Prenatal Visits
74
Tuberculosis Visits
14
Child Welfare Visits
131
Social Service Visits
160
Attendance at Clinics
18
Other Visits
78
Hospital Visits
17
Total 1581
Respectfully submitted,
CHAS. F. PERRY, Chairman, CARL S. PETTENGILL, WALTER L. HALE, D. T. BUZZELL, M. D., Agent,
Board of Health.
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Together with the Report of SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS For the year ending December 31, 1927
94
School Committee
Peter Neilson
Term expires 1928
Alfred S. Allen
Term expires 1928
Helen H. Buck
.Term expires 1929
Olivia H. Norcross
Term expires 1929
John W. Hathaway, Chairman
Term expires 1930
Harry W. De Loriea
Term expires 1930
Superintendent of Schools STEPHEN G. BEAN
School Physician DANIEL T. BUZZELL, M. D.
1928 School Calendar
January 3-Winter Term begins.
February 24-Winter Term ends.
Vacation-One week.
March 5-Winter-Spring Term begins.
April 27-Winter-Spring Term ends.
Vacation-One week.
May 7-Spring Term begins.
June 22-Spring Term ends for Elementary School.
June 29-Spring Term ends for High School.
Vacation-Ten weeks.
September 4-Fall Term begins. December 21-Fall Term ends.
Holidays-Jan. 1, Feb. 22, April 19, May 30, Oct. 12, Nov. 29-30.
95
REPORT OF WILMINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE FOR 1927
To the Citizens of Wilmington:
The year 1927 saw, at the opening of the fall term, an increase of twenty-five in school attendance. By the end of the year, the total attendance was 850. The average attendance for the year was 835.
The North District School was restored to use in September, 1927. We now have three district schools.
The need for more schoolrooms grows more pressing. The class which has been located in the Town Hall for two years should not stay there much longer. It is hoped that this year will see the adoption of a plan that will give additional school space as needed.
The appropriation for the schools for 1927 proved insufficient. The repairing and the repainting of the Centre School, though much needed, had to be omitted.
The Walker School was reshingled.
Septic tanks were installed to take care of sewerage from the High School and Centre School and appear to work well.
A careful rerouting of the school buses calls for only two buses to serve the entire town and a substantial reduction in cost is the result.
We now have a good physical culture teacher, thus complying with the State law and benefiting the pupils.
For the coming year, we should make financial provision for re- roofing the Centre School and painting it outside and inside. Electric lights should be installed, because the rooms are very dark on cloudy days.
The inside walls of the High School have not been redecorated since the building was new, and some of them never were finished. This work should now be done.
The trouble with the steam-heating equipment in the High School building was found to be in the location of the return pipes below the gymnasium and cellar floors. This arrangement may have contributed to the excessive dampness. New pipes above the floors have been installed and are working well.
The public water supply, when available, should be introduced into all the schoolhouses. Drinking water now has to be carried to most of the schools. With Town water, new and improved sanitary arrangements could be installed at the Walker and Whitefield Schools.
The State Department of Education now demands that under the law the town provide a separate schoolroom and a teacher for the twelve or more feeble-minded children in town.
Respectfully submitted,
JOHN W. HATHAWAY, HELEN H. BUCK, OLIVIA H. NORCROSS, PETER NEILSON, HARRY W. DeLORIEA, ALFRED S. ALLEN.
96
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
To the School Committee of Wilmington, Mass.
Ladies and Gentlemen-The following is the report of the Superintendent of Schools for the year ending December 31, 1927:
General Survey
Progress in the schools of the town has been marked by a gradual but steady improvement throughout the year. This is prob- ably the direct result of the reorganization which took place in Sep- tember of last year, whereby about eighty per cent of the children of the elementary grades were placed in rooms containing a single grade. There was, as predicted, the one step in retrogression represented by the forced opening of another of the rural type of school. It is almost a calamity that this had to be done, but the resulting school seems to be very popular with many parents in its vicinity.
This almost enthusiastic approval of the primitive type of school by parents who should be among the most enlightened in the town is very difficult for a superintendent to understand. There are elements in the alternative arrangement which are readily under- stood, such as the mothers' objection to transportation by buses for small children, with the attendant long distances separating mother and child. And there is advantage for some few children living near the small school, that they can get a hot lunch at noon. But what are these when compared with the very real inequality in educational opportunity represented by balancing a room of four grades against a single grade room. The most elementary of mathematical calculations shows that a one grade room allows 300% more time per pupil than does the four grade type. Or to state it in another way: the child in the four grade room has but one-fourth as much chance to receive instruction as has the one in the single grade room. There are but five hours in the school day, and in one case the children have the benefit of the teacher's in- struction and supervision for the full period, on the other hand, where there are four grades, the time for each grade is but one- fourth of five hours. Think of expecting one teacher in an hour and a quarter to instruct in reading, writing, arithmetic, history, geography, spelling, hygiene, drawing, music, physical education, and self control, and have her pupils compare and later compete with those others who had five full hours of similar instruction. It is but little short of amazing that any teacher will assume such a responsibility. It is beyond belief that a community will permit her to assume it, not out of consideration for the teacher, but because of the obvious handicap the children must suffer. Moreover, the simple mathematical computation does not tell the whole story, because somewhere in each week time
97
must be allowed for visits of the supervisors of Drawing, Music, Physical Education, and the School Nurse. Fortunately, the Superintendent, in his visits, tries not to disrupt the program. These special teachers take a proportionately greater amount of time in the multiple grade room, so much so, in fact, that it has been found necessary to curtail their time allotment in these schools. Here again the children have to lose. In short, the whole situation is one of inequality of opportunity and should not continue. The remedy is obvious.
If the superintendent of a manufacturing plant were to come before his board of directors and show them that the continuance of an antiquated type of factory procedure or equipment was ren- dering the business only 25 per cent efficiency, and indicated how to improve conditions 300 per cent, I wonder what the action of that board would be. There is little question, if it were a business which absorbed one-third of the annual revenue of its directorate. Schools in this town expend about one-third of the tax levy. Is it not poor business to have twenty per cent of this money producing 300 per cent less than it should? Every year we turn out what would be called imperfects or seconds, in the manufacturing plant, units which show imperfections. These are the repeaters in schools. Somewhere in the process they have not had adequate treatment and the result is a repetition of the process. This costs about sixty odd dollars in money and a year of the child's time. Usually these imperfections are due to lack of proper training in the first four grades. Much of this waste could be eliminated by doing away with the four grade schools.
The High School is functioning very satisfactorily. Its graduates show the quality of their training both in college and in the world of business endeavor. The report of the Principal is worthy of careful attention.
The high spot in the activities of the year is the addition of a full time Supervisor of Physical Education. Since this new de- parture has been in operation only four months, it is rather early to expect results of any marked nature; but there are already numerous evidences of what this training will eventually mean for the school children. Already it has enriched the school lives of the girls in the High School by making possible the development of basketball teams, including a school team which has already found itself in competition. Field hockey will also be a school sport in its season. In the elementary schools the children are getting intelli- gently directed general and corrective exercises as well as a wealth of new games to play, all of which have a direct application towards improved physical development. With the cooperation of the School Nurse and Physician posture defects have been noted and tabulated and corrective exercises prescribed and taught. This department is under the supervision of Miss Eleanor Dobbins, a graduate of the Sargent School of Physical Education of Cam- bridge. Special endeavor was made to get a graduate of the fa- mous school because of the high ideals of physical education which are taught there.
Great improvement has been noted during the year in the quality of penmanship in several rooms. This has come from the increased ability to allow time for instruction, which has resulted from the
98
reorganization of grades. Penmanship is a manual skill which re- quires intelligently directed, and persistently practised drill, for acquisition. Such direction and practice require time, and the teacher with a single grade has that time.
Health activities have been somewhat handicapped during the fall because of difficulty experienced in finding a satisfactory suc- cessor for Mrs. Holliday, the School Nurse, who resigned during the summer. Mrs. Mary Roundy was finally persuaded to take over the work, and has been very busily engaged since November in closing up the gaps in our program. A clinic was held in the field of Mental Hygiene under direction of the Danvers State Hos- pital. It was found that about twelve children in the schools could profit by treatment in a special class. This will be in operation as soon as a room can be found to accommodate the class. It is expected that this class will gradually work itself out of existence by getting many of its members back in step with children of their age group. Such a class is legally required where there are ten or more pupils who are three or more grades retarded. This makes one more demand for classroom which must be met.
Sanitary conditions are inadequate in most of the schools. When water begins to flow as provided for in a recent Town Meeting, every one of the larger buildings should receive the ministrations of plumbers. It is as much needed in the Center and High schools as in any of the others in spite of the fact that these buildings have running water. The Center School should have its toilet facilities raised to the level of the ground floor to secure proper drainage.
School Accommodations
This question is a hardy perennial which springs up at this time every year. It is a problem and will continue a problem until this town faces the fact that it needs a definite building program to anticipate its probable growth. Located as this town is on two main trunk lines, within easy commuting distance of a large city, it is almost a mathematical certainty that it must grow. When this growth really commences it may come with a rush, and if so it might easily force upon the town action which would be expen- sive both financially and educationally. Platoon plans and portable buildings and all such makeshifts can be avoided, but you cannot wait until the flood comes to mend your dikes. A start should be made at once in this campaign of preparedness by meeting the existing needs. Thus the ways may be made clear for the launch- ing of comprehensive plans for the future.
There are in use in this town three four room buildings and four one room buildings housing elementary grades. The total seating capacity of the three large buildings is approximately five hundred twenty. The three rural type schools will accommodate about one hundred twenty-five more. In the Town Hall there is seating ca- pacity for sixty first graders. This shows a grand total of seven hundred five as a normal seating capacity for all buildings now available. As a matter of fact the enrollment in these rooms on October first was seven hundred twelve. The High School building is housing the highest of the elementary grades in a room already very much needed for High School pupils. Actually then, on Octo- ber first there were seats for seven hundred twelve elementary
99
pupils and we were taking care of seven hundred seventy-seven. In June, 1928, a maximum of nineteen pupils can be graduated from the High School. In September at least seventy would have to find places in that building under the present arrangement. The building is now used to its capacity. Obviously that eighth grade should not occupy seats in that building. We have, then, seventy pupils roaming at large who are likely to be joined by the annual average increase of fifty little strangers of mixed grades from out of town. The East School will not hold them all. Where will we house them?
My recommendation is still that urged for the past three years, that an addition be built on the end of the Walker building in the form of the upright leg of a right angle, that is, in the form of an L. This addition would have all of the outward architectural char- acteristics of the present structure. A duplicate of the present entrance would face toward Church street. There would be three classrooms on each floor, and adequate connecting corridors. A steam heating plant would be placed in the basement in the corner where the two sections join. The total cost of such an addition should not exceed fifty thousand dollars.
Other solutions of the problem have been suggested, such as an addition to the High School building, but this does not relieve the congestion where relief is needed. The High School building will be adequate for some years hence, but elementary accommodations are sorely needed NOW. Small buildings placed in outlying sec- tions are not a solution. Such would be but aggravations of the present situation. We need to abandon such one room schools as we have. Eventually settlement along Main street from Shawsheen avenue to the Tewksbury line may make it necessary to build a building in the Silver Lake section, but that time is farther in the future. The existing location of the school population calls for building as suggested above.
The Center School is seriously in need of renovation without and within. Its location in the center of the town calls for a more fit- ting appearance. Electric lights are needed both for light on dark days and to make possible the display of motion pictures as an ad- junct to oral instruction. Tinting or cleaning of walls would help greatly. And as has been previously mentioned, the toilet facilities should be relocated and modernized.
Teaching Corps
Changes in the personnel of the teaching staff are of those in- evitable things like death and taxes. Each year is bound to bring one or more of these upsets. Our salary scale renders this school system peculiarly liable to the rapacity of the larger towns.
One teacher left our employ during the year because of an offer of about 55 per cent increase in salary. To be sure, she was a trained and experienced supervisor of one of the special branches, and had been serving here as a grade teacher.
Matrimony again took its annual toll. Miss Coll, who served as assistant to Miss Richardson in the Town Hall School, was married early in the summer. It was not found necessary to fill her posi- tion due to the reduction in numbers in this school which came as a result of the opening of North School.
100
The sixth grade classes in the Center School have been subject to the most serious teacher turnover. During the calendar year there have been no less than six different teachers in charge of these two rooms. At present they are under the direction of Miss Anna L. Robertson and Mrs. Hazel Petersen.
In the Walker School the only change was that necessitated by the resignation of Miss Hayward, who had been in charge of the second grade. Here was another case of the loss of a valuable teacher because of the more attractive salary elsewhere. Miss Hayward was most happy in Wilmington, but she could not afford to refuse the increase in earning capacity. Her place was taken by Miss Sybil Willis, a local girl, graduated in June, 1927, from Lowell Normal School.
The opening of the North School required the services of an ad- ditional teacher, and Miss Doris Ridlon of Hingham was elected to the position. Miss Ridlon is also a 1927 gradute, and, like Miss Willis, is doing excellent work for an inexperienced teacher.
It was somewhat of a problem to find just the person desired for the newly created position of Supervisor of Physical Education. A graduate of the Sargent School was desired, and one who had had some experience. Finally good fortune directed attention to Miss Eleanor Dobbins of Cambridge. She was elected to the position and is filling it to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. Miss Dob- bins is popular with both pupils and teachers.
A better professional opportunity deprived us of the services of Miss Marion Ladd, the Supervisor of Drawing. To this position Miss Dorothy Griffin was elected. Miss Griffin is a Normal Art graduate who has had practical experience in the field of commer- cial art.
In the Whitefield School and the High School the corps of teach- ers has remained unchanged. It is especially pleasing to have the same High School faculty for two successive years. We are hop- ing to maintain an unbroken front for at least another year.
If the Commercial Department in the High School continues to increase at the same ratio as has prevailed for the last three years another assistant will soon be required. In 1925-1926 there were 53 pupils or 45 per cent of the total enrollment in this depart- ment. This increased to 60 pupils or 50 per cent the following year. During the present year the figures have jumped to 84 pupils and 62 per cent. Not only more teachers but more rooms will be needed if this continues.
Since several teachers have started work this year at very low initial salaries, there will be necessary an appreciable increase in the salary budget for the coming year. The best known way to hold desirable teachers is to pay them what others will pay.
Pupil Distribution
The usual tables showing the numbers and distribution of pupils in grades and schools are appended. The figures are taken this year as of October 1, 1927. Increases will be noted in both high and elementary school numbers. The net total gain is 45 pupils. This is, roughly, about 5 per cent increase over last year.
101
AGE AND GRADE DISTRIBUTION
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12|13
14
15
16
17
18
TI
31
71
7
II
6 66
26
12
15
5
2
105
7
7|22
21
V
11
43
20
93
86
11
13
12
14
75
21
28
24
32
VII
2
20
23
16
8 2|
1
72
22
30
11
15
VIII
20
23
17| 4| 1
65
20
31
5
8
IX
1117
24 |15
3
1!
61
18
30
4
7
X
8 61101
5
29
8
28
5
17
XI
1 11 14
1
27
12
44
1
4
XII
2 6 9| 2
19
8 42
0
0
IT
8 89 93 91 91 04 78 67 76 62 46 35 14 44 858151 18126
In this table OA and UA, over age and under age, per cents are figured to the nearest unit.
UA-Represents pupils young for the group.
OA-Represents pupils old for the group or grade.
Heavily leaded diagonal steps show normal grade-age limits.
SCHOOL AND GRADE DISTRIBUTION
Grade
1
2
3
4
5
6 78
9
10
11
12
T
Walker
41
43
29
18
42
183
Whitefield
43
50
41
44
177
North
17
11
10
3
41
West
11
6
9
15
41
South
8
11
7
9
35
Town Hall
42
42
Center
75
72
147
High
65
61
29
27
19
201
Total
119
114
105
86
86
75
72
65
61
29
27
1ยบ
858
%
I |8 83 20
61
1
1
114
6
5 16
14
III
749
|27
191
14
2
2
86
10
12
18
21
1| 20
19
10 15
4
6
15
-1
-4
It will be noted that the total enrollment in the four one room buildings is one short of 160. These would just fill four rooms of an addition to the Walker School, with one grade to a teacher. Think what this would mean to your child if he be one of those now getting one-fourth of his just due. The right kind of a start in the first four grades has a powerful influence on all of the re- maining years of the school course.
119
101 39
102
FINANCIAL STATEMENT 1927
General appropriation
$55,000.00
General Expenses
School Committee:
Salaries
$00.00
Expenses
00.00
Supt. of Schools and enforcement of the laws:
Salary
2,080.00
Other expenses
402.62
Expenses of Instruction
Supervisors:
Salaries
1,480.00
Salaries-Principals:
High School
2,780.00
Salaries-Teachers:
High
7,709.25
Elementary
20,010.00
Textbooks:
High
564.42
Elementary
408.12
Stationery, supplies and miscellaneous:
821.74
Elementary
704.04
Expenses of Operating School Plants
Salaries-Janitors:
High
1,500.00
Elementary
1,948.00
Fuel:
High
1,460.38
Elementary
1,235.53
Miscellaneous (power, light, water, janitors' supplies, insurance, etc.) :
High
832.33
Elementary
1,494.79
Maintenance
Repairs, Replacements and Upkeep:
High
370.99
Elementary
2,092.69
Auxiliary Agencies
Libraries:
High
76.50
Health
665.00
Transportation:
High
1,229.68
Elementary
4,476.38
Miscellaneous:
High
7.25
Elementary
36.00
High
103
Outlays
New Equipment: Elementary 621.73
Total Expenditures
54,957.44
Unexpended balance
$42.56
Conclusion
In closing, may I ask that the Committee support the appeal for immediate action towards increased building accommodations with the same spirit of hearty cooperation that they have always shown the years past. This is the outstanding need of the school children today. It is not even the exercise of foresight. The planning for the future can wait for a short time. This need is upon us. If the confidence in my judgment that you have shown in the past is still justified, please bring to the voters a request for additional ac- commodations according to the plan suggested above.
Respectfully submitted,
STEPHEN G. BEAN, Superintendent of Schools.
Dec. 31, 1927.
104
REPORT OF HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
To the Superintendent and School Committee of the Town of Wil- mington,
Ladies and Gentlemen: It is with pleasure that I submit here- with my annual report. For the first time since I came to Wil- mington, we have carried from one school year to the next our school faculty intact. The retaining of a competent, cooperating faculty means a great deal. Many of the High School teachers have been enrolled in courses for professional improvement. I take this occasion to commend our teachers on what they have done and on the professional growth they are making. I also recommend that all financial aid possible be given to our teachers to improve themselves in the profession of their choice.
No additional courses have been offered this year, but I feel that real progress has been made in expanding and strengthening the scope of those now offered. It has been considered impossible for a small high school to take care of the college-goer and the non- college-goer properly. Proof that it is possible for the small high school to give adequate preparation has been given by the fact that the Wilmington High School has for several years been on the New England College Certificate Board, and this permission is granted only to those schools whose pupils are making good rec- ords in college. Although the percentage of commercial students is becoming larger each year, 42 per cent of the present Senior Class are planning to go to college.
Our non-college-going graduates who have entered the industrial and commercial fields have, on the whole, done very well. Our ability to help the college-goer and the non-college-goer equally well has been made possible by the willingness of the teachers to give their time and effort for individual instruction.
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