Holyoke High School - Annual Yearbook (Holyoke, MA)

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ing. Pupils could thus take any of five lines of training above mentioned. It was highly im- portant that pupils should early determine which line of training to attempt. The pupil who wanted to go to college was to keep the way open and had to have his type of college in mind before the end of the first year in high school. The purpose to prepare for normal school was known on entrance to the high school. A pupil of fair ability and industry could pre- pare thoroughly for college or normal school with four years of properly directed work in the high school, and no pupil of lesser at- tainments could be admitted to either college or normal school. In order to graduate from the school every student had to complete the following pre- scribed work: two years of English, two years of mathematics, two of history, and one of physics. He had to carry straight through the four years work in one of the following lines: English, mathematics, history, natural science, classics, or modern languages. This left one half of the course to be devoted to the subjects of his choice, for which he had aptitude or demand. The elective opportunity furnished by the course of study and flexible program gave each pupil so much work of his own choice that it had inspired the spirit as well as the habit of work. In 1911, Mr. E. N. White proposed to re- place the plain glass windows in the audi- torium by memorial windows of stained glass. 28 As a result, Dr. Howard Conant, a renowned principal of Holyoke High School, appointed the Herald staff to make a list of the graduates who wished to dedicate a window in their memory. Originally, the proposal was for forty windows, sixteen of medallion design with twenty-four windows bordering them. Five were ordered in 1911 at the cost of twenty- five dollars per window and five dollars for installation. By 1915, fourteen more windows had been replaced. Because of World War l, no more windows were ordered until 1921. Since glass-makers could not duplicate the colors of pre-war windows, the windows pro- duced after the war were colored differently. The classes from 1921 to 1937 inclusive are also represented, the value of the windows in 1935 was established to be two thousand dollars. In 1912, William R. Peck stressed his com- mencement speech the need for a new gym- nasium. The gymnasium being used then was located on the basement floor of the High School built in 1898. However, the poles in the center of the gymnasium supporting the school were a hindrance to the basketball players. During the following year the Holyoke School Board organized a Holyoke Vocational School. After some controversy over the con- struction of both a vocational school and a new gymnasium, it was agreed that both should be located under the same roof. As a result of his intense interest William Peck was sum- moned from Holy Cross College, the college

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of the board of editors, composed of an editor- in-chief and two assistants, elected by the Senior class, and assistant editor and one as- sistant chosen by the Junior class, and two associate editors representing the first and second year classes. The business manager was elected by the Senior class and appointed his own assistants. The fall term brought into the new building 583 pupils, of whom 256 with an average of 15.6 years belonged to the first year class, 136 with an average of 16.1 years, to the second year class, 99 with an average of 17 years, to the third year class, 53 with an aver- age of 17.8 years, to the fourth year class, and 39 post graduates and specials, with an average of 20.5 years. Courses open to the students were English, Mathematics, History, Physiography, French, Latin, Domestic Science and Manual Training, Drawing, German, Bookkeeping, Biology, Greek, Physics, Chemistry and Stenography and Typing. All students were required to take two years of English, and the most popular elective subject, besides mathematics, was French, a course in which 297 students partic- ipated. The program was so arranged that any reasonable or probable combinations of studies contemplated in the course of study was avail- able. The regular quota of work for each pupil was four subjects. Every subject was pursued for a full year for five hours per week. Each pupil gave double time, eighty minutes, to each of two subjects on Monday and Wednes- day, double time to the other two subjects on Tuesday and Thursday, and on Friday had single periods for each study. The double period gave the opportunity for class drill, for individual attention, for directing work, train- ing pupils to study, and for keeping all ex- amination and test work Within the limits of the class time, thus avoiding the necessity of any so-called examination schedule. The short single periods on Friday gave opportunity for rapid review, incisive class drill, and presenta- tion of new matter to the class. The course of study in a high school in such a community as Holyoke could never be re- stricted to simply a college preparatory course. It recognized as its mission the duty of making the most of the boys and girls who graduated from the grammar schools. To furnish such young, for at least four years, the very best chance to make the most of themselves and to help them in the best way possible to pre- pare for the field of activity that lay ahead, was their endeavor. The courses of study were to provide opportunity C11 to prepare for college, f2D to prepare for normal school, CA school which trained prospective teachersj C3D to prepare for scientific or technical schools, C45 to prepare for business, and withal Q55 to prepare for a life of growth. To this end was offered four years' work in each of six subjects: English, mathematics, classics, history, natural science, and modern language. Three years' work was offered in special, com- mercial, and in art courses, and at the time only two years in domestic and manual train- 27

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