Central High School - Red and Black Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

Page 16 text:

llur Anti - Jaywalking Pr Last autumn, when the city of St. Louis launched an anti-jaywalking campaign as a phase of their major traffic control plan, the public schools were invited to cooperate, Since Central High School lies along a very busy thor- oughfare, which most of our pupils must cross on their way to school, an anti-jaywalking cam- paign seemed a very practical and worthwhile project, It seemed an opportune time to try to establish in our student body a consciousness of the need for pedestrian cooperation to overcome the traffic hazards in our school community. This project fitted in very nicely with the work of the American Problems classes, which had just completed the topic of Propaganda and the Devices for Influencing Public Opinion . Both classes decided to test their skill in the use of these devices in an Anti-jaywalking Cam- paign. They drew up lists of things they needed to know before launching the campaign. Pupils at once volunteered to gather the information. Prom then on to the end of the project, time was given at the beginning of every class period to any committee of pupils which wished to report its progress or ask the class for advice or authority to pursue an activity. In this way pupils learned responsibility for group action. inject One small group of students visited the Traf- Hc Division in the City Hall to get a copy of the Traffic Code and learn the provisions of the ordinance on jaywalking. Another group visited the Police Station in our community to talk over our project with the Police and ask their cooperation. The next matter to be considered by the classes was the diffusion of information to others. Ways and means for informing the whole school' were decided upon. Every pupil agreed to advertise the project by speaking to at least ten other pupils not engaged in the project. The classes also selected the propaganda devices to be used, and grouped themselves into com- mittees, each committee assuming the responsi- bility of using one of these devices. So they made up slogans and posters picturing the pos- sible consequences of jaywalking, The slogan, The life you save may be your own, figured prominently in the posters. The Principal and student leaders were interviewed for statements on the value and need of an Anti-jaywalking Campaign. These testimonials appeared in the daily bulletins and in the school newspaper. Playing upon the desire of every school child to belong to a club, a committee decided to or-

Page 15 text:

Around forty Central' High students are seen leaving the school soon after lunchtime each day. Are they skipping? you might ask. No. At least, most of them aren't. Their programs are arranged so that they can get to work early in the afternoon. These students are the Co-ops, enrolled in our two part-time work-experience programs, Distributive Education and Secretarial Practice. The Co-ops attend regular classes where they study about the work they are doing in the afternoon. UentraI's Cu-lip Program cedures during their eighth term. While doing this, they are attending school in the morning, and getting practical on-the-job experience in the afternoon. During the last year the girls have received their training in such businesses as insurance, finance, wholesale paper, newspaper, fuse and electrical manufacturing, as well as at several elementary schools. Co-ops in Secretarial Practice and Distribu- tive Education earn a credit for their class work and a credit for their successful work experience. The employers grade their work for each report Secretarial Co-ops Distributive Education students study about the distribution of goods: that is, the buying and selling of merchandise, with all the prob- lems connected with that activity. They learn about the problems of both the employees and the management of stores. Each Distributive Education student learns and earns on the job, by working at least l5 hours a week in a store. Jobs range from stock work to selling, in such places as grocery stores, department stores, va- riety stores, drug stores, and others. Some 20 Central students have been in the D. E. program during the past term, having started as New Seniors. Secretarial Practice Co-ops finish their training in typing, shorthand and office pro- card period, by means of a rating sheet, for characteristics like Ability to get along with others, Initiative, Punctuality and Attend- ance, and i'Suitability to the job . The teacher-coordinators, Mr. Chapman and lVlr. Kirn, visit the students' training stations regularly, to observe them on the job and to confer with the employers about the training programs. Employers like to take our selected Central students for training, because they progress faster on the job, and are ready to take over full-time jobs when they graduate.

Page 17 text:

llur ganize an anti-jaywalking club in every advis- ory group. When the members of the advisory group signed a pledge promising to obey the traffic rules, they were presented with tags to wear as a sign of their cooperation. A roving class photographer snapped pictures of pupils caught in the act of jaywalking. These pictures and posters, exhibited in the corridors, aroused much interest and merriment. Anti - .laywalking Project As a result of this campaign, not only has jaywalking been reduced, but the students en- gaged in it received valuable, first hand experi- ence with a phase of American citizenship - that is, dealing with a hazardous traffic prob- lem, This practice also had democratic values. lt impressed upon the pupils the social and poli- tical responsibilities of the individual to his community. Umm