Fitchburg State University - Saxifrage Yearbook (Fitchburg, MA)

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I Order of Bool s CAMPUS ADMINISTRATION CLASSES ORGANIZATIONS HUMOR ADVERTISEMENTS ap Ad be de f hi jk J mn opq rfstuvwxyz eiou AbCDEFCHlJK.LMNOPQ RSTUVWXYZ cieiou ci c i o u ibebib oh ub ho he hi ho hu c cc ic oc uc ca ceci co cu oded id od ud dd dedi dodu In the Nome cf lb. Father end oflh« Son, dnd of the Hob, Ghost JJmcn OUR. Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy N«me:thy Kingdom come, thy Wilt be cloneonE irthusit isii Heaven. Give us Ihis lay our l«nly 5reod dnd forgive vi. Trelpalscs as we torsive them that trefpdls d£ainstu5:And lead us not into temptot ' to deliver us from Evil Jfmen M

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Foreword THE creation of any book is an adventure — an adventure into which one enters with all the zest and zeal of a band of Puritans setting out to establish a new home in an unknown land. So it was that the Saxifrage Board set out to create a new yearbook, one which might reflect the ar- dent spirit of a class, and radiate some of its ideals in the pages of a book. In this year of 1930, which commemorates the three hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, when the nation pauses to pay homage to the memory of pioneer souls, it seems only natural that a book which represents the ideals of young men and women who will soon teach the lessons of patriotism to young Americans, should have as its theme the spirit of the Tercentenary. In the work done by the art department, we have tried to portray the customs and characteristics of those stern and sturdy people who sought our shores for the pur- pose of religious freedom. The little Saxifrage, chosen flower of our school, seems, too, to symbol- ize the purity and perseverance of these God- fearing leaders. With this theme in mind, we worked that our book might be perfect, even to the smallest detail. Before it was finished, we realized that all our dreams had not come true. However, as our pioneer forefathers clung to their vision of future freedom, so we have fostered our hopes of per- fection, which have culminated in this Ter- centenary Saxifrage of 1930.

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School History SINCE the year 1930 marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Fitchburg Normal School, it will be of interest for us to learn something about the way in which our school was founded, and the great changes which have taken place since its inception up to the present time. At a meeting of the Fitchburg School Committee in 1893, Mr. Joseph G. Edgerly, then Superintendent of Schools, reported on the work which was being done in the training school for teachers which was located at the School Street School. He suggested that the training school be extended, since more adequate facilities were needed. Honorable Arthur H. Lowe, then Mayor of Fitchburg, realizing that teachers should have a thorough preparation for their work, and that the opportunity for this should be given by the state, suggested that a petition be presented to the State Board of Education, requesting that a State Normal School be located in Fitchburg. His suggestion met with unanimous approval, and the peti tion was filed immediately. Soon, many other cities and towns began to send in similar requests. Since the Legislature had been confronted with so many petitions, a strategic campaign was necessary for success. Mr. Edgerly and the School Board were loyally supported by the City Government, the Board of Trade, the Senator from this district, Mr. Joel D. Miller, and all the local members of the Legislature. This determination convinced the State Board of Education, with the result that new normal schools were established in Fitchburg, Lowell, North Adams, and Hyannis. The Fitchburg Normal School was the first of the four to be organized, on July 1, 1895. For the first year and a half it was housed in temporary quarters in the old high school building on Academy Street. In September, 1895, the school opened with a class of forty-six young women, in charge of a principal and three teachers, one of whom was Mr. Preston Smith, who has been a splendid teacher and friend to graduates of all classes, from the first to the thirty-fifth. Although great haste was made to complete the new building, it was not ready for occupancy until December second of the same year. The general aim of the school, as stated in the 1905 report, has been to teach the history and theory of education, together with child study and psychology, to review the subjects taught in grades below the high school, and to have put into actual, effect by expert teachers, the principles, methods, and devices discussed in the theoretical study of teaching. The Board elected John G. Thompson, A. M., the first principal of the school, whose term of office was completed in 1920. At the last meeting of the City Government in 1899, there was adopted an order appropriating $20,000 toward the building of a ten-room practice school, which was later named in honor of Superintendent Edgerly, who did so much to foster the growth of the new training school. In 1903, it became apparent that a dormitory for the girls was necessary, and early that year Miller Hall was ready for occupancy. In 1909, the Normal Junior High School, one of the first of its kind, was established opposite the Edgerly School. With the opening of this building in 191 1, came the course in Practical Arts, and it is interesting to note that eight men were enrolled the first year. When the normal school opened its nineteenth